What sitting in the water is
Sitting in backstroke means the body bends at the hips, so you sit in the water instead of lying on it.
The thighs angle down toward the pool floor, and the knees often come up near the surface as the legs try to kick.
Why it costs you
Sitting drops the legs and turns the front of the body into a wall against the water.
Every stroke then has to push that wall along, and the kick works hard without moving you much.
How to fix it
Open the hips so the body makes one long line from head to toes, as if you were lying flat on a bed.
Rest the back of the head in the water with the ears under and the eyes looking straight up. A raised head is a common cause of sitting.
Kick from the hip with a long leg, so the toes stir the surface and the knees stay under it.
One drill to try
- Kick on your back with the arms resting at your sides.
- Push the belly button gently toward the ceiling until the hips stay up near the surface.
- Keep the head still and the ears in the water the whole length.
How to film it so Llyr can read it
Stand your phone on the pool deck, side-on to your lane, with your whole body in the frame. Llyr shows you how to frame the shot.
From the side, Llyr reads the angle at your hips through the length.
Already have a clip? You can import a video you filmed earlier. Read the full filming guide.
What you see in Llyr
When the hips stay bent stroke after stroke, Llyr names it Sitting and shows it on a still from your own video.
Its glyph is a shaded angle at the joint, between your body as filmed and the dashed line it aims for.
The cue to take into your next set is Lie long on the surface.
Llyr is a second set of eyes, not a coach. Check each correction on the replay, and if your coach sees it differently, go with your coach.