A swimming stroke performed lying on your back, propelling yourself with alternating arm movements and kicks.
Compound of 'back' + 'stroke' (from Old Norse 'stroki'). Emerged in swimming terminology when swimmers developed different techniques for different purposes and speeds.
The backstroke looks graceful but it's deceptively tricky—swimmers can't see where they're going, relying on counting pool lengths and feeling the wall, making it a unique challenge in competitive swimming!
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