Pulling lanes

The child swims 25 meters of backstroke close to the lane rope and — as an exception — is allowed to pull on it. Instead of regular arm strokes, they grab the rope where the hand would normally enter the water, then pull it over the head and, once the shoulder passes the hand, push against it. This pull phase and push phase closely resemble the advanced backstroke arm movement — which is why rope-pullers often become the best backstrokers.