A swimming stroke performed on the back in which the arms are pulled up the sides of the body, extended straight outwards, and then swept back down, while the legs are tucked in towards the body and then kicked out in a corresponding movement.
I sighed, doing an elementary backstroke to keep afloat
Definition of elementary backstroke in US English:
elementary backstroke
noun
A swimming stroke performed on the back in which the arms are pulled up the sides of the body, extended straight outward, and then swept back down, while the legs are tucked in toward the body and then kicked out in a corresponding movement.
I sighed, doing an elementary backstroke to keep afloat