This sounds silly but just pointing your toes towards the wall behind you. I'm not a good kicker but this keeps my legs up a bit instead of dragging them around like anchors. Thanks for your videos, they're always great.
imo, try one of those front-mounted snorkels to keep one's head down and submerged, thus helping to keep hips up also simultaneously. And perhaps try combining both mid-size fins w/ a pull-buoy too, to think about keeping legs straight, feet up, ankles more flexible ?
Congratulations. I learned to swim properly only late in life. Every advance on the way to being comfortable doing a long swim, even in the pool, is a really satisfying achievement.
Have you been using card to pay for your pool visits? Have you used mobile internet while you were there? Not saying that "they watch you" as no one has enough people to watch everyone, but sometimes the data is seeping through and the system can't stop itself from making connection and throwing assumptions at you.
In 1989 Terry Laughlin, a US swim coach founded Total Immersion Swimming based on principles of balance, streamlining, core driven stroke, roll to air breath and 2 beat kick for esp for distance swimming. Total Immersion Swimming introduced to the swimming world the principles of body balance : head position, arm position below the head on a slight diagonal with a soft pitched hand as anchor, and no knee bend with a toe flick kick. It is impossible to kick your legs to the surface and it just makes you tired with little forward movement. No kick boards. No pool buoys. Often neglected is lower arm position entering fingers, knuckles, wrist elbow slightly steep and forward.
@@elvismandelli304 Alice Laughlin Co Founder of TI learned to swim in 1989 at one of the first Total Immersion Swim Camps with Terry as Head Coach. I was 36 at the time!
Best tip I ever got for keeping my legs up was 'Suck in your gut like you are trying to put your belly button on your spine." The 'Dunlaps Disease' as in 'your belly dun laps over your belt' is a relaxed core, which puts curve in your spine, which makes your legs sink. That tip, plus keeping your head down keeps your posture/body position in line and feet up...
Agreed, Part of my problem when learning to swim competitively was looking up instead of basically straight down. You only need to look up a little to see what's in front.
I finally found someone who faced the same issue of arch in the spine. I dont know what to do with it and even the coach is not able to help. The back pain is being a hindrance to show for up for the class :(
Thanks to your comment, I was finally able to see a massive difference in my legs sinking situation. Ofcourse, engaging the core is central to swimming, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before!
I've found that having a stable core is key to keep the water position without having to kick too much, if you want to rest your legs while swimming. Use flutter kicks only to correct your balance every once in a while, let the upper body do the propelling.
I’ve never been a strong swimmer. Whether scuba or snorkeling, I’ve always enjoyed being in the water with my mask & fins. Thanks, now understand a little of why.
Great video. My ongoing problem is that in public lane swimming sessions you really do need to keep aware of where everyone else is to avoid collisions. This gives me problems with keeping a good head position. I've even met a few folk who try a flip turn in the same part of the lane that they did the length in. It is a bit tough on anyone coming up behind them. It seems the breast stroke is nicknamed the survival stroke for more than one reason.
Are people where you're going swimming in a loop style in the lane (like staying to the right) or are they each swimming on a side of the lane and going back and forth? You can definitely do slight lifts with your head to see if there's anything in front of you, and also watching for bubbles from people kicking. You just don't want to hold your head that way too much because it'll contribute to a bad body position.
@@Erin-rg3dw Many thanks. Usually a loop, but with lanes a bit too narrow for overtaking unless you can be sure that nobody is overtaking in the other direction. The other problems are folk who cannot maintain a steady speed so are hard to predict and those who, to put it nicely, are not quite as fast as they think they are when choosing which lane. There are some quite useful directions on lane etiquette written up at the lane ends. Regrettably it seems adult illiteracy is rife. Actually, I sound awfully judgemental, but I do recognise we all have to start somewhere and work up the stamina and drill. Just stay calm and be patient says the inner voice. It is just that I've banged heads a few times as well as collected the odd broken toe and bruises. arm.
@@Erin-rg3dw people who swim in the same lane need to agree on which way to "circle swim," without lane lines it should coordinate with the adjoining lanes so that everyone is safer.
i was taught to press down with my chest to raise my hips in the water (as you say, a teeter-totter effect). as i recall, that also helped in creating the "breathing pocket" that's generated in a proper stroke.
Awesome, that is exactly what always happens to me, and why I hate swimming. I can barely make it across the pool without conking out. Thanks for the tips. I would love to take up swimming if I can get that fixed, since it seems like amazing low-impact exercise.
The same thing was happening to me. I was almost gasping for breath after only 100 yards. Several sessions with a coach helped me a great deal. He gave me several dry-land and in-the-pool drills. I started around 90 days ago, and I'm to the point where I can swim 200 yards and not be out of breath at all. I have a ways to go, but hopefully I'll continue to improve.
Yes Indeed sinking legs are such a big problem. I constantly work on improving my position in water and it is not an easy thing to do. It is a good thing that those pull buoy exists and it can be used while training as it proves the point that not having the legs sinking make swimming so much easier.
This was certainly one of my biggest issues and I spent a lot of time using the float between my skinny legs. When I was swimming regularly, the biggest improvements in all aspects of swimming for me occurred after implementing techniques taught by Karlyn Pipes in her RUclips videos.
out of the pool, working on core activation definitely assists. Good 'ol plank, position then alternate raising the leg straight up. Plus from a position on all fours, raising your heel with leg at aright angle, while extending the opposite arm, then alternating. Also swimming with the band (ankles tied) really forces the discipline.
Yes, one of the things they don't mention is that core definitely is a major issue as to why legs sink. Kicking on kkckboards works the core, and builds the flexible strength to keep the legs up.
4:20 Swim stroke creating downward pressure - in order for your arms to push down, the opposite reaction is counteracted by your legs coming down - it's a bit like a sit-up or crunch - to move your arms downward toward your legs is just the same as trying to move your legs downward towards your arms. So how does this help ? ALSO, as you say, pushing down with the arm lifts the upper body - which in turn will tend to force the lower body downwards - as your body pivots about the hips ! I'm not at all convinced !
Great tips as always! I do believe though that your natural buoyancy plays a role as well. I’m a bit on the muscular side and I notice that it’s kind of a challenge to stay on the surface of the water no matter how good my body position and strokes are.
I thought the same having no fat on my legs, but I got a coach using total immersion method and got it sorted in 4 sessions. It came down to keeping arms at 4pm, rotating my legs on 45 degree angle with my body when doing my catch, keeping some air in lungs, kicking on my side and making sure my arm didn’t got past my back which otherwise caused me to add unnecessary weight to bottom side. My legs don’t sink when freestyle but treading water is still a struggle 😊
@@chrisobi324 I was like that when I was young. Dense bones, low lung capacity, and no fat. Could lie on the bottom of the pool. Same principles still apply though. Keep the head down, use rotation, build up your upper body strength.
@@heatherfell_oly II'm sure it will and I can't wait to try this in the pool soon. Thank you for replying Heather. I'm not going to lie, but you are the nr.1 reason I'm following GTN
The best solution to incorrect form and technique would be to have a session (or several) with a very good swim coach (preferably a former or current competitive swimmer), so they can eyeball you and give you corrections for every lap that you do. This video gives very good tips, but you can’t really correct your bad habits all by yourself if you’ve never known what swimming the correct way feels like. Hence, join a session with the nearest swim squad in your area (if they will let you). Enjoy your time on the water!
very good point. one thing that took me years to even notice i was doing wrong was my kick amplitude was too small so i was getting almost no propulsion from my legs even if i kicked hard. i had a really difficult time swimming further than a few pool lengths before i was completely gassed even though i've always been a very good athlete. once i realized what i was doing wrong and widened my kick swimming became a breeze cuz i wasn't crushing my VO2 max just staying afloat anymore.
Wow! Very impressive video! I had to work on all aspects that you covered to improve my leg positions in the water. BUT what made the biggest impact was a very simple observation from one of the women in the swim team that made me realized how much faster I was swimming with the pull buoy versus without it which meant that I was dragging a lot of water with my legs even when I was using my legs. I had to be video taped to see by myself how bad was bad and it was pretty bad. I am still working at it and any improvements on my leg positions translate to less work with my arms so it is a very worthwhile time spend just trying to float in horizontal position with minimum movement. Applying pressure with my upper body on the water and tucking in my abdomen is giving me good results. Proper body rotation and head position also made a big difference. I am a fairly slender runner with big lungs with short arms and feet so I really do not have the body of a natural swimmer but I enjoy swimming.😁😁😁
I tried the float between my legs and to my surprise found it a bit strange. My backside felt like it was very high compared to my back and therefore opted to swim without. It did make me swim faster though. I am trying to kick at the same time but it is proving difficult. Im loosing weight which is a bonus :)
It probably felt really high because of how low you were used to it being. I've been swimming for years and still notice the ease. I would still recommend using it to help with strength and using a kickboard to improve your kicking. Keep up the good work!
This video just randomly appeared on my feed, but I'm thankful for this video! Sinking legs really discouraged me from learning swimming. I felt like I wasn't made for swimming and used to think I must be heavy.
The best tip I learned is point the top of your head in the water downward and pull your mouth toward your neck to get air this causes you to go faster. Leaving your head in the water with only your mouth outside to get a gulp of air. The tendency is to lift your mouth out of the water with your whole head above the surface which causes your legs to drop and causes drag or braking of your forward motion. You have to get over the fear of drinking in water. Or imagine or start to turn over to swim on your back to catch some air and then don't turn over but return to the crawl position. If you keep more of your head in the water your legs will naturally float upward.
That is what I found most helpful. Try to keep your mouth as close to the surface of the water as possible when breathing and then face back down in the water. The centre of gravity is the torso so head down means legs up.
Another very common problem (which stopped me from being interested in Triathlon) is not being able to figure out breathing. Do you have any video tips or drills to figure out how to learn continued swimming without feeling out of breath in the first 100m?
This is my main issue when trying to swim... well that and the fact that I freak out getting my ears below water. One compounds the other really. I need to work on that. Thanks for the tips.
I do swimming 3 times per week because it does not put any pressure on my body and work all my muscles grateful for all ur tips will try to improve on my front croy
Never had this problem until I had a total knee replacement. That really screwed up my kick. Thanks for this video. Will definitely try some of these suggestions.
4:25 downwards pressure in the catch will lift your upper body and drop your legs (in the same way that lifting the head will) - you can't lift your whole body from the arms, you will rotate around your centre of gravity
Yes, Rob, but be careful about calling it the "catch" if there is no catch. I would say the "catch-phase" because when the arm drops, there is no catch which is why the swimmer lifts their head. Without the catch, you've negated your rotation, meaning your head will sink underwater faster, thereby causing the reflex of lifting your head.
After significant spinal nerve damage & consequent implantation of 6 pieces of titanium, I’ve gone from being a strong swimmer to being almost u able to hold my head above water. Oh joy. So, I’m just about to restart swim training. I’ve never, ever been able to float! I used to do loads of breaststroke, some freestyle, and somewhat less backstroke. I’m going to try all your tips as I try to become even minimally competent at swimming!
Aha! Forty+ years on, and it's my desire to not drown by keeping my head back (out) of the water that's causing this. Thanks GTN, I should probably get myself to adult learn-to-swim class because it's the one thing that was stopping me getting into Tri.
Total Immersion teaches that to achieve the proper level body position, "Press your buoy!" As Heather points out, you lie like a sea-saw in the water. Your pivot point is your most buoyant body area: your air-filled lungs. For someone used to a more heads-up position, being properly level often feels strange-like you're head-down. Having a buddy check your position and reassure you is really valuable when practicing proper technique.
4:22 if your arm enters the water too soon, your arm extension is contrary to the direction of motion of your body which is hindering forward displacement in water. This is very hard to achieve but entering the water further ahead like Mark will benefit your glide and catch
I've always had a sinking legs problem, along with a sinking everything else. I'm the guy that takes in as much air as possible, jumps in the salt-water pool, and walks along the bottom. Apparently I happened to be born with dense bones, or something. One thing I cannot do is to propel myself through the water by kicking. Coaches and instructors through the years have given up on me, especially after they watch me strap on a normal life vest and promptly sink, vest and all. I still love to swim, though, but with so much energy expended to stay near the surface, recreational swimming with other people is akward. Back to my problem; is there some video or demonstration that shows efficient kicking?
When I was a kid I could use my kick very well to move myself forward, also on a board ore something else. I remember at later age this didn’t work any more so well. When years later I started swimming more intensely my kick didn’t work at all. It is very tiring and there is very little speed. Actually, I didn’t know I had to relax my ankles. Going to try that.
Years ago when I learned swimming my problem was sinking legs but my instructor told me to kick my legs a little faster and it helped when I kick my legs a little faster . It worked for me.
This is probably in a swimmer athlete's point of view. As a beginner in swimming at 56, I still am figuring out what the exact purpose of a pull bouy and how to correctly settle it in our legs.
Water always scared me. I was born with my umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, coming out into the world choking for air. Yet, I don't want to use that as an excuse to give up. I plan to try and overcome it. I will keep these hints here in mind. Thank you.
I do not have this problem- at all. But I need to help my two teen kids with it, because they hate the swim part so much, they won't do the triathlons with me! Hubby suffers through the swim too, but once we get out of the water, he goes from behind me to in front of me. I've been having trouble with explaining what they need to do for a better stroke, so I'm forwarding this video.
I have noticed in this and other swimming videos (this and other youtube channels) that the swimmer holds breath until almost the next breath stroke (breath... hold... hold... hold... exhale-breath... hold...) but many tutorials say "start exhaling as soon as your head (nose-mouth) goes back into the water. Can you talk a little more about this? Is it for video purposes or is it the way you breath while swimming? @4:22 or @6:10
Head position while breathing has a big effect, and head position while swimming also has a big effect. However, being one of those people who runs, skis and bikes, sinking legs is always a potential problem. The best tip I ever got had to do with the actual stroke ie catch and draw. The tip was to pretend that your intent is to swim downwards at a shallow angle. the body tends to pivot around the hips and the legs just naturally come up. It works for me and avoids any need to kick frantically which is tiring.
4:26 no! Downward pressure absolutely doesn't help to prevent your hips and legs from sinking; quite the reverse! The presenters earlier correctly liken your body to a seasaw - if your trunk rises, your legs tend to sink. So pressing down on the water with your hands, makes your legs sink. Do not do this!!
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Have you experienced sinking legs and what have you done to try and fix it? Let us know!
This sounds silly but just pointing your toes towards the wall behind you. I'm not a good kicker but this keeps my legs up a bit instead of dragging them around like anchors.
Thanks for your videos, they're always great.
I've broken my collarbone and had to focus on my leg work in the water and now the sinky legs are gone! 😊
Head down, legs up helped me.
imo, try one of those front-mounted snorkels to keep one's head down and submerged, thus helping to keep hips up also simultaneously. And perhaps try combining both mid-size fins w/ a pull-buoy too, to think about keeping legs straight, feet up, ankles more flexible ?
keep ur ass up and constantly kick ur legs
After not knowing how to swim I decided to teach myself! Today I finally did it a bit… Progress!!
Amazing! It is such an important skill to learn!
Thank you
Congratulations. I learned to swim properly only late in life. Every advance on the way to being comfortable doing a long swim, even in the pool, is a really satisfying achievement.
Learning to swim and was literally talking about how my legs sink when I'm taking a breath. This video was on point for me, thank you!!!
Its almost as if RUclips knows exactly what my problem is with swimming. And I have never watched a swimming video on RUclips.
Well they are over hearing you
Well me too. But i went swimming yesterday and wore my fit bit . So that is where they got the algorithm to suggest this video.
Wow. Same here 😂
It's almost as if RUclips can read my mind and I am not superstitious.
Have you been using card to pay for your pool visits? Have you used mobile internet while you were there? Not saying that "they watch you" as no one has enough people to watch everyone, but sometimes the data is seeping through and the system can't stop itself from making connection and throwing assumptions at you.
In 1989 Terry Laughlin, a US swim coach founded Total Immersion Swimming based on principles of balance, streamlining, core driven stroke, roll to air breath and 2 beat kick for esp for distance swimming. Total Immersion Swimming introduced to the swimming world the principles of body balance : head position, arm position below the head on a slight diagonal with a soft pitched hand as anchor, and no knee bend with a toe flick kick. It is impossible to kick your legs to the surface and it just makes you tired with little forward movement. No kick boards. No pool buoys. Often neglected is lower arm position entering fingers, knuckles, wrist elbow slightly steep and forward.
Alice McHugh learned how to swim at 50 with total immersion and did few IM after that , love that method
@@elvismandelli304 Alice Laughlin Co Founder of TI learned to swim in 1989 at one of the first Total Immersion Swim Camps with Terry as Head Coach. I was 36 at the time!
Mark's tanline is legendary!
Sota Maehara Zzzzz
Now, if you can find a way to get me through the panic attacks when I'm swimming. Or trying to "swim" would be good?
Best tip I ever got for keeping my legs up was 'Suck in your gut like you are trying to put your belly button on your spine." The 'Dunlaps Disease' as in 'your belly dun laps over your belt' is a relaxed core, which puts curve in your spine, which makes your legs sink. That tip, plus keeping your head down keeps your posture/body position in line and feet up...
Agreed, Part of my problem when learning to swim competitively was looking up instead of basically straight down. You only need to look up a little to see what's in front.
I finally found someone who faced the same issue of arch in the spine. I dont know what to do with it and even the coach is not able to help. The back pain is being a hindrance to show for up for the class :(
@@nhnsaruwere you ever able to find a solution that worked for you?
Thanks to your comment, I was finally able to see a massive difference in my legs sinking situation. Ofcourse, engaging the core is central to swimming, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before!
Wow 😮
I've found that having a stable core is key to keep the water position without having to kick too much, if you want to rest your legs while swimming. Use flutter kicks only to correct your balance every once in a while, let the upper body do the propelling.
Absolutely will put all your excercises and points to stop the sinking legs .thanks a million
me who hasnt gone swimming in three years looking this up- 👁 👄 👁
SAME
Oddly specific
Make that 8 years 😂
SAME AND I HAVE TO GO SWIMMING TOMMOROW WITH MY CLASS
I will go tomorrow
I’ve never been a strong swimmer. Whether scuba or snorkeling, I’ve always enjoyed being in the water with my mask & fins. Thanks, now understand a little of why.
Ed Walton Virgin flippers vs. CHAD FEET DRAGGER
@@Tempusverum virgin oxygen breather vs chad carbon dioxide enjoyer
Sounds like a buoyancy issue. When you go diving try adding more weight on your weight belt
I'm a shark, don't know why I am watching this.
Study your prey
THATS like humans watching the food network
I'm an orca. We get to watch RUclips at our aquarium. Not sure why this show was selected for us to watch as well
RUclips recommendations doing amazing work!!
Great video. My ongoing problem is that in public lane swimming sessions you really do need to keep aware of where everyone else is to avoid collisions. This gives me problems with keeping a good head position. I've even met a few folk who try a flip turn in the same part of the lane that they did the length in. It is a bit tough on anyone coming up behind them. It seems the breast stroke is nicknamed the survival stroke for more than one reason.
Are people where you're going swimming in a loop style in the lane (like staying to the right) or are they each swimming on a side of the lane and going back and forth? You can definitely do slight lifts with your head to see if there's anything in front of you, and also watching for bubbles from people kicking. You just don't want to hold your head that way too much because it'll contribute to a bad body position.
@@Erin-rg3dw Many thanks. Usually a loop, but with lanes a bit too narrow for overtaking unless you can be sure that nobody is overtaking in the other direction. The other problems are folk who cannot maintain a steady speed so are hard to predict and those who, to put it nicely, are not quite as fast as they think they are when choosing which lane.
There are some quite useful directions on lane etiquette written up at the lane ends. Regrettably it seems adult illiteracy is rife.
Actually, I sound awfully judgemental, but I do recognise we all have to start somewhere and work up the stamina and drill. Just stay calm and be patient says the inner voice. It is just that I've banged heads a few times as well as collected the odd broken toe and bruises. arm.
@@TheArgieH Don't worry, even on competitive teams, people crash into each other sometimes 😄
@@Erin-rg3dw people who swim in the same lane need to agree on which way to "circle swim," without lane lines it should coordinate with the adjoining lanes so that everyone is safer.
Oh, what a nice big pool. And thanks for the tips. My legs still sink, when I take swimming lessons.
i was taught to press down with my chest to raise my hips in the water (as you say, a teeter-totter effect). as i recall, that also helped in creating the "breathing pocket" that's generated in a proper stroke.
*THAT'S THE BEST VIDEO ON SWIMMING ON RUclips THAT I'VE SEEN!!* *THANKS FOR SHARING, DO SOME MORE! 😅
Thanks - you should check out more of our swimming vids here 👉 gtn.io/SwimWithGTN
Jesus mark your tan line is on point
Coxy872695 2 😂
Hahahaha
And I thought you had to wear brown leggings and elbow-length gloves.
Coxy872695 2 Jesus is human and can’t do anything say almighty Allah to do ask Allah everything when praying
😂😂
Awesome, that is exactly what always happens to me, and why I hate swimming. I can barely make it across the pool without conking out. Thanks for the tips. I would love to take up swimming if I can get that fixed, since it seems like amazing low-impact exercise.
The same thing was happening to me. I was almost gasping for breath after only 100 yards. Several sessions with a coach helped me a great deal. He gave me several dry-land and in-the-pool drills. I started around 90 days ago, and I'm to the point where I can swim 200 yards and not be out of breath at all. I have a ways to go, but hopefully I'll continue to improve.
What are some of those drills your coach gave you? I am quite struggling with my legs staying a float in water, I have tried everything.
🔝🔝🔝
@@Kingsgal driving kick?
Highly underrated channel wow
Great tips! I’ll try these today being a beginner. Thanks.
Yes Indeed sinking legs are such a big problem. I constantly work on improving my position in water and it is not an easy thing to do. It is a good thing that those pull buoy exists and it can be used while training as it proves the point that not having the legs sinking make swimming so much easier.
My legs sink even with pull buoy on 😅
@@ibal3616 skydiving, anyone?
This was certainly one of my biggest issues and I spent a lot of time using the float between my skinny legs. When I was swimming regularly, the biggest improvements in all aspects of swimming for me occurred after implementing techniques taught by Karlyn Pipes in her RUclips videos.
out of the pool, working on core activation definitely assists. Good 'ol plank, position then alternate raising the leg straight up. Plus from a position on all fours, raising your heel with leg at aright angle, while extending the opposite arm, then alternating. Also swimming with the band (ankles tied) really forces the discipline.
Yes, one of the things they don't mention is that core definitely is a major issue as to why legs sink. Kicking on kkckboards works the core, and builds the flexible strength to keep the legs up.
My whole body is sinking
Hahahahhaha
🤣😂🤣🤣😊
That's called drowning
Stop exhaling
😂
4:20 Swim stroke creating downward pressure - in order for your arms to push down, the opposite reaction is counteracted by your legs coming down - it's a bit like a sit-up or crunch - to move your arms downward toward your legs is just the same as trying to move your legs downward towards your arms. So how does this help ? ALSO, as you say, pushing down with the arm lifts the upper body - which in turn will tend to force the lower body downwards - as your body pivots about the hips !
I'm not at all convinced !
Great tips as always! I do believe though that your natural buoyancy plays a role as well. I’m a bit on the muscular side and I notice that it’s kind of a challenge to stay on the surface of the water no matter how good my body position and strokes are.
I thought the same having no fat on my legs, but I got a coach using total immersion method and got it sorted in 4 sessions. It came down to keeping arms at 4pm, rotating my legs on 45 degree angle with my body when doing my catch, keeping some air in lungs, kicking on my side and making sure my arm didn’t got past my back which otherwise caused me to add unnecessary weight to bottom side. My legs don’t sink when freestyle but treading water is still a struggle 😊
Do you have a driving kick?
It’s not just my legs sinking that’s the problem, it’s my whole body!
MoonSpinners that’s impossible try to do the bottle and you will see that if you retain air your body is flotting
Rokaa ....I was joking!
I do sink like literally sinking to the bottom
@@chrisobi324 I was like that when I was young. Dense bones, low lung capacity, and no fat. Could lie on the bottom of the pool. Same principles still apply though. Keep the head down, use rotation, build up your upper body strength.
@@chrisobi324 I sink like a rock. Makes it easy to dive, but can't float without bouancy.
I suffer from sinky legs, thanks for this excellent video guys!
Thanks R Fox, hope it helps!
@@heatherfell_oly II'm sure it will and I can't wait to try this in the pool soon.
Thank you for replying Heather.
I'm not going to lie, but you are the nr.1 reason I'm following GTN
Odd, I don't have this problem. Well, I've got to get back to eating my donuts. Thx.
Really good tips for learning the right way to swim and my daughter will put them in practice next time we go swimming
Thank you so much for sharing this very informative and life changing video! Have a blessed day and God bless you and your family
Thank you very much for this. Hats off to the kind of effort put in to making of this.
The best solution to incorrect form and technique would be to have a session (or several) with a very good swim coach (preferably a former or current competitive swimmer), so they can eyeball you and give you corrections for every lap that you do.
This video gives very good tips, but you can’t really correct your bad habits all by yourself if you’ve never known what swimming the correct way feels like. Hence, join a session with the nearest swim squad in your area (if they will let you).
Enjoy your time on the water!
Yes
very good point. one thing that took me years to even notice i was doing wrong was my kick amplitude was too small so i was getting almost no propulsion from my legs even if i kicked hard. i had a really difficult time swimming further than a few pool lengths before i was completely gassed even though i've always been a very good athlete. once i realized what i was doing wrong and widened my kick swimming became a breeze cuz i wasn't crushing my VO2 max just staying afloat anymore.
Great idea! Can you pay for it for me?
@@edwardschmitt5710 he probably won't -😬
They are also holding back on the main things/technique to swim. Some will figure it out and some eill have to pay for that knowledge i think.
Thank you this is something I have been struggling with and will be working to get better body position
I initially thought the title said stop "stinking" legs. I was thinking "I'm never swimming in that nasty ass pool" 😂😂😂
Wow! Very impressive video! I had to work on all aspects that you covered to improve my leg positions in the water. BUT what made the biggest impact was a very simple observation from one of the women in the swim team that made me realized how much faster I was swimming with the pull buoy versus without it which meant that I was dragging a lot of water with my legs even when I was using my legs. I had to be video taped to see by myself how bad was bad and it was pretty bad. I am still working at it and any improvements on my leg positions translate to less work with my arms so it is a very worthwhile time spend just trying to float in horizontal position with minimum movement. Applying pressure with my upper body on the water and tucking in my abdomen is giving me good results. Proper body rotation and head position also made a big difference. I am a fairly slender runner with big lungs with short arms and feet so I really do not have the body of a natural swimmer but I enjoy swimming.😁😁😁
Amazing video which addresses my current challenge. I wish I can spend a week swimming with you!
I experienced this today never had before this video and others comes at the right moment for me thanks alot. I will practice this on my next visit
I gave up on swimming because I always sank down. I could never float always sank down, but I'll give it a try and see how it work out.
I found using short fins really helped keep my legs up and train my body to swim more efficiently.
I tried the float between my legs and to my surprise found it a bit strange. My backside felt like it was very high compared to my back and therefore opted to swim without. It did make me swim faster though. I am trying to kick at the same time but it is proving difficult. Im loosing weight which is a bonus :)
It probably felt really high because of how low you were used to it being. I've been swimming for years and still notice the ease. I would still recommend using it to help with strength and using a kickboard to improve your kicking. Keep up the good work!
This video just randomly appeared on my feed, but I'm thankful for this video! Sinking legs really discouraged me from learning swimming. I felt like I wasn't made for swimming and used to think I must be heavy.
The best tip I learned is point the top of your head in the water downward and pull your mouth toward your neck to get air this causes you to go faster. Leaving your head in the water with only your mouth outside to get a gulp of air. The tendency is to lift your mouth out of the water with your whole head above the surface which causes your legs to drop and causes drag or braking of your forward motion. You have to get over the fear of drinking in water. Or imagine or start to turn over to swim on your back to catch some air and then don't turn over but return to the crawl position. If you keep more of your head in the water your legs will naturally float upward.
That is what I found most helpful. Try to keep your mouth as close to the surface of the water as possible when breathing and then face back down in the water. The centre of gravity is the torso so head down means legs up.
I am a keen & regular, Swimmer.
These GTM series of Tutorials-
Are Very Good, put in easily to -
Understand Language.
S.B.
S
Another very common problem (which stopped me from being interested in Triathlon) is not being able to figure out breathing. Do you have any video tips or drills to figure out how to learn continued swimming without feeling out of breath in the first 100m?
We've made a video purely on how to breath, check it out and let us know how you get on.
@@heatherfell_oly Thanks! I'll check it out.
This exactly my problem, my feet always sinking down. I'll try this.
This is my main issue when trying to swim... well that and the fact that I freak out getting my ears below water. One compounds the other really. I need to work on that. Thanks for the tips.
Hope you find them helpful! 🙂
I do swimming 3 times per week because it does not put any pressure on my body and work all my muscles grateful for all ur tips will try to improve on my front croy
Awesome to see those canoepolo boats in the back!
Never had this problem until I had a total knee replacement. That really screwed up my kick. Thanks for this video. Will definitely try some of these suggestions.
4:25 downwards pressure in the catch will lift your upper body and drop your legs (in the same way that lifting the head will) - you can't lift your whole body from the arms, you will rotate around your centre of gravity
Yes, Rob, but be careful about calling it the "catch" if there is no catch. I would say the "catch-phase" because when the arm drops, there is no catch which is why the swimmer lifts their head. Without the catch, you've negated your rotation, meaning your head will sink underwater faster, thereby causing the reflex of lifting your head.
After significant spinal nerve damage & consequent implantation of 6 pieces of titanium, I’ve gone from being a strong swimmer to being almost u able to hold my head above water. Oh joy. So, I’m just about to restart swim training. I’ve never, ever been able to float! I used to do loads of breaststroke, some freestyle, and somewhat less backstroke. I’m going to try all your tips as I try to become even minimally competent at swimming!
I love those tan lines :)
That's definitely me. I'm much faster with just arms and pull-buoy (no kicks) than when swimming normally.
That demonstrates how poorly the legs produce propulsion given the amount of energy they require.
Thanks for all ur tips I love swimming but not that technical so very helpful.
me trying to imitate how they speak while watching 😅 .. love the accent
I'm swimming at school tomorrow and I want to do very well, and I think this video will help me very much
Great video. Thanks for sharing!
Very good tips, exactly what I was missing.
This video will put off anyone learning how to swim as swimming is not as difficult as it comes across in this video.
This is me: I look like the hypotenuse of the triangle plowing through the water.
Aha! Forty+ years on, and it's my desire to not drown by keeping my head back (out) of the water that's causing this. Thanks GTN, I should probably get myself to adult learn-to-swim class because it's the one thing that was stopping me getting into Tri.
Karl I would agree, don't let the swim stop you doing triathlon. Good luck!
I have just signed up for adult swimming lessons for the same reason
Total Immersion teaches that to achieve the proper level body position, "Press your buoy!" As Heather points out, you lie like a sea-saw in the water. Your pivot point is your most buoyant body area: your air-filled lungs. For someone used to a more heads-up position, being properly level often feels strange-like you're head-down. Having a buddy check your position and reassure you is really valuable when practicing proper technique.
What’s challenging for me is synchronizing the leg kicks with the hand strokes
I have learnt so much from you guys. Thank you very much.
4:22 if your arm enters the water too soon, your arm extension is contrary to the direction of motion of your body which is hindering forward displacement in water. This is very hard to achieve but entering the water further ahead like Mark will benefit your glide and catch
Yes, and it also negates rotation, as the farther you reach, the more you rotate.
@aus2908 good point too. Exactly
Not my legs sinking, my whole body is sinking and I’m drowning 💀
... definitely consider some mid-size fins + pull-buoy combo too, as a good self-correcting method imo
Mark's tan lines are pretty extreme!
Great video and well demonstrated tips.
The water line just above my hairline? Some assumptions are being made ;)
Maybe I should have worded it just above the top of your hat line?! ;)
@@heatherfell_oly great, than I can choose (how to wear my hat)
Where you're hairline used to be :p or where it should be.
As a seafarer, I had this problem of sinking while swimming and dunno why exactly youtube knew it and recommended this one. Good thing
Try also watching: Total Immersion Swimming
I've always had a sinking legs problem, along with a sinking everything else. I'm the guy that takes in as much air as possible, jumps in the salt-water pool, and walks along the bottom. Apparently I happened to be born with dense bones, or something. One thing I cannot do is to propel myself through the water by kicking. Coaches and instructors through the years have given up on me, especially after they watch me strap on a normal life vest and promptly sink, vest and all. I still love to swim, though, but with so much energy expended to stay near the surface, recreational swimming with other people is akward. Back to my problem; is there some video or demonstration that shows efficient kicking?
When I was a kid I could use my kick very well to move myself forward, also on a board ore something else. I remember at later age this didn’t work any more so well. When years later I started swimming more intensely my kick didn’t work at all. It is very tiring and there is very little speed. Actually, I didn’t know I had to relax my ankles. Going to try that.
Years ago when I learned swimming my problem was sinking legs but my instructor told me to kick my legs a little faster and it helped when I kick my legs a little faster . It worked for me.
Excellent tips! thank you!
This is probably in a swimmer athlete's point of view. As a beginner in swimming at 56, I still am figuring out what the exact purpose of a pull bouy and how to correctly settle it in our legs.
omg, my legs sink like rocks. i cant wait to try these techniques. thanx!
Water always scared me. I was born with my umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, coming out into the world choking for air. Yet, I don't want to use that as an excuse to give up. I plan to try and overcome it. I will keep these hints here in mind. Thank you.
Thanks for the rotation tips
very useful tips. Thx!
I can swim well with my arms but soon as I use my legs they start to sink. I just use my arms these days.
This helped me a lot! Thanks I'm a pro now😊!
I do not have this problem- at all. But I need to help my two teen kids with it, because they hate the swim part so much, they won't do the triathlons with me! Hubby suffers through the swim too, but once we get out of the water, he goes from behind me to in front of me. I've been having trouble with explaining what they need to do for a better stroke, so I'm forwarding this video.
My need to breathe is too strong. I have to work on breathing technique with this. Good instructional
Same here 😂
As a lifelong asthmatic, I struggle enough to breathe. I’m sure as hell not keeping my head under water to swim. I’ll stay in the little kids end.
I have noticed in this and other swimming videos (this and other youtube channels) that the swimmer holds breath until almost the next breath stroke (breath... hold... hold... hold... exhale-breath... hold...) but many tutorials say "start exhaling as soon as your head (nose-mouth) goes back into the water. Can you talk a little more about this? Is it for video purposes or is it the way you breath while swimming? @4:22 or @6:10
Good tips, will try
Thanks for this swimming tutorial
Used to be my problem. Good video.
Head position while breathing has a big effect, and head position while swimming also has a big effect. However, being one of those people who runs, skis and bikes, sinking legs is always a potential problem. The best tip I ever got had to do with the actual stroke ie catch and draw. The tip was to pretend that your intent is to swim downwards at a shallow angle. the body tends to pivot around the hips and the legs just naturally come up. It works for me and avoids any need to kick frantically which is tiring.
Great information thanks guys!
Also who cares about tan lines or how you look. This is a video to improve your triathlon game, not a cat walk!
4:26 no! Downward pressure absolutely doesn't help to prevent your hips and legs from sinking; quite the reverse! The presenters earlier correctly liken your body to a seasaw - if your trunk rises, your legs tend to sink. So pressing down on the water with your hands, makes your legs sink. Do not do this!!
I had to watch his discussion segments twice because I was so distracted by his tan lines, whoa! o.O
I got some Finis hand paddles and it's problem solved. Once I get better at freestyle I'll ditch the paddles
thanks for pro tips, now i have forgot my basics.
Me under water trying to calculate 45 degrees 😂😂😅
How about flotation wraps on upper thighs? Or a bubble butt flotation assist swim suit, or ankle floaties.
Great tips