7 Simple Ways To Stop Sinking Legs Whilst Swimming

Sinking legs can be a real drag when swimming and you might not even realise you're doing it! However, it's one of the most common swimming problems so Heather and Mark are here to explain what might be causing your sinking legs and how to fix it.
0:00 - Intro
0:31 - What is sinking legs?
1:39 - Poor balance
2:28 - Poor rotation
3:27 - Ineffective kick
4:16 - Poor catch
5:22 - Weak core
5:56 - Too reliant on training aids
6:37 - Poor sighting
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[@gtn]

Are sinking legs getting you down? We'd love to hear how your swimming training is going!

[@jesseshaver2262]

I think my bones are just dense. Even the instructors couldn’t figure out why I kept sinking

[@thatgypsygyal3564]

Same issue

[@anerdwitdacamera204]

just kick harder

[@Matt-fr5qm]

Look straight down, like. Directly down, 90 degrees down. Be like a plank on the water. Be like water

[@gary4451]

Stroke faster. The faster the body moves, the more the water will lift the legs. I learned that I can swim without kicking at all. I can just let the legs draft behind me as long as don't stroke super slowly.

[@robohippy]

Well, as far as I am concerned, the #1 cause for sinking legs is head position. You should be looking straight down,. This is equivalent to when you are standing straight up, your eyes are looking forewarc, not down or up. #2 point is a tight core. If your belly is relaxed, that puts a lot of arch in your back, which also contributes to extra drag. From a Speedo coach, "Suck in your gut like you are trying to put your belly button on your spine." Abs should not be rigid, or floppy loose. More like a spring or metal ruler, so some flex. Otherwise, you don't get efficient transfer of energy from head/shoulders to your feet. As for the kick helping elevate your legs, I would say only minimally. True, the down part of the kick will help elevate your feet, but you also have to do the up part of the kick. Yes, the up kick is not as strong as the down kick, but it is still an opposite force. Katie Ledecky, when she is swimming the 1500 pretty much has no kick up till 800 or so meters. Her feet do not sink. Abs and head position.!

[@BaileyL.]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@tuliomacedo4890]

You guys are great!

[@ChrisMarshallUS]

Thank you this is very useful

[@85borjie]

The tips here are focused on freestyle. What about breaststroke? I can't seem to swim breaststroke with my head above water. My feet automatically drop. However, as soon as i put my head under, the problem is solved. But I see a lot of people swimming breaststroke comfortably with their head above water.

[@craigfox8120]

Perfect timing!

[@gtn]

Glad we could help! Is this something you are struggling with? 👀

[@imeaniguess]

Thanks

[@SBoots29]

Very good points. On the catch I imagine the flat of my hand Push back straight at the back wall and try to get the elbow to the top of the water. Swimming is something I have to think about always on the form. Cheers

[@gtn]

Great to hear you are thinking about your swimming form. Are there any aspects that you struggle with the most? 👀

[@SBoots29]

@@gtn Thank you. I still struggle with flip turns even after your video on how to perfect the flip turn. (I guess more practice)That is ok because in summer open water will not have that. One thing is after 10 minutes of pool swimming I need to stop and catch my breath for about 2 minutes. This is even if I swim slower. I just need to know how to swim with more endurance. Like running I can go a half marathon and not be out of breath. Swimming is different.

[@yuyinglin9126]

❤thank you

[@user-ml8cm9cj1y]

Your video is wonderfull. However, if you could add captions on it, it will rapidly increase subscribers in most countries, I believe. Thanks and good luck to you.

[@duyphan9620]

Are you guys recording this video in Arizona? :-)

[@MrSidReal]

4:45 applying down pressure at the front of the stroke will not elevate the legs, it will elevate the upper body, causing the legs to drop. I see swimmers and the cause of their dropped lower body is downward force at the front of the stroke. I agree the catch is an important factor but misinterpreted here. Otherwise great info

[@nozpazz]

yeah, I thought the advice was wrong here too.

[@atlosass]

Yep, I've got 'em all

[@gtn]

Do these methods work for you? 🤔

[@atlosass]

@@gtn I'm trying... I don't use many pool toys very often; I've been focusing lately on rotation, with mixed results; I cannot scull to save my life--probably means I have a terrible catch, right? Any chance you're available to come to my pool (near Chicago) and tell me everything I'm doing wrong? 😁

[@jamiefuhrman403]

@@atlosass look into TriDot Pool School, they are coming to Chicago in February and April and offer intensive swim-focused training camps.

[@emmag00]

Interesting! I have noticed that this seems to be more common in men than women. I wonder if that’s because of the general body composition differences mentioned at the beginning of this video. 🤔

[@Cookefan59]

I do have one question, is splash from kicking from kicking a good indicator of proper leg alignment? This was a great reminder about keeping the core nice and tight. I have compensated my very long legs by slightly flexing my hips until my butt almost pops out of the water to get the legs up. It only takes doing that a few seconds to realign the body and legs for a few laps.

[@MrSidReal]

If you splash from bending at the knee upwards to surface, no If you splash from lengthening/extending the leg with knee locked until the start of the downward kick, yes very good alignment

[@hornetluca]

Why do I find easier swimming using the pull buoy? Is it because it helps me float or due to the fact that I safe more oxygen not kicking my legs? Cheers

[@inz_uzi]

The pull buoy lifts your hips and legs and it decreases drag significantly - you go faster with the same effort. Kicking too hard might be also an issue.

[@lampertime]

Arm around barrow? What does that mean?

[@jobanski]

Sometimes I feel like my legs have a mind of their own they thsink so much! 😂

[@desroin]

Yeah I think I have all of these issues ^^'

[@hansimuellercgn]

Same here, but I am just beginning with crawl learning...so I can't even manage a proper stroke yet

[@souravmukherjee01]

When I try to kick my legs do sink. How to overcome this challenge?

[@michaelsingh843]

Any tips on water up the nose? I am so used to my nose clip I cant swim without it

[@patrickw.6016]

When I breath my entire body takes this small bump down in the water. What am I doing wrong?

[@VeloChinois]

try to turn on the side without lifting your head. sometimes trying to look slightly behind you when your (half of) face is out of the water helps with that

[@patrickw.6016]

@@VeloChinois thank you. Will try this next session

[@osmana3769]

It seems that it is about anything I do. Maybe I should not swim

[@WildlikeDestination]

The content on the channel has become a bit too redundant, imo. Especially when it comes to swimming, I feel like you're rehashing same things all over again. Do not get me wrong, I'm not hating, this is just my opinion. But I feel like you've already covered these things on multiple occasions in the past.

[@marcuswills6569]

But with more and more people subscribing, they are going to want to see the most up to date vids, not go back 2 years and watch something similar.

[@WildlikeDestination]

@@marcuswills6569 While that's true, they should perhaps mix it up in some measure. Specific training, dryland training, swimming-oriented exercises, flexibility, and so on. They certainly produce content of high quality, and it's all well presented.

[@gtn]

It's great to hear that you've been following us for a long time. We are trying to make Triathlon as accessible as possible and create content that people will find informative and entertaining. Is there anything you would like to see us cover more?

[@WildlikeDestination]

@@gtn and I certainly appreciate what you do for the community. Thank you for that 🙏🏻 Maybe a future video on gym/body weight routine that kind of covers all three disciplines would be something to think about. I’d certainly be interested in ways to improve swimming/running/biking through exercises. 🙂

[@patrickw.6016]

Or maybe a video on how to perfectly counter muscle ache (nutrition, stretch, massage)