My Legs Sink When Swimming

Why do my legs sink when swimming? I am a 75-year-old male who has gone back to swimming after 60+ years because arthritis doesn't allow me to do much else. I am doing ok, but it seems I have to kick excessively hard to keep my body level. A friend suggested I use a float or body buoy just above my knees to lean what it feels like to keep the body level. I do that, but it hasn't seemed to do much to teach me how to kick. In fact, my times are better with the buoy using only my arms (about 2 minutes for 100 meters) than they are when I am doing the regular freestyle stroke with my arms and legs.

Could it be that my legs are unusually dense? When I try to float on my back or stomach, my legs sink to where I am almost in a vertical position.

What do you think? Is it something about my physique or am I doing something very wrong? Do you have any suggestions for me? I kick with straight, but not rigid, legs.
Thanks.

Hi, thanks for contacting me.

Your problem could be related to a combination of technique and your relative density. First and foremost, you must relax when you swim. The golden rule is to feel your way through the water, not fight through it. More often than not, the harder you try, the more you are likely to sink.

Not everyone is naturally buoyant in the water and in fact most males sink. This does not mean you will never be able to swim properly. You just have to adjust your technique accordingly.

The leg kick for freestyle is required to provide balance to the whole stroke and is not required for propulsion, especially over longer distances. Freestyle arms provide the power and drive for the overall stroke.

Pointing your toes and kicking with a relaxed ankle is essential, firstly to keep the legs streamlined, but also the relaxed ankle gives a fin-like kick. You could maybe try some fins as they will force your toes to point and give you a feel for kicking in a slower more relaxed way. Do not become dependent on them though!

My best-selling book How To Swim Front Crawl contains 22 separate exercises for improving your whole freestyle swimming technique from body position to leg kick to breathing. Click the link below for more information.

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Lack Buoyancy When Swimming

I think I lack buoyancy when swimming. I am 88 and swim for 3hrs each week breaststroke. I would dearly like to be able to swim front crawl and can coordinate breathing and arms but my legs fail after a few strokes. Any advice? Are there any buoyancy aids that would help?

This is a very common problem in swimmers that regularly swim breaststroke and then attempt front crawl.

The leg kick for front crawl must be relaxed, with a slight knee bend and a loose ankle. The foot can then act like a flipper and provide a small amount of propulsion.

The majority of propulsion during front crawl comes from the arm action and the legs are required more for balance and stability, particularly over long distances.

You can help your leg kick technique slightly by wearing some fins on your feet when you swim. This will force you to point your toes and also help generate some propulsion and balance. At the same time you will be able to practice and perfect the rest of your front crawl technique.

You asked about buoyancy aids. You could use a pull buoy to help keep your legs afloat. You will not be able to kick, but only use your arms.

My best-selling book How To Swim Front Crawl contains over 20 separate swimming exercises to help all parts of freestyle, including the leg kick. You can download it, print out the parts you need and take them to your pool to try out. Click the link below for more information.

Can't Swim Because I Can't Float

I'm 13 years old and trying to learn how to swim. I can't swim because I can't float. How do I learn how to float, and can you give me some advice for learning how to swim?

It sounds like you're stressing a lot about learning to swim and being unable to float.

There are a few things to understand and get straight in your head, to begin with. Firstly forget trying to float - not everyone can float and those of us that can't are still able to learn how to swim. I've been a swimmer since I can remember, and I don't float - never have done and never will..! It's the movements and technique of swimming that keep us afloat. As an athletic gymnast and dancer, you will be lean and not fat. Therefore, you will naturally sink. Fat floats and muscle sinks - fact.

For more helpful tips, tricks and exercises to help learn more about how to float, click here or download the book at the end of this article.

It sounds like you have no fear of the water and are happy to get in and have a go. That's a huge bonus as there are tons of teenagers and adults that won't go near the pool and really wish they could have the courage to do so. Be proud of the fact that you have decided to go for it as there will be many people looking on in envy of you.

The basics that you need to master are holding your breath, breathing out into the water, submerging and learning to stand up from a horizontal position. When these things become second nature, you will begin to relax, and your confidence will begin to grow.

As for actually swimming, start by pushing off from the pool wall and gliding across the surface. As someone that naturally sinks your body needs some momentum to help keep it up and pushing off from the wall will give you a boost. From there, it's a question of adding the arm pulls, and leg kicks to maintain your position and move through the water.

I say it like it's the easiest thing in the world - apologies! It can be frustrating, to begin with but believe me, it comes with practice.

As for which stroke to swim, it's a case of trying out to see which comes easiest to you. It will be between the front crawl and the breaststroke. The coordination for each stroke is different, and you will find one easier than the other. It's an individual thing, so try and see.

The odd thing about swimming is that it's easy to try too hard. By that, I mean we put maximum effort into kicking and pulling and get nowhere fast. The trick is to swim slowly. Feel your way through the water, don't fight it.

The most important point for you to take on board is patience. It can be frustrating, at times to wonder if you are getting anywhere. Especially if you have friends and family that can swim and have swum all their life. They make it look so easy.

Some of us take a long time to learn how to swim - a year or more sometimes. If you keep this in mind and assume you are one of those people (but you might not be), then you will not be setting yourself up to fail. If you practice on a regular basis, as much as possible, then there is every chance you will learn how to swim in a few months.

I hope my advice is helpful and I have given you some encouragement to persevere and be determined.

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