How To Float Or Tread Water

My daughter's boyfriend is going to the Navy. In 2 lessons, he can manage a decent crawl stroke (he hasn't mastered breathing) but needs to know how to float or tread water (sinks like a rock). I have tried every technique I know to help him but I would welcome some suggestions. He has to be able to jump off a 15 ft platform, tread or float for 15 min, and swim 50 yards.

Not everyone naturally floats, and remaining afloat by treading water comes with practice.

Understand Your Own Buoyancy

It is important to understand that floating is a characteristic of the human body. Some people float very well, and some do not. It is usually determined by our body composition, and I am guessing that someone joining the Navy will be fairly fit and toned, making them a natural sinker!

Click here for more about understanding buoyancy and your ability to float.

Learning to remain at the water's surface all comes with the swimming stroke technique but staying afloat in one place and an upright position makes it twice as hard.

If he has learnt front crawl in 2 lessons, I am guessing he has not touched on breaststroke much.

Breaststroke is the most efficient and energy-conserving way of treading water due to the arm and leg kick techniques.

During breaststroke, the legs kick backwards in a whip-like action, so whilst treading water, they must therefore kick downwards. The circular motion of the arms helps to balance the leg kick and keep the head above the water surface.

Pupils of mine that I have taught over the years to tread water, having never tried it before, usually struggle to start with. They find they can tread water for about 10 seconds before sinking.

Stamina Building Exercises

However, with practice, they find they can extend the amount of time they can keep treading water as they become accustomed to swimming in an upright position but remaining in one place.

Get him to try the following training exercise:

Swim 3 or 4 lengths of the pool front crawl but stop every 10 metres to tread water for about 20 to 30 seconds. He will probably find it quite exhausting, but if he remains focused and determined, he will complete it.

Swimming and stopping mid-swim to tread water and then continuing swimming requires great stamina, and those that do not have it soon will after trying it a few times.

After working through this exercise a few times, his stamina will increase, and you can change the times and distances he treads water and swims for.

For example, he could swim one length of the pool and then tread water for 1 minute before repeating the swim again, all without touching the poolside or the pool floor.

One other thing you might need to consider when swimming in preparation for any of the armed forces; he will most likely be required to swim fully clothed and may be required to swim carrying some equipment on his back.

This doubles or even trebles the effort required to complete the swim.

I hope you find this information helpful and I wish him every success with his swimming and training for the Navy.

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How To Glide Further Without Sinking?

I would like to know how to glide further without sinking. I can only glide a very short distance, maybe 2-3 body lengths, before I start sinking. I am a "sinker", so this may be a part of it, but I know I can do better. I hold my arms tight to my head to try and streamline when I push off the wall. Any suggestions for how I might be able to go further?

If you have already established that you are a ‘sinker’, my question would be, how do you know you can do better?

Much of the information you are looking for can be found in my book The Complete Beginners Guide To Swimming. Click here to more information, or scroll to the bottom of this page. 

Assuming your hands and feet are together as you push away from the wall to maximise your streamlining, it sounds like you are doing everything you need.

I am a sinker and can glide maybe three body lengths before I begin to slow down and sink.

The momentum you gain from your push-off and your overall body shape in the water determines the rate at that you slow down. Your relative density then determines the rate at which you sink.

The only other factor that will influence the distance you travel is the resistance of the water against your body. Reducing or removing body hair, wearing a tight-fitting swimming costume and wearing a swim hat will all help to reduce your resistance to the water if you want to go to these extremes.

The other factors are harder to influence. Your body shape is your body shape, and maximising its streamlined efficiency (hands and feet together, head tucked down, body position flat) is probably as much as you can do.

Your relative density is difficult to change in a short time, and becoming fitter and stronger will only make your muscle denser and, therefore, heavier, which is really not a bad thing! People with more body fat tend to float better, but decreasing body fat is preferable, so let's not go there!

The real art of swimming comes from taking your most efficient streamlined body shape and maintaining it throughout whichever stroke you swim.

Experimenting with your body shape by pushing off the wall is a great exercise to practice, but it is only the beginning. Keeping your streamlined body shape throughout your swimming strokes is an entirely different challenge.

My eBook The Complete Beginners Guide To Swimming contains a whole chapter about gliding, along with chapters about how to relax and how and when to breathe. Click here for an instant preview, or click the link below for more information.

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