A little background. I swam competitively for over a decade starting at age eight. So, for as long as I can remember, I've known how to do all of the strokes and glide in the water. I've recently re-joined a masters team and am swimming regularly again.
My husband is 6'5" and played college basketball, so he's got a stockier build. He's recently decided that he is interested in swimming for fitness as he doesn't want to gain muscle bulk but wants to get fit. I'm trying to help him learn to do actual strokes. He is capable of not drowning, but is getting frustrated because this is not "easy" and he is not naturally "good at it". I, of course, think he would love swimming (as I do) once he gets the hang of it.
Our biggest issue right now is getting his body position parallel with the surface of the water. He tends to drop his hips and legs which makes breathing a challenge for him. I am having a hard time instructing him as to how to bring his hips up, in part, because it's been twenty+ years since someone taught me that.
So, are there good drills I can have him do or techniques that I should be advising him about? Help!
Is he a vertical floater or horizontal floater? I am guessing he is a horizontal floater (as I am) so his legs naturally tend to go down.
What is his head position? Is he swimming with his head up or does he look straight down to the bottom of the pool? If his head is up at all.........his feet and legs will be down.
The key is his head position. Also newbies tend to lift the head to breathe rather than having one eye in the water and one out and breathing in the trough made by the nose. (done correctly, the mouth is essentially below the surface of the water when breathing). This of course takes practice! I am a right side breather who has recently begun to breathe on the left side. I am not as good on the left and I know I am not breathing in the trough on the left side. So I know how difficult this can be for a newbie.
The object is to get him to swim easily and to breathe efficiently. I would suggest having him use a pull bouy to help keep his legs up, or one of those jogging belts that people use, or if he doesn't want to do that, have him use fins and or fins and a pull bouy. If his legs stay up more easily, he can practice a better head position and learn to breathe better. The fins help to give him more power so he doesn't have to use so much energy trying to stay high in the water.
Is he a vertical floater or horizontal floater? I am guessing he is a horizontal floater (as I am) so his legs naturally tend to go down.
What is his head position? Is he swimming with his head up or does he look straight down to the bottom of the pool? If his head is up at all.........his feet and legs will be down.
The key is his head position. Also newbies tend to lift the head to breathe rather than having one eye in the water and one out and breathing in the trough made by the nose. (done correctly, the mouth is essentially below the surface of the water when breathing). This of course takes practice! I am a right side breather who has recently begun to breathe on the left side. I am not as good on the left and I know I am not breathing in the trough on the left side. So I know how difficult this can be for a newbie.
The object is to get him to swim easily and to breathe efficiently. I would suggest having him use a pull bouy to help keep his legs up, or one of those jogging belts that people use, or if he doesn't want to do that, have him use fins and or fins and a pull bouy. If his legs stay up more easily, he can practice a better head position and learn to breathe better. The fins help to give him more power so he doesn't have to use so much energy trying to stay high in the water.
