I am getting back into swimming after being in competitive swimming 20 years ago and I find when I am swimming freestyle, I do cup my hands but my middle is sinking. Any tips?
If by "my middle is sinking" you are referring to your hips (and below) being way underwater, there is no relationship between your hand shape and your sinking. As mentioned, you need to have good body position on the surface: you want to be flat (-) not a backslash (/). Also as mentioned, there's a lot of core strength involved there - as well as kick. Everyone forgets the legs! Kick doesn't need to be huge, but needs to be consistent and strong. There are some great underwater shots in this video of the 2012 Olympics women's 800 free that show some great body position AND the various kick cadences used during a race.www.youtube.com/watch
If by "my middle is sinking" you are referring to your hips (and below) being way underwater, there is no relationship between your hand shape and your sinking. As mentioned, you need to have good body position on the surface: you want to be flat (-) not a backslash (/). Also as mentioned, there's a lot of core strength involved there - as well as kick. Everyone forgets the legs! Kick doesn't need to be huge, but needs to be consistent and strong. There are some great underwater shots in this video of the 2012 Olympics women's 800 free that show some great body position AND the various kick cadences used during a race.www.youtube.com/watch
