I'm a relative newbie, 70 yrs old. Lifelong runner, but arthritis put a stop to that. Now trying to improve swim technique. I have a waterproof camera so I had someone else shoot me for a lap so I could see what I was doing wrong. I have no kick, which I've mentioned before, but worse than that, the legs sink 1-2 feet below the surface. I look like a dying walrus. What I want to do, whether the kick provides any propulsion or not, is raise my legs toward the surface to get more streamlined. What needs to be done???
I second Elaine's suggestion - if you could post a video that would be very helpful, as it is difficult to determine the exact issue without seeing you swim.
Head position may certainly be a factor in sinking legs, but simply bearing your head and chest towards the bottom is not the only key to helping you with body position and balance in the water (and having a head position that is too law also creates a lot of drag).
Have you noticed your hips sinking when you kick on your back or on your side or is it just when you are swimming fullstroke?
Some common reasons for sinking legs include kicking from the knees as opposed to from the hips, lack of swimming-specific core strength that would otherwise allow you to maintain a stable body position in the water, and finally, pushing down with a straight arm during the initial phase of the pull instead of getting a good catch to support and propel yourself forward.
Good luck and hope you can post a video for the forumites to see and help you with!
I second Elaine's suggestion - if you could post a video that would be very helpful, as it is difficult to determine the exact issue without seeing you swim.
Head position may certainly be a factor in sinking legs, but simply bearing your head and chest towards the bottom is not the only key to helping you with body position and balance in the water (and having a head position that is too law also creates a lot of drag).
Have you noticed your hips sinking when you kick on your back or on your side or is it just when you are swimming fullstroke?
Some common reasons for sinking legs include kicking from the knees as opposed to from the hips, lack of swimming-specific core strength that would otherwise allow you to maintain a stable body position in the water, and finally, pushing down with a straight arm during the initial phase of the pull instead of getting a good catch to support and propel yourself forward.
Good luck and hope you can post a video for the forumites to see and help you with!
