I want to become an expert at treading water effieciently without gettin tired fast. I have a huge fear of deep water and am not very good at swimming, with freestyle I give it all I got and move pretty fast but, trying to retain air is hard for me. I need 1-2 sec. to get air. When trying to get air everytime I get water in my mouth/nose panic and sink. Do I just turn my neck to the side facing towards my arm pit or my whole half side? What is the name of the stroke similar to free style but with my head above water?
Today I practiced treading water in the ocean sometimes I could float ok other times I would sink or slowly sink no matter how fast moved my arms legs. I cant seem to figure out what im doing wrong. Cupping my hands should I my fingers be faceing down or ahead of me when doing circular motions? When doing eggbeater kicks should my legs be wide spread apart or narrow? How high should my arms be?
Parents
Former Member
for me the key to easy treading water is lung capacity.
i suppose it is partly genetics, and i'm sure practice has a lot to do with it, but i have really good lung capacity. i'm fairly lean and muscular, yet i can float on my back with my toes out of the water... but only when i get my lungs fully pumped up with air.
i've studied yoga a fair amount, with substantial practice on yogic breathing techniques. i'm sure that would help anyone's breathing and lung capacity. i know for sure that years of swimming has enhanced my lung capacity (or at least boosted my efficiency of using what i got). ;)
as for technique treading water i use a scissors kick, with a very slow rhythm. and a easy rhythm of sculling with the hands... if i want to hold my head out of the water. if i lay my head back i will mostly float, lightly scull with hands, and not really kick at all.
the egg-beater kick i think is more for power, to lift you out of the water. used mostly in water polo, synchronized swimming, rescue swimming, etc.
like anything else in swimming, you get the most out of your stroke the better your grip is on the water (hands/arms or feet/legs). i suggest trying different kick and stroke techniques until you find what feels best for getting a good grip on the water. easier said than done of course... water is pretty slippery stuff... but that is what practice is for.
:)
for me the key to easy treading water is lung capacity.
i suppose it is partly genetics, and i'm sure practice has a lot to do with it, but i have really good lung capacity. i'm fairly lean and muscular, yet i can float on my back with my toes out of the water... but only when i get my lungs fully pumped up with air.
i've studied yoga a fair amount, with substantial practice on yogic breathing techniques. i'm sure that would help anyone's breathing and lung capacity. i know for sure that years of swimming has enhanced my lung capacity (or at least boosted my efficiency of using what i got). ;)
as for technique treading water i use a scissors kick, with a very slow rhythm. and a easy rhythm of sculling with the hands... if i want to hold my head out of the water. if i lay my head back i will mostly float, lightly scull with hands, and not really kick at all.
the egg-beater kick i think is more for power, to lift you out of the water. used mostly in water polo, synchronized swimming, rescue swimming, etc.
like anything else in swimming, you get the most out of your stroke the better your grip is on the water (hands/arms or feet/legs). i suggest trying different kick and stroke techniques until you find what feels best for getting a good grip on the water. easier said than done of course... water is pretty slippery stuff... but that is what practice is for.
:)
