Why Your Legs May Sink When You Swim Freestyle
By Audrey Holmes · 4 min read
Why do my legs sink when I swim freestyle?
Sinking legs can have several causes, and balance is often more relevant than kick strength or fitness. One possibility worth exploring is the depth of your hands and forearms at the front of the stroke: when the front of your body finds support, the back of your body often rises to follow. Kicking harder rarely changes it on its own.
If your legs sink when you swim freestyle, you may immediately try to kick harder. Sometimes that changes the feeling temporarily, but it may not address what is happening elsewhere in your body. There are several reasons legs may sink. In this Guide, we will explore one that is often overlooked: the depth of your hands while you float and glide.
I'm Audrey. I've been coaching adult swimmers for 40 years, and sinking legs is the thing I'm asked about most. So let's read what your body is telling you.
Balance happens across the whole body
Your body responds as one connected shape in the water. A change at the front can influence what happens at the hips and legs behind you.
When you float face down with your arms extended, your hands are not only reaching forward. Their depth can also affect the support you feel at the front of your body.
One possibility to explore: hand depth
If your hands stay very close to the surface, you may feel as though the front of your body has very little support. Your hips and legs may respond by dropping lower in the water.
This is not the only reason legs sink, and it will not be the answer for every swimmer. But it is a useful place to explore before assuming that your legs simply need to work harder.
Create support in front
As you float or glide face down, allow your hands to rest slightly below the surface rather than reaching upward toward it. Think of the hands as quietly resting on the water—not pressing down and not forcing a fixed position.
Notice whether this gives the front of your body more support. Then notice what happens at your hips and legs. The goal is not to force them upward. The goal is to discover whether a small change in front changes the balance behind you.
Try this on your next swim
Push away from the wall in an easy face-down glide, with your arms extended. Try one glide with your hands close to the surface. Then try another with your hands resting slightly deeper.
Do not kick harder or try to force your legs upward. Simply notice:
Where do you feel supported?
What happens to your hips?
Does one hand position help your whole body feel more balanced?
There may be other reasons your legs sink. For this swim, explore only this one. One observation is enough.
Keep learning in the water.
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