Are you sick of feeling like a brick in the water? Do you sometimes think that floating is impossible, and you were cursed with negative buoyancy as a child?
Fear not. Everybody can float. If your big, small, tall or tiny it doesn’t matter. Even if you’re a Hawaiian Iron-man (with NO body fat to be seen) like some of my swimmers, I guarantee you can do it. You were designed to float. Your body IS buoyant, no matter what you’ve been told before.
Here are three tips on increasing your buoyancy in the water:
1. Take a chill pill
Well, not literally, but to float you need to relax. If your muscles are tense, it increases your density which makes you more susceptible to sinking. Picture a non swimmer fighting to stay afloat. What do they normally do? They thrash, kick and fight with the water. It’s because they’re tense they sink.
If you want to increase buoyancy in the water, it’s simple. Relax!
2. Upper body is king
Your torso is the best tool to help you stay high in the water. Why? Because it contains all the air you hold in your lungs, it’s the reason why humans can float so well. If you lie on your back, push your torso deeper to lift up your legs. If you’re swimming freestyle, you can usually swim faster by sitting higher in the water. To do this, use your torso as a buoy to sit you high in the water and keep your hips high also.
3. Controlled breathing
Your torso isn’t much good for floating if you don’t breath properly. For the best chance at floating you’ve got to breath normally. Keep your breathing controlled and relaxed and avoid short, rushed breaths. Keep air coming in and going out of your lungs as normally as possible.
All it takes is some good advice, a good teacher and some smart practice to be able to float and increase your buoyancy in the water. Remember to relax in the water, don’t tense up and fight with the water. Your torso is your best tool to float you because your lungs store the air which will keep you buoyant. Control your breathing, don’t rush it and you will have a great chance at improving your floating.
