Sinking legs while swimming

[Aura]

My legs would sink if I were to just float or swim too slow. I'm not a great big kicker when I do the front crawl, but the arms are what give a swimmer the most propulsion. I don't think about it much anymore, but I probably am closer to a 2 beat kick per arm cycle than a higher beat kick.

This is the whole secret. Unlearn everything you know about kicking from scuba diving. Too big kicks while swimming freestyle will make you less aquadynamic, and too little kicking will have them dragging behind you like an anchor. You just have to do small, fast kicks so your legs stay on level with the rest of your body.

On my front, I nearly come to a halt everytime I breathe.

A lot of learners lift their whole heads out of the water, and often for longer than necessary. Not saying you're doing that, it's just something to avoid. You should exhale underwater, and as you thrust one arm into the water, you tilt your head to the side to breathe. Part of your head should still be in the water, the key here is to turn your head rather than actually lifting it out of the water. With practice and as you become comfortable with it, you should breathe on every 2nd or 3rd stroke, depending on your need for air. If you breathe to the same side every time though, you may have a bit of neck soreness after a long swimming session.

 

[Pearlman]

Google for “effortless swimming” or “total immersion” swim training. An online learning site like Udemy may have discounted pricing for the training videos. If you are living in EU there should be a TI Certified coach in your geography. Here is a sample and you can also find other videos explaining the technique for a primer to decide if you want to chase this method of learning.

Total Immersion Swimming


Unfortunately there is no coach in my geo, I’ve been wanting to learn this under a coach and mentoring for a really long time..

 

[scubaozy]

Only way you can adjust your buoyancy is your lungs, if you empty your lungs too much in breathing cycle, you will sink, so will your legs. It is not different than scuba diving. You need to keep your posture and be as horizontal as possible and if your legs are still sinking, you need to increase your buoyancy by increasing air in your lungs. The goal is to maintain constant buoyancy, swimmers ventilate their lungs very quickly between cycles and return to previous buoyancy state.
It is often overlooked but swimming is a lot about buoyancy.

 

[BlueTrin]

Only way you can adjust your buoyancy is your lungs, if you empty your lungs too much in breathing cycle, you will sink, so will your legs. It is not different than scuba diving. You need to keep your posture and be as horizontal as possible and if your legs are still sinking, you need to increase your buoyancy by increasing air in your lungs. The goal is to maintain constant buoyancy, swimmers ventilate their lungs very quickly between cycles and return to previous buoyancy state.
It is often overlooked but swimming is a lot about buoyancy.

I am one of these guys who barely float even full lungs.

I found my solution was actually to arch less and sink my upper body and head more to be more streamlined.

The best exercise for me was to swim with a float between the legs to get a feel of what it is to be flat and improving the timing of my breathing by rotating my head earlier during the breath cycle so I’d get longer breaths.

 

[scubaozy]

I am one of these guys who barely float even full lungs.

I found my solution was actually to arch less and sink my upper body and head more to be more streamlined.

The best exercise for me was to swim with a float between the legs to get a feel of what it is to be flat and improving the timing of my breathing by rotating my head earlier during the breath cycle so I’d get longer breaths.

Yes, too much buoyancy in chest is also not correct as it will create imbalance. I think you are figuring it out. Its all about physics, buoyancy and center of gravity, if you are too heavy then you will need speed. If you are tall and skinny, your cog will be off, you might try longer reach with your arm to keep the cog. The rest is muscle memory, i.e. practice. There are some interesting tips here:

 

[dmaziuk]

Try to breathe deep into your abdomen yoga/taichi-style -- it's hard to do when swimming but it does help. It's easier to do with pull buoy and no kick, too, because you can go slower and take slower deeper breaths.

 

[DirtFish]

I also have heavy legs. When I swim train for triathlons I wear 3mm wetsuit pants. Changed everything for me, my legs don't sink and I can slow down my cadence which allows me to keep my speed constant for 2 miles.
I think I paid less than $40. on Amazon.