Last Updated on March 27, 2023 by admin
In this article, we will provide advice, drills, hacks and tips on learning to float in the water.
Learning to float in the water is a key swimming skill, which can provide you with the following benefits,
- It’s an important survival and self-rescue technique, should you, unfortunately, fall into a body of water.
- Learning to float can help you to develop your ability to relax, stay calm and breathe correctly whilst in the water.
- It can also help you to develop an understanding of your body’s buoyancy. and enables you to better control your body position in the water
- This can help to build your water confidence
- It can also help you to better control your body position to help ensure you are in the correct position to enable you to develop your stroke technique
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Problems when learning to float in the water
It’s common when learning to float in the water, for those swimmers with a larger frame or a high percentage of body fat, to find it relatively easy to float
- As muscle is denser and less buoyant than fat, those swimmers with a slender frame or with a high percentage of muscle can find floating more difficult to master.
- However, regardless of the swimmer’s body shape and percentage of muscle or fat, with the correct techniques and a little practice, every swimmer can learn to float.
Safety first
When first learning to float in the water, you should ensure that you do so in a safe environment.
- Therefore, we strongly advise that you start to learn in the shallow end of a swimming pool close to the pool wall
- This can help with your water confidence knowing that you can either stand up or grab the pool wall if you get into any difficulty.
Make slow but steady progress
It is common for swimmers to have varying degrees of water confidence.
- While some swimmers will confidently put their heads or face in the water and can place their bodies in the correct position, some swimmers require a little more support and reassurance.
- For those swimmers with little water confidence, we find that a slow but steady introduction to floatation drills works best. (see below)
- Often using a variety of water buoyancy aids or floating devices such as noodles, float discs, armbands or floats (small kickboards) to help them, until they are sufficiently confident to float unaided.
- If you are still a little nervous ask a family member or a friend for additional support or help
Learning to float on your back
Most swimmers find it easier to begin learning to float in the water on their back (supine position)
- You should attempt to float on your back in a horizontal position on the surface,
- The ability to float on your back can provide you with a solid platform for the development of the backstroke competitive stroke.
- Listed below are the techniques we use to help swimmers to learn to float on their backs in the water.
Head back & tilt your chin
One of the most common reasons why swimmers have difficulty when learning to float on their backs is with their head position.
- With many tilting their head forward toward their chest.
- This causes the swimmer’s hips and legs to sink into the water, making it virtually impossible to float.
- Therefore, you should ensure
- That your head is in line with your spine
- You are looking straight up at the pool ceiling (or the sky)
- With your chin up and tilted slightly backward.
Correct body position
Another frequent problem is that some swimmers attempt to float with an incorrect body position.
- Many swimmers hunch their shoulders, which often results in them dropping their hips.
Therefore, you need to ensure that your shoulders are pulled squarely backward to ensure that they are level with the surface
- You also need to ensure that your navel (belly button) is raised slightly above the surface and upward toward the pool ceiling (sky).
- This creates a slight arch in your back, helping you to keep your hips raised.
- Some swimmers find that pressing their shoulder blades and the back of their head downwards can help balance their body by keeping their legs raised
Distributing your weight evenly
Water is approximately eight hundred times denser than air
- It is this density that helps the water to support your body enabling you to float
- However, you can increase your buoyancy by distributing your weight evenly across the water
- A simple but effective way of achieving this is by fully extending your arms and legs at 45 degrees from a streamlined position to form a star-shaped floating position (an X shape)
Controlling your breathing
Controlling your breathing when learning to float can help you to control your buoyancy.
- Your lungs are your body’s airbags.
- When full of air they can help you float
- However, when your lungs are empty, they can help you to sink
- Therefore, you should learn to breathe in a controlled and relaxed manner.
- Not only will this fill your lungs efficiently, but it will also help you to relax, allowing the water to hold and raise your body more effectively.
- When breathing while floating,
- You should ensure that you fill your lungs by inhaling (breathing in) deeply
- Exhaling (breathing out) very slowly but only partially, without completely emptying your lungs
Learning to relax in the water
Learning to relax in the water, when learning to float enables the water to support and raise your body, making it easier to float.
- If you find that you are becoming tense while learning to float,
- Take a break and go and do something you enjoy in the water to help you relax.
- You may find it more effective to relax by getting out of the water completely.
Related article on Swimming: Dryland Relaxation Techniques
We have produced a related article swimming: dryland relaxation techniques. You can view it by clicking this link: swimming: dryland relaxation techniques
Sculling and kicking
If after trying all the techniques listed above, you are still finding it difficult to float on your back,
- You should perform a very slight sculling action with your hands and a very slight flutter kick (backstroke or front crawl kick) with your legs.
- This should provide you with the extra lift you require to help you float.
Related article on An Introduction to Swimming Sculling
We have produced a related article an introduction to swimming sculling. You can view it by clicking this link: an introduction to swimming sculling
Learning to float on your front
Once you have learned to float in the water on your back, you should learn to float on your front (prone position).
- The ability to float on your front can provide you with a solid platform for the development of the breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle competitive strokes.
- Many of the techniques used to float on your back are also used when learning to float on your front, for example,
- Start in the shallow end, near the pool wall
- Ask a family member or friend for additional support or help
- If required use buoyancy aids or floating devices
- Learn to relax in the water
- However, there are some important differences as the swimmer needs to learn how to float while their face is in the water
- Listed below is a series of progressive drills we use to help our swimmers to learn to float on their front in the water.
Breathing into shallow water
Purpose
This series of introductory drills slowly introduces you to controlling your breathing whilst floating on your front.
How to perform these drills
You should start these drills by standing in shallow water, close to the pool wall.
- Now grab hold of the pool edge, gutter or handrail with both hands.
- Take a deep breath, bend at your knees and slowly lower your body vertically until your mouth and nose are under the surface (figure 2)
- Once your face is fully immersed, very slowly start to exhale (breathe out) into the water
- Ensure that there is a small amount of slow and continuous bubbles coming from your mouth.
- Raise your face out of the water when you have emptied your lungs.
- Repeat this exercise until you become comfortable with this drill
- You may find this drill easier to perform by wearing goggles
Once mastered, progress to breathing into shallow water without holding onto the pool’s edge.
- Keep practising this drill until you can perform this exercise with your face in the water and breathing out slowly for between 10 to 15 seconds.
Floating on your front
Purpose
This series of progressive drills will slowly enable you to float on your front (prone position)
How to perform these drills
You should start these drills by standing in shallow water
- Now slowly, bend at your hips until your face and upper body are in the water, level with the pool’s surface.
- While still standing on the pool’s floor
- You may find this drill easier if you use a float (kickboard) until you feel confident enough to perform this drill unaided.
- Keep practising this drill until you can perform this exercise with your face in the water and breathing out slowly for 10 to 15 seconds.
- Ensure that you continue to look straight down toward the pool floor throughout this drill.
Once mastered you can then progress onto the next stage, which is to raise your legs straight behind you close to the surface
- You may find this drill easier to start, by only raising one leg until you feel confident enough to perform this drill by raising both legs.
- Again, you may find this drill easier if you use a float (kickboard) until you feel confident enough to perform this drill unaided.
- To stand up when you wish to stop when learning to float in the water, with both of your legs raised,
- Tuck your knees up to your chest
- Lift your face out of the water
- Enabling your legs to drop toward the pool floor
Types of floating positions
Listed below are the types of floating positions we often use, in the order of difficulty
- Star (‘X’ shaped)
- Hands in pockets (hands by your sides or I float or pencil float)
- Streamlined (both arms and legs fully extended and together)
- Tucked (bomb or mushroom)
- These floating positions can be executed on either your back or your front
Takeaways
In this article, we will provide advice, drills, hacks and tips on learning to float on your back in the water.
Learning to float on your back in the water is a key swimming skill.
- It’s an important self-rescue technique, should the swimmer accidentally fall into a body of water.
- Learning to float helps to develop the swimmer’s ability to relax, stay calm and breathe correctly whilst in the water.
- It also helps them to develop an understanding of their body’s buoyancy and enables them to control their body position in the water
- This can help to build a swimmer’s confidence and help to ensure they are in the correct body position to help them develop their strokes
Related article on Learning How to Dive
We have produced a related article on learning how to dive. You can view it by clicking this link: learning how to dive
Swimming resource library
We have provided a swimming resource library.
- This contains links to all of our publications and blog articles.
- Now with an easy-to-use index.
- To access any article simply click on the attached page link: swimming resource library
Swimming Publications
EatSleepSwimCoach produces a growing range of publications on a wide range of swimming subjects.
- These include competitive swimming drill publications for backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.
- Which are now available in both Amazon Kindle and paperback formats.
For information regarding our portfolio please follow the Swimming publications link on our website https://eatsleepswimcoach.com/publications/
Recommended swimming equipment
We have provided a recommended swimming equipment page.
- It contains the swimming equipment that we and our swimmers use and recommend.
- You can access this page by clicking on the following link: recommended swimming equipment.
The Competitive Swimming Exchange – Facebook Group
We are members of the Competitive Swimming Exchange.
- This is a competitive swimming Facebook group to help exchange ideas and information to collectively improve the sport we love.
- It’s an international group for all swimmers, coaches, teachers, masters, triathletes and swimming parents. It’s for all those who are interested in competitive swimming, either in the pool or in open water
For more information about joining this group please use the following link: The Competitive Swimming Exchange