Read time: 3min.
By Coach Yan Busset
Sinking No More:Transform Your Swim Now
Ever felt like you’re swimming with invisible ankle weights? Many swimmers have been there: you slip into the water, hoping to glide gracefully, but your legs insist on dropping. Sure, a pull buoy or wetsuit might keep you afloat, but those are only quick fixes. Real improvement comes from understanding why your legs sink in the first place and making the right adjustments. Below, we’ll cover the most common causes of sinking legs and share practical ways to maintain a stable, horizontal position without relying on your precious pull buoy.
Why Your Legs Sink: The Main Causes
Body alignment issues
If you lift your head too high or keep your torso stiff, your hips and legs naturally sink. It’s like swimming uphill, forcing you to push through extra resistance.
Inefficient arm movements
When you press the water down instead of back, you raise your upper body and send your legs downward. This unbalanced push disrupts your horizontal line.
Limited ankle mobility
Stiff ankles act more like anchors than fins, creating drag and limiting propulsion.
Weak core stability
A weaker core makes it tough to maintain a steady, straight position, causing your lower half to drift downward.
Ineffective kicking technique
Wide or rigid kicks add unnecessary drag, making it difficult to hold a level body position.
Solutions to Prevent Sinking Legs
Adjust your head position
Avoid looking up or too far ahead; keep your head down with only a slight forward angle. Rotate your head to the side to breathe, rather than lifting it. This helps keep your hips and legs near the surface.
Refine your catch technique
Push the water back, not down. A backward push keeps your body aligned and prevents your legs from dropping. If you suspect your front catch is a major factor: check out this article for more on this
Try “swimming downhill”
Press your chest into the water and lift your core up ( like sucking your stomach in so that your lower back won’t arch). Also Fully extend your arms in the front on with each stroke to shift your center of buoyancy forward. This helps your legs stay high and improves your overall alignment. For more details check this article
Improve your kicking
Think of your kick like a dolphin's up-and-down wipe, focusing on the strong downward sweep of your shins and feet to stay afloat and move forward, while avoiding straight legs and keeping your feet pointed backward like a ballerina.
Enhance ankle flexibility
Stretch your ankles regularly, one simple drill is sitting on your heels with pointed feet. Increasing flexibility here allows for a more effective kick. Fins can help you get a feel for the right rhythm and increase ankle flexibility.
Take Away Drills to Help Fix Sinking Legs
• Vertical static kicking: Kick in a vertical "standing " position without sinking. This boosts leg strength and alignment awareness.
• Downhill swimming drill: Keep your head low, press your chest downward, and lift your belly/core slightly. Feel like you’re swimming “downhill” to hold your legs up. To practice it you can start on the dryland, by standing against a wall, suck your stomach in, and flatten your lower back so it touches the wall without any space for a hand, then replicate this stable, forward-angled position in the water.
• Full front catch-up: When swimming slowly, wait for your hands to meet at the front before the next catch phase. Extending your arms like this encourages your legs to rise naturally.
• Fins kicks: Use a kickboard with fins and focus on a smooth, rhythmic motion. Let the fins guide you toward a more efficient kick.
Ultimately, fixing sinking legs isn’t about brute force, it’s all about small yet significant technique tweaks. Fine-tune your head position, catch mechanics, downhill approach, kick, and core strength, and you’ll shift from depending on a pull buoy to gliding effortlessly. Less drag, more speed, and an easier swim are all within reach. Give these tips a shot in your next session, and watch those legs float at the surface, like if Kate Winslet had actually shared that wooden board with Leonardo.
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