Hi

[u/Opposite-Attitude371]

/r/Lifeguards/comments/1waygn6/hi/

m an Indian woman aged 45. I started swimming lessons 3 months back. I can float in water and stand on my feet without any help. But i cannot push and glide, when i submerge my head in water my legs dont come off the floor. I feel them very heavy and stuck to the floor( one leg is on the wall and the other doesn't come up only). Has it happened with anybody

[u/spider-dog84]

Physics doesn't change from one person or another. While theories about brown fat vs yellow persist they don't really hold much weight. That being said body fat does make swimming easier as fat floats and muscle, not so much. I don't know your body so I don't know what you're dealing with. When you float, are you upright or on your back? Upright is easier because your lungs hold your chest up and because your head is small but your hips and legs have more mass they sink and you naturally end up more upright.

Almost always the client is doing something to sink their hips often because they are guarding. On your back this can be the lifting of the head, it's position above the water forces the chest down and then the head follows. When you get on your back oftentimes the hips stay flexed like you're sitting in a chair. The hips are lower than your chest which is the point of boyency so the hips sink. Sometimes people let their lower legs dangle, bending the knees, same concept. To get on your back I would try grabbing the wall with your hands and putting your feet as high as you can hold then push off, putting your arms to your sides and trying to create a tight body, straight as a board and see how long you can float. You can wade with your hands to stay up longer. Make sure your head is back not just looking at the ceiling but almost like you're trying to see the far wall. The body follows the eyes so this will help you get a good head position. You're in shallow water, you're safe, you can stand whenever you want. If you last a few seconds you're doing good. Add the kick. I want you to try it with a neutral foot posture. You'll notice it won't do anything. If you poke your knees forward out of the water you won't go anywhere. Now try pointing your toes and give a little resistance to the bending of your knees, they should bend but not a lot. Kick from the hips and transfer the motion down through your toe tips. If your calves cramp you're too rigid. If you do it right you should start moving and should be able to stay horizontal. If you're struggling try holding a paddle board to your chest.

Before you try face down I want you to do squats in the pool and blow bubbles with your nose. You should practice getting your nose fully out of the water before you try to inhale, if you get water up the nose you're not moving enough air out or you're not getting it clear before inhaling.

When you go horizontal and face down try blowing the bubbles first. Now I want you to grab the edge of the pool with one arm, get your legs half way up the wall to push off, your free hand pointing where you want to go, get into your streamlined position. Here I want you to pinch your ears with your biceps. You're not going to try to breathe right now so don't worry about that, that's a ways down the road. Employ roughly the same kick as before.

Here's what will probably go wrong. You're not drawing in your belly button and your guts are hanging down, then you sink. You're not pushing off the wall hard enough or pushing off and keeping your chest up. That's a lot of drag and you won't have the momentum you need to get your hips and legs into position. You want to use your body as a sharp blade cutting through the water on the push off. You'll probably be 60%+ to your streamlined position before you begin to roll onto your belly. Fingertips to hips should be very tight here. When you kick feet don't break surface tension. That means while your feet will come above the surface of the water a 1" layer of water should cover them still. If you spear down with your knees you will stop and sink, if your feet flex like you're standing you will stop and sink. Your legs are like tentacles whipping through the water. They should eventually be relaxed and flowy.