Q&A- Floating Exercises and Position

I hope you’ve had another great week.

I certainly did!

This week’s question is one I get a lot, and it may be one that you’re struggling with as well.

I hope it helps!

Q&A- When I do floating exercises, I rotate downwards or I can’t maintain a perfect position in the water. What should I do?

To start, we’re all built differently.

Different length bones, different shapes of bones, different density of bones.

We have different distributions of muscle and body fat.

We’ve got different sizes and locations of lungs.

As a result, we’re all going to float differently in the water.

Some people are going to naturally find higher positions in the water.

Some people aren’t

That’s okay.

The goal isn’t to have perfect position during these exercises.

The goal is to use them to help you improve your swimming.

Here are two strategies you can use to do just that.

1. Let your body SETTLE.

This is particularly true of the Ball Float and Passive Jellyfish.

The purpose of the exercise help you relax in the water and FEEL the support of your lungs.

The position you achieve when this happens doesn’t matter.

The feeling of support DOES matter.

The relaxation you achieve DOES matter.

Just let the position be, and focus on those outcomes.

2. STRIVE to create a good position.

The Active Jellyfish and the X Float are about learning how to manage your position

The Active Jellyfish is about managing position from the top and the X Float is about managing position from the bottom.

You learn by STRUGGLING to find position.

Some of these exercises are difficult for some of us, me included!

I definitely can’t lay perfectly level on the water, and I’ve coached some VERY fast people that couldn’t either.

It’s not something everyone is built for.

However, the same individuals learn a LOT by TRYING to get level in the water.

You will as well.

ANY progress you make it is a big win.

These skills are actually easier to execute when you’re moving forward, so if they’re not perfect when you’re stationary, don’t sweat it.

Just try to improve.

Got a question you want answered? Let me know I’ll make sure it gets addressed.

Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you take your swimming to the next level:

1. If you’re looking for do-it-yourself solutions to improve your swimming, check out my resources Freestyle Made Simple and Addressing Adult-Onset Swimming.

2. If you want a more personalized learning experience, we can work together to analyze your stroke or develop a technical training plan.

Exit the water...

Andrew