I just learned how to swim last year. I have completed one IM and two 70.3’s (with and without a wetsuit), however, I never learned how to tread water.
I feel like I’m a natural sinker in the water. Every time I attempt to tread water, I stay above the surface for about 10 seconds and then sink. Not all the way to the bottom, but my head goes below the surface to the point where I can’t breathe.
I’m not exactly sure what my hands and legs are supposed to be doing. I’ve observed people and read info, but some of it seems contradicting and confusing.
I have seen people do a multitude of different things - - egg beater kick, scissor kick, breast stroke type kick, hands going side to side in a back and forth motion, hands going up and down
Can anyone help? All advice welcome - thanks in advance.
Honestly I’ve never given it much thought. I guess I’m fortunate that it comes naturally.
My legs spend most of the time doing a very slow steady scissor type kick. Sometimes I’ll switch to a frog style (breaststroke) kick, but at the end of the day I just maintain a steady kick.
My arms are usually skulling back and forth in front of me. Both pushing out and then both pushing in. Not an exagerated range of motion either.
In both cases, it’s never a hard effort of a fast effort. Steadily pushing on the water allows me to stay in place comfortably for a long long time.
Eggbeater is the only way to go. It takes some coordination, but it’s more powerful and less fatiguing than other techniques for most people. Master the eggbeater and you pretty much don’t need to do anything with your arms.
Eggbeater is used by lifeguards (could you imagine jerkily carrying a spinal injury victim with a whip/scissor kick?). I would ask a lifeguard at your local pool to show you the basics. They should be able to demonstrate without getting in the water by sitting on the edge of the pool. Be prepared to feel like a complete spaz at first. When I was a swim instructor, I found that people would eventually have an “aha” moment where it all came together.
im like you, i dont know how to tread, but with a wetsuit on i just lie on my stomach, head above the water and do some breast strokes or any type of movement. if i run into trouble i just roll on my back untill i catch my breath.
without a wetsuit, i tried to do the same thing. btw, in the pool, i try to get in some practice of just lying on my stomach and doing some type of breast stroke for a minute and then taking off as if the race just started.
I just learned how to swim last year. I have completed one IM and two 70.3’s (with and without a wetsuit), however, I never learned how to tread water.
I feel like I’m a natural sinker in the water. Every time I attempt to tread water, I stay above the surface for about 10 seconds and then sink. Not all the way to the bottom, but my head goes below the surface to the point where I can’t breathe.
I’m not exactly sure what my hands and legs are supposed to be doing. I’ve observed people and read info, but some of it seems contradicting and confusing.
I have seen people do a multitude of different things - - egg beater kick, scissor kick, breast stroke type kick, hands going side to side in a back and forth motion, hands going up and down
Can anyone help? All advice welcome - thanks in advance.
You completed an ironman yet don’t know how to tread water?
Isn’t that like saying you completed an ironman but don’t know how to use clipless pedals?
I grew up playing water polo and eggbeater is the most powerful, but it also takes a lot of energy. If I’m just hanging out in the water I barely kick at all and I mainly scull with my hands. Unlike the previous poster, I make big and slow strokes with my arms. Kind of like this (-0-)
I’m the “0” and the parentheses are the path of my arms. Not quite that flexible in the shoulders, but you get the point.
I can’t really describe the technique, but my “aha” moment came in flight school after I failed the tread water and then float facedown test. You have to be able to tread water with very little effort for two minutes to then be able to float facedown with no movement for two minutes. I could stay above the water fine, but did so much work I was gasping during the floating and could not hold it.
The key? Don’t try to hold you whole head out of the water. If you tip your head back and inflate your lungs you can float pretty well with almost no effort by just leaving you nose high enough to take in air. Once I learned that, I could tread all day and I’m pretty lean, so it is a function of full lungs and letting the water cradle your body.
Chad
Practice this. Take a deep breath, fill your lungs with air, and gently move your arms up and down. Take half breaths keeping your lungs full of air. Nth at will keep u buoyant. Key to keep slow so you can keep your HR low.