How to Tell If Your Feet and Hips are Sinking While You're Swimming and How to Fix It

Without getting into too many specifics about fluid mechanics and the laws of physics, it’s safe to say that if your feet and hips are low when you're swimming any stroke, they produce more drag. More drag needs more propulsion to overcome the drag, and more propulsion requires more energy. In short, sinking hips and feet make you less efficient and slower. 

There are two easy ways to find out if your hips and feet are sinking during freestyle and backstroke. I recommend you do both. The first is to get a friend or coach to video you from the side. If you can’t see your hips or heels at the surface while you’re swimming, you’re sinking. The other way to find out is to swim a length and count your strokes, then swim it again with a pull buoy and count your strokes. Is it fewer with a pull buoy? Are you faster with a pull buoy? These are telltale signs that something needs to be fixed.

OK I’m sinking, now what?

The first step in solving your sinking problem is realizing you have one (see above). Many of the sinking-feet-and-hips problems can be solved by working from your center out. That means working on your posture and line, and working all the way down to your kick, so you can isolate the problem first and then find a way to fix it. Here are some simple tricks to figure out why you are sinking. 

• Flat float front—Sometimes the cause of sinking hips and feet is your balance and line on the water—where your body parts are relative to your center of buoyancy. To find out, lay face down on the water in almost a streamline position. Do your feet and hips sink?  Press your upper chest down and rotate your pelvis back to bring the hips and feet to the surface. You might need to adjust your head position a bit as well. Slowly start swimming, trying to maintain that body line without your feet sinking. 
• Flat float back—Now float on your back. Are your hips and feet sinking? Try squeezing your lower ribcage together and rotating your pelvis up to float your feet. As before, once you find balance, slowly start swimming while being mindful of your body position. In both front and back floats, you can also think of drawing your bellybutton to your spine. This can help you use your core to attain the proper line.
• Kicking for propulsion—One of the things the pull buoy test tells you is whether you’re kicking for propulsion or to keep your hips from sinking. If you pull faster than you swim, then you’re working hard when you swim just to maintain a better position, rather than adding to your speed. Wall kicking can help. Start out with your hands on top of the gutter, put your face in and float your feet (a snorkel makes this drill much easier). Start kicking and make some adjustments to your body position that allow for your hands to feel some pressure on the wall. Next, push back from the wall and kick your way back to the wall, but just touch with your fingertips. Once your fingertips are touching, keep kicking. The propulsive force should hold you to the wall.
• Lift—One thing that masks sinking hips and feet in the video analysis (why you should also do the pull-buoy test) is a swimmer’s ability to generate lift with the upper body at faster speeds. If you can really muscle through the water with the upper body, the laminar flow of water (think water flowing under a boat getting up on plane) will lift the hips and feet and make you think they aren’t sinking when you’re swimming fast. Swim at a more relaxed pace and see what happens. Do your hips and feet sink at slower speeds? Of course, the distance of the race plays a role here, but you may benefit from going back and doing some of the earlier drills to fix the issue.

It’s a process

As your body changes with strength gains or age, you’ll need to revisit your body position on the water. Some people are naturally more buoyant and can adjust quickly. Others, especially those from other sports, may have a more difficult time making those adjustments. No two athletes are the same, and these are general guidelines to figure out what works for you. If you’re wondering about butterfly and breaststroke, stay tuned for additional articles.