Body Position: The Foundation of Fast Swimming
If there’s one thing that will make the biggest difference to your swim speed, it’s this — your body position in the water.
An incorrect body position creates drag, and drag is the enemy of speed. The goal is simple in principle: get your body as straight and horizontal as possible, as close to the surface of the water as you can. This position needs to be maintained throughout every phase of your stroke — not just when you’re thinking about it.
What does correct body position look like?
Starting from the head down:
- Head in the correct neutral position (see our previous post)
- Back and hips as straight and flat as possible
- Legs close together, knees and ankles relaxed and extended
- Toes pointed naturally — not forced
Why is this harder in water than on land?
Try getting into this position on land. Easy, right? That’s because on land, gravity and the floor do the work. In the water, nothing is holding you there. If your body has to fight against its own stiffness or weakness just to hold position, that energy is completely wasted — energy that should be going into propulsion.
The three areas that let most swimmers down:
The back — Poor posture in daily life carries directly into the water. Strengthening your core and upper and lower back muscles, consistently and persistently, will help you hold a flatter, more streamlined position.
The hips — Tight hip flexors and weak hip extensors cause the legs to sink. Insufficient quad strength makes it hard to keep the legs elevated. If your hips drop, everything else drops with them.
The ankles — Your toes need to point backwards with minimal effort. If you’re forcing a pointed toe position, your foot and calf muscles are working overtime — leading to fatigue and potentially cramp. Flexible ankles are fast ankles.
Can you hold the position — but only briefly?
If you can get into the right position but struggle to maintain it, the culprit is usually one of two things: fatigue affecting your concentration, or insufficient muscular endurance to sustain the position over time. Both are fixable with targeted training.
No matter how hard you work on your stroke, without the correct body position you will always be swimming uphill. Get this right first — everything else builds on it.
Coming up in future posts: how balance, kick mechanics, arm mechanics, and shoulder flexibility all affect your body position.