Coaches used to tell swimmers to look forward and keep the waterline just above your goggles – like this.  

But when you look forward, what usually happens is that your hips and feet go down – like this.   

If you look forward, it takes a lot of work – or a really big kick -- to move your body through the water.

Looking down and slightly forward allows the hips to stay near the surface.

Looking down keeps your body horizontal and reduces drag.  It lets you get the most out of every pull and kick.

One way to know that you’re really looking down is to focus on the tiles.  Don’t just look at the bottom…really zoom in on the tiles.

Looking at the tiles keeps your head in line with your spine.

In this clip, notice that Karlyn's upper back is slightly rounded.  She's thinking about drawing her belly button up to her spine.  This helps her get a long, straight bodyline, and allows her to feel like she's planing across the water, not plowing through it.

If you focus on the tiles and your feet are still dragging, it’s usually because your ankles aren’t very flexible.   Lots of runners and triathletes look like this in the water, due to years of running and biking.   If you have trouble keeping your feet near the surface…

…try swimming and drilling with fins, so that you can feel what it’s like to be horizontal.

Standard fins will work, but Karlyn has found that these fins – Alpha Fins -- are especially helpful.  

As you can see, they float.  

And when you swim, they help your feet stay near the surface.   With regular use, they also help increase your ankle flexibility.

When you use fins, try not to overkick.  Use them to give you a little extra momentum and to help keep your body balanced and horizontal.

Here’s one of Karlyn's favorite drills.  She uses it to feel the difference between looking at the tiles and looking forward.  

Swim half a length with your eyes looking toward the end of the pool.  Feel the strain on your neck and the arch in your back – and notice where your feet are.  

Swim the remainder of the length with your eyes on the tiles and your back slightly rounded.  Feel your hips and legs rise, and feel how much easier it is to move forward.  

Repeat this for several lengths.  You can even try it with fins.

Some swimmers think that fins are cheating.  But Karlyn believes fins can actually improve your technique.  

Fins can help you focus on things like body position, head position, breathing, and on Karlyn's next focus point – hand entry.


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Focus on the Tiles