Step #2 is to take that balanced body position and put it on your side.  

Start by pushing off on your back with hands at your sides, just as you did in the previous drill. 

When you feel balanced on your back with your head low in the water, simply tilt or roll to one side so that your arm is dry from shoulder to knuckles.  

You should be not quite on your back and not quite on your side.  Tilt your body somewhere in between those two positions.

This swimmer is too far on his side, causing him to arch his back and use his hands for balance.  If you think you look like this…

Roll more toward your back so you look like this.

This swimmer is tilted but his arm is not dry, which means he’s not balanced.  He’s swimming uphill.  

To correct this, try leaning in on your lower arm and rolling a little more toward your back.

As you tilt to one side, keep your head rock steady.   Look directly at the ceiling and keep the water circling your face.  Tilt only your torso, hips, and legs.  

If you have any tension at all – if your neck is not in line with your spine, if you’re lifting your head or arching your back or searching for support by sculling with your arm…

Return to your back and start again.

Stay relaxed, lean into the water, and try to stay horizontal, with your hips close to the surface.

Practice Step #2 on both sides.   The dry arm is key here because it shows if you’re in balance or not.  Keep experimenting with your body position until a strip of your arm is dry from shoulder to knuckles.

**Biggest Mistake Candidates Make** 
When they are learning side balance, the biggest mistake candidates make is trying to get on their side, with shoulders stacked on top of each other.  

If you’re really lean and muscular – and what candidate isn’t -- this doesn’t work.   

If you can learn to tilt just slightly – to the point where you’re almost on your back – it’s a lot easier to find your balance.  Swimming will get a whole lot easier once your find this balance point.


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Step #2: Low-Profile Side Balance