SwimFast Guides
The Complete
Sinking Legs Series
Master the fundamentals of efficient swimming with our comprehensive Sinking Legs series. Each guide focuses on a specific technique issue that's holding you back.
13 guides available · free download
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #1
How Your Head Position Sinks Your Legs (Most Triathletes Get This Wrong)
Stop fighting the water. This 6-page guide will show you the simple head-position fix that keeps your legs riding high so you swim easier, longer, and faster as well as an easy drill to make it a habit.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #2
Should Your Eyes Look Down Or Forward? Fix Where You Look to Fix Your Breathing
Stop disrupting your breath. This 7-page guide shows you how your eye direction controls your mouth position and shows you the simple fix that keeps your legs floating high.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #3
How to Breathe Low to the Water Without Drowning
Break the vicious cycle where head lifting causes hip drop. In this 8-page guide, you'll learn the two main reasons triathletes lift their heads when breathing and get specific drills to rewire your survival instincts for efficient breathing technique.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #4
Why Your Desk Job Is Sinking Your Legs; The Core Strength Gap That's Slowing Your Swim.
Discover how poor posture and weak core strength from your desk-bound lifestyle causes sinking legs in this 7-page guide. Learn how to bridge effectively between your floating lungs and heavy legs, plus specific dryland and pool exercises to build the connection that keeps you aligned.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #5
Stop 'Saving Your Legs' - Why Not Kicking Actually Wastes More Energy
Challenge the biggest misconception in triathlon swimming! In this 5-page guide you'll learn why avoiding your kick to 'save your legs' actually costs more energy through increased drag, plus specific drills to develop an efficient stabilizing kick that improves your entire stroke.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #6
Why A Bigger Kick Makes You Slower: The Goldilocks Principle of Kick Size
Discover why a bigger kick will pull your hips down and tire you out faster. Learn how your natural walking and running patterns work against you in the water, plus specific techniques and drills to keep your kick within the optimal 'hip-width' zone for maximum lift.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #7
The 6% Speed Loss Hidden in Your Kick Timing (Doc Counsilman's Research Reveals Why)
Master the most technical aspect of kicking with this 6-page guide based on Doc Counsilman's research. Learn why incorrect kick timing can slow you down 6% even if you kick harder, plus specific drills to coordinate your kick with your arm stroke for perfect body balance.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #8
Why Your Bicycle Kick Is Sinking Your Legs. Learn How to Stop Pedaling Underwater
Rewire the cycling and running movement patterns that undermine your swimming speed in this 8-page guide. Learn why excessive knee bend creates drag and pulls your hips down, plus the Goldilocks approach to finding just the right amount of knee bend for effective kicking.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #9
Why Your Runner's Ankles Work Against You in Water (The Flexibility-Speed Connection)
Discover how your run training creates ankle stiffness that acts like anchors and slow you down. In this 8-page guide you will learn why ankles built for running work against swimming efficiency, plus specific stretches and mobility work to develop the flexibility your kick demands.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #10
The Scissor Kick Isn't a 'bug' - It's Your Brain Preventing You From Rolling Over! But It's Slowing You Down
Discover why the scissor kick isn't a bug, it's actually a feature, but one that slows you down. In this 6-page guide you'll learn how your brain forces one leg out wide to prevent rolling onto your back when you rotate beyond your ability to control it, plus techniques to find optimal rotation limits.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #11
You Should Push Water Back, Not Down! Why Pushing Down Lifts Your Head and Drops Your Hips + How To Fix It
Learn how pushing water downward instead of backward creates a seesaw effect that lifts your head and drops your hips in this 7-page guide. Discover why a lack of confidence and poor flexibility turn your arms into support beams instead of propellers, plus specific drills and dry land work help you stabilize your body in the water.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #12
A Late Breath Makes The Sinking Leg Problem Worse. Learn The Breathing Rhythm That Will Fix It.
Master the precise timing of your breath to prevent over-rotation in this 8-page guide. Learn the exact moment to start and stop your head turn, understand how late breathing creates a domino effect that triggers scissor kicks and hip drops, plus specific drills to develop efficient breathing rhythm.
The SwimFast Sinking Legs Series #13 - FINAL
The Rules of Floating: Why Pushing Your Arms Forward Stops Your Legs Sinking
We complete the Sinking Legs series by mastering weight distribution and stroke timing in this 9-page guide. Learn how your lungs are your pivot point, why early pull-through shifts your center of gravity backward, and how front quadrant swimming keeps your hips up by maintaining forward weight distribution.
The Complete Sinking Legs Series
This comprehensive 13-part series addresses every major cause of sinking legs in triathlon swimming. Each guide builds on the previous one, taking you from basic body position fixes to advanced stroke timing techniques.
Foundation (Guides 1–4)
Head position, breathing mechanics, and core strength
The building blocks of good body position — start here if you're unsure where to begin.
Kick Technique (Guides 5–9)
Kick timing, depth, and flexibility
How your legs can either work with you or against you — and how to train the difference.
Advanced (Guides 10–13)
Rotation control, stroke mechanics, and stroke timing
The fine-tuning that makes the difference between a swimmer who looks good and one who is fast.
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