Keep Your Hips High!

 

Keep Your Hips High: The Key to Easier, Faster Swimming

One of the most common things we notice both in the pool or the sea is low hips. If your hips sink, swimming feels harder, slower, and far more tiring than it needs to be.  But there is some good news. Learning to keep your hips high can transform how swimming feels almost instantly.

Why Do Hips Sink?

Our legs are heavy, especially when we’re tense or kicking from the knees. Add poor breathing, lifting the head, or a lack of core engagement and the hips drop, creating drag. Drag is like swimming with a parachute behind you, it slows you down and drains your energy.

Why High Hips Matter

Keeping your hips near the surface helps you to

• Reduce drag – you move through the water more smoothly

• Swim more efficiently – less effort, more distance

• Feel more balanced – better body position means better control

• Save energy – especially important in open water and longer swims

In short, high hips = easier swimming.

The Body Position Sweet Spot

Think of your body as a see-saw. Your head, hips, and heels should all be close to the surface. If your head lifts, your hips drop. If your core switches off, your hips drop. Everything is connected. You may need to practice putting your head into a lower position, chin pointing towards the chest. We are all built differently and our sweet spot will be different to.

Simple Ways to Keep Your Hips High

1. Relax Your Head

Your head should sit neutrally in the water, eyes looking down and slightly forward. Avoid lifting your head to breathe, turn it gently instead.

2. Engage Your Core

A light core engagement (think “long and strong”) helps support your hips. You don’t need to tense, just relax but not so you start to get floppy!

3. Kick from the Hips

A small, relaxed kick that starts at the hips (not the knees) helps keep your legs afloat without wasting energy.

4. Press the Chest

Gently pressing your chest into the water can feel counter-intuitive, but it helps lift the hips and legs up behind you.

5. Slow It Down

Swimming too fast before your technique is ready often causes hips to sink. Slowing your stroke allows better balance and control.

Drills to Try

• Superman Glide
  Push off the wall with arms extended, face in the water, and focus on floating long and level. Feel where your hips are.

• Kick on Front with Snorkel
  This removes breathing from the equation so you can focus purely on body position.

• 6 Kick Switch
  Six kicks on one side, switch sides. This helps balance and hip awareness.

Open Water Bonus Tip

In the sea, wetsuits naturally help lift your hips, but don’t rely on them. Good body position still matters, especially when conditions are choppy or you’re swimming without neoprene.

Final Thought

If swimming feels hard, heavy, or exhausting, don’t automatically blame fitness. Often it’s body position—specifically low hips. Mastering this one skill can make swimming feel calmer, smoother, and far more enjoyable.

High hips. Long body. Easier swim.

©Solent Swim School 2019 - 2026