Improve Your Body Position in Swimming: How to Reduce Drag and Swim Faster

Swim coaching Oxfordshire — Swim Coaching Oxfordshire

Step 1: Minimise Your Drag by Improving Your Body Position in the Water

One of the biggest breakthroughs you can make in swimming – especially if you're training for a triathlon – is learning how to reduce your drag. And the first step? Improving your body position in the water.

Here’s a powerful example of a swimmer before and after making this change:

(Add image or video thumbnail here)

In the before image, you can clearly see the swimmer’s low-lying legs dragging through the water. This creates excessive resistance, slows you down, and makes swimming feel like a slog. Not ideal, especially when you're training for longer distances like sprint, Olympic, or Ironman triathlons.

By working on body position, this swimmer has lifted their legs higher in the water, massively reducing surface area and cutting drag. The result? Swimming the same speed becomes far easier – and more efficient.

I often tell swimmers to imagine moving “through a tube” – streamlined, smooth, and connected.

But how do you actually change your body position in the water?

Drill 1: Push & Glide

Don’t underestimate the power of a great push off the wall! Some athletes think it’s “cheating” because it reduces swimming volume. But in fact, it sets you up for success.

A good push & glide:

Creates a strong core connection through the myofascial lines (web-like fibres that help transfer movement and maintain posture)
Trains your body to maintain a streamlined position
Reinforces correct posture before the stroke begins
Gives you free speed – especially handy in pool-based triathlons

Without this foundation, many swimmers experience sinky leg syndrome, which is incredibly hard to fix mid-stroke – especially if your kick isn’t powerful (and let’s face it, most triathletes don’t have a flutter-kick like Michael Phelps!).

Starting with a strong push and glide makes it easier to stay streamlined and reduces the likelihood of faults like:

Arm crossovers (leading to snaking through the water)
Lateral movement, which wastes energy
Early fatigue, due to overcompensating with your upper body

Drill 2: Sink Down

One of the most common mistakes I see? Holding your breath.Many swimmers instinctively do this, which inflates the lungs, raises the torso, and... sinks the legs. Again – more drag.

Holding your breath also causes a build-up of CO₂, which triggers a stress response in your brain. It feels like you’re out of breath, but really, your oxygen levels are fine – you're just not exhaling properly.

This leads to:

Elevated blood lactate levels
Hitting your lactate threshold far too soon
Needing to stop every 50–75m or defaulting to breaststroke mid-race

The fix? Learn how to exhale properly.

Try this to improve your body position in swimming:

Stand or tread water in the deep end.
Exhale through your nose and mouth.
Let your face muscles relax.
Let your body sink.
Engage your diaphragm and focus on releasing air from deep in your belly.

Most of your oxygen exchange happens in the lower lungs, which are underused. By breathing out more, you create space to breathe in more fresh air, which allows you to swim more efficiently and stay relaxed.

Why This Matters for Triathletes

Triathlon swim stages are often make-or-break – not just for performance, but for how much energy you conserve for the bike and run.

Improving your body position in swimming can:

Reduce energy expenditure
Improve stroke efficiency
Make swimming feel smoother and calmer
Help you transition stronger into the next phase of your race

Ready to Level Up Your Freestyle?

Check out our Freestyle Improver Courses starting in April – these are designed for adult swimmers who want to develop better form, improve pacing, and build confidence in the water.

Want more? Annie runs 1:1 Video Analysis Sessions, click the link to check out more.