Tread Water Eggbeater Style
This is a method of treading water used by water polo players that allows a person to get much more of their body out of the water than any other method.
Contents
Steps
- Get in a pool and position yourself vertically in the water.
- Start breaststroke (frog style) kicking to stay afloat, but only kick one leg at a time.
- At the same time keep your arms in front of you about shoulder width apart moving back and forth left to right to keep you balanced and to help keep you afloat.
- Spread your legs out as far as you comfortably can, and bring them your quads up as if you were sitting in a chair,(approx 90 degree angle between legs and abs) and kick each leg separately in a circular motion (Right leg in counter-clockwise motion, left leg in clockwise motion)
- It may take some time learning to keep your hips stable while doing this, so focus on that or have someone hold your hips in place.
Tips
- Kick horizontally and not vertically down with your legs.
- Try to really focus on gripping/pulling the water with your feet as you kick
- It helps to position your hips slightly behind your shoulders
Warnings
- As tiring as it is, treading in this fashion is the most efficient way to keep yourself afloat, and consistent work will adapt your legs to the action.
- When you first learn this it can be tiring, but after doing it for a couple of days you get used to it and it becomes highly effective. If you are just learning it do not try to stay in very deep water for too long!
- Be alert for fatigue. If you sense yourself getting exhausted, switch to a lower energy method of staying afloat.
Related Articles
- Swim at the Bottom of the Pool
- Swim
- Play Sharks and Minnows
- Do Water Aerobics
- Do a Frog Kick
