forehead, the bottom of your chin, and the corners of your goggles.

Tuck your chin

slightly to keep your head aligned. If other swimmers splash waves in your face, you
can minimize this distraction by wearing nose-clips. Spend five to ten minutes
simply getting your head position right or have a partner check the illustration and
help. Patiently practice until it feels more natural and youre comfortable with the
water that close. In every subsequent drill, hide your head before doing anything
else. 2. Make a hull shape with your back. Its harder to balance with your
shoulders back and your chest thrust forward. Round your shoulders slightly and
shape your back like the hull of a boat. Keep your shoulders in this neutral position
for all balance drills. 3. Press your buoy. You achieve balance by lying on your
lungs, which are the most buoyant part of your body. Keeping your head hidden
and your torso hull-shaped, lean on your upper back until your hips feel light. When
youre balanced, youll show a dry patch of thigh on each kick. But dont let your
kick become splashy; your knees and toes should just ruffle the surface. In
subsequent drills, lie on your lungs in the same way. 4. Just lie there. The true test
of balance is being able to do nothing with your arms. If you need to brace yourself
or scull with them, you arent balanced. When you are really supported by the
water, you can use your arms just to help shape yourself into a torpedo. of ease and
relaxation, rest until you regain it. Special Help for Sinkers Athletes who are lean,
densely muscled, or long-legged (and particularly those with two or more of these
traits) commonly find that no amount of position adjusting allows them to achieve
real comfort in the nose-up balance drills (Drills 1 through 3). These drills are
important in teaching the recovery position youll use between cycles of the
switch drills in Lessons Three, Four, and Five, but youll learn the sense of balance
youll use while swimming the whole stroke in nose-down positions in Drill 4 and
beyond. Rather than struggle to float those heavy legs, I recommend that you ask
a friend or swim partner to help you as you learn balance drills initially. In the Total
Immersion buddy system, your partner can tow gently from your head or
shoulders in Drills 1 and 2, and from your extended hand in Drill 3. As your partner
tows, put your focus entirely on relaxing; using a gentle, compact kick; slipping
through the smallest hole in the water; and memorizing the sense of easy support
you gain. After providing some momentum, your partner can release you and
continue walking backward in front, ready to resume towing if he or she sees you
begin to struggle. Your partners draft should make it a bit easier for you to
continue independently. You focus on feelingand kickingthe same as when you
were being towed. Repeat tow-and-release several times, trying to sustain
independent momentum, for just a bit longer each time. (The buddy system for
learning balance and other skills is illustrated in detail in the Freestyle Made Easy
DVD/video described in the appendix.) In general, sinkers struggle more with the
first three drills, so my advice is not to endure frustration while trying endlessly to
master them. Do them expeditiously and with a degree