staying afloat, running out of breath at the end

Question
Hi, I'm a beginner swimmer, and I've been have trouble staying afloat in a up straight position. I'm also experiencing breath exhausting at the end of the pool. I thought if my breathing wasn't right, the exhausting would have happen before the end of the pool. Is it stamina or my breathing tempo problem?

Answer
Jackson,
Thanks for writing!  You say you are having problems staying afloat in the "up straight" position.  Do you mean treading water?  If this is the case, then you need to RELAX.  Relaxing your muscles helps keep your muscles less dense.  When you try to tense you muscles, they become harder and more dense.  This is less buoyant.  In other words, you only want to use the muscles you need while trying to float.  If you tense up all your muscles you will sink.  You don't want that.

Think about just relaxing.  If you are a beginner swimmer, you might have some fear of the water.  You need to relax and trust that nothing will happen.  Don't think about your breathing, your fears, or anything.  Just think about relaxing and making smooth movements.  If you make "jerking" motions/movements, you will not be able to float as long.  The idea is to use as little energy as possible to float.  Some people are more buoyant than others.  In other words their bodies just float easier.  Some people tend to sink quicker.  You don't have control over that.  You can only track your progress.

As for your breathing, I think that it's both stamina and your breathing techniques.  You want to breath smoothly.  Don't hold your breath too long.  Your cardiovascular abilities will improve with time.  Your stamina will get better and the breathing will get easier.

I hope that this helps.  If you were referring to something other than treading water, please let me know.  I want to make sure you are completely helped!
Eric