One of my earplugs popped out this morning. Couldn't see where. Never found it.
I am still not used to water going in and out of my ear when I breathe. It was weird trying to breathe on my left side because I'd feel the cold water on my eardrum (I am guessing) and it would really distract me. I know that I probably need to try to get used to this...but I didn't want to struggle throughout my workout today...so I decided to only breathe on the right side and keep going. On occasion I tried the left side again but the feeling just wasn't conducive to focusing on the other 52 things I am trying to learn.
Other than "just do it" can anyone offer any words of wisdom on how to get used to swimming without nose or ear plugs?
It's not that water bothers me. I've done scuba and I am perfectly comfortable in water. Something weird happens when you rotate your head to breathe in freestyle and I can't quite put my finger on it. I opted for plugging everything up so that I can focus on learning at this stage.
Thanks.
Former Member
I have been swimming for many years without the water getting into my ears, until recently when I changed my freestyle technique. While my swimming improved a bit, I kept getting water in the ear while turning to breathe. I have struggled for over year to figure out why it happens and how to control it. I came to conclusion that water getting into the ear is a symptom of poor form. Water gets into ears when the head
(1) is not rotating in sync with the body
(2) is raised out of and/or lowered into the water or tilted to one side
The head should be only be allowed to rotate slightly and with or after the torso rotates. Remember that the main purpose of body rotation is not to get air but to engage most of the muscles when pushing the arm through the water. The head should rotate just slightly to the side enough to get the mouth out of the water and no more. Do not start with the head rotation. It is your hips that should be in charge of rotation not your head. The head must 'follow'. Keep the head always at the same level slightly above the water and aligned with the body as though you are impaled on a skewer or maybe wearing a neck brace. Do not raise the head nor tilt it. Try practicing with swimming only a few strokes without breathing in, only breathing out. If still having problems, try swimming with one arm only and the other arm outstretched.
Good Luck.
