I am an Age Group and Masters Swim Coach While I am very comfortable working with strong swimmers, sometimes I teach lessons to adults who want to do triathlons and are fairly new to swimming. Every so often, I find a swimmer who has problems breathing. I have already read previous discussions where breathing is a problem and all the suggestions recommend improving stroke technique. I am very aware of the benefits of TI and like to encorporate it whenever I can. I have a very fit runner who now has pretty good stroke technique but after 25 yards is too out of breath to continue. Being a life-long swimmer, and having 8 year old swimmers who can go 1000 yards without problems, I can't fathom how anyone can't "breathe". This sounds very basic but in order to get a good diagnosis, I will try to be very specific. He is exhaling slowly, continuously, and completely through his nose before he rolls to inhale through his mouth. I generally have him breath every 3 strokes, but sometimes vary it and nothing seems to help. Has anyone encountered this and if so, are there better drills than just simple bobs?
Parents
Former Member
Reb, I would have a couple of ideas: first-ditch the every third routine. As a swimmer, I find that I too run out of air early on when I do that. The whole idea is to balance the stroke, and as Emmett said in the previous forum, you can "bi-laterally" breathe by simply changing sides every length, or every two or whatever. second- I find that I cannot fully exhale all my air through the nose only. The explosive exhalation of both nose and mouth may well help. There is another factor to investigate as well- exercise induced asthma. Chlorine seems to bring bouts of this on to myself and others I have known. Hope this gives you some ideas
Bert
Reb, I would have a couple of ideas: first-ditch the every third routine. As a swimmer, I find that I too run out of air early on when I do that. The whole idea is to balance the stroke, and as Emmett said in the previous forum, you can "bi-laterally" breathe by simply changing sides every length, or every two or whatever. second- I find that I cannot fully exhale all my air through the nose only. The explosive exhalation of both nose and mouth may well help. There is another factor to investigate as well- exercise induced asthma. Chlorine seems to bring bouts of this on to myself and others I have known. Hope this gives you some ideas
Bert
