Looking for recommendations on a breathing pattern for the 100 Free scy. Two ideas I had were... The first 50 will be faster than the second 50, would it make sense to breath more on the second 50 - the thought being, a breath at a faster speed will have more of a detrimental effect than a breath at a slower speed due to higher drag. Alternatively, it's easier to restrict breathing early on in the race so would it make sense to breath more as the race progresses?
The first 50 should be faster because of the dive but your surface swimming speed should be the same throughout the race. Breathing less on the first 50 to reduce drag shouldn't help. Most swimmers breathe between every 2 strokes and every 4 strokes on 100s (every 1-2 cycles). It requires very good technique to breathe every 2 strokes on a 100 and swim faster than breathing every 3 or 4. Jason Lezak also took a breath every 2 when he went the fastest ever 100 relay split in the 2008 Olympics. Other Olympic gold medalists and world champions have used different breathing patterns.
It is definitely easier to restrict breathing in the first 50 but it won't be beneficial at the end of your race to have used up all your anaerobic capacity. It is ok to breathe more at the end but it shouldn't change dramatically. You might want to breathe every 4 on the first 25 and then every 3 or 2 for the rest of the race. It is best to practice and find what works out best for you.
The first 50 should be faster because of the dive but your surface swimming speed should be the same throughout the race. Breathing less on the first 50 to reduce drag shouldn't help. Most swimmers breathe between every 2 strokes and every 4 strokes on 100s (every 1-2 cycles). It requires very good technique to breathe every 2 strokes on a 100 and swim faster than breathing every 3 or 4. Jason Lezak also took a breath every 2 when he went the fastest ever 100 relay split in the 2008 Olympics. Other Olympic gold medalists and world champions have used different breathing patterns.
It is definitely easier to restrict breathing in the first 50 but it won't be beneficial at the end of your race to have used up all your anaerobic capacity. It is ok to breathe more at the end but it shouldn't change dramatically. You might want to breathe every 4 on the first 25 and then every 3 or 2 for the rest of the race. It is best to practice and find what works out best for you.
