My 10 year old son just started swimming on a non-competitive swim team this year. He mentioned in passing that he holds his breath while his face is in the water when swimming freestyle. He is not very fast right now, so it probably doesn't harm him now, but I would like to break him of this habit before it sticks! He said the timing of the exhale and inhale confuses him and he ends up choking on water. He breathes every 3 strokes and I've always learned to breathe every other stroke. How does the exhale/inhale work for every 3 strokes. It seems like a long time to exhale?
He is breathing every 3 single arm pulls. Should I try to talk to the coach to convert him to breathe every 2 pulls? I think his natural inclination is to breathe in and out evenly (based on what he did when he demonstrated his breathing to me). He learned the breathing every 3 pulls from swim lessons prior to starting on the team. I guess the swim teacher never noticed he wasn't exhaling in the water.
Bilateral breathing is really important to young, developing swimmers. It promotes balance to the stroke, and can help with building a rhythm in the kick.
As swimmers get older (think mid-high school at the earliest), many will start to favor one side or the other (watch Michael Phelps swim the 200 free, for example), but your son is nowhere near that point. So I wouldn't have him drop to every other just yet.
As for the exhale, I really never thought about it until my Masters coach (who has won some awards and certifications for technique coaching and has learned under some really good coached) started telling us he teaches to exhale everything quickly right before you breathe. His rationale being, exhaling continuously doesn't give all the oxygen from the inhale time to work it's way all the way through the system.
He is breathing every 3 single arm pulls. Should I try to talk to the coach to convert him to breathe every 2 pulls? I think his natural inclination is to breathe in and out evenly (based on what he did when he demonstrated his breathing to me). He learned the breathing every 3 pulls from swim lessons prior to starting on the team. I guess the swim teacher never noticed he wasn't exhaling in the water.
Bilateral breathing is really important to young, developing swimmers. It promotes balance to the stroke, and can help with building a rhythm in the kick.
As swimmers get older (think mid-high school at the earliest), many will start to favor one side or the other (watch Michael Phelps swim the 200 free, for example), but your son is nowhere near that point. So I wouldn't have him drop to every other just yet.
As for the exhale, I really never thought about it until my Masters coach (who has won some awards and certifications for technique coaching and has learned under some really good coached) started telling us he teaches to exhale everything quickly right before you breathe. His rationale being, exhaling continuously doesn't give all the oxygen from the inhale time to work it's way all the way through the system.
