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?
Thank you all for your advice! This is all new to us! The background context was that I had noticed at his first meet that most of the other kids on his team were breathing every other pull. I thought maybe the coach was teaching them to breathe every other pull and he wasn't following instructions. Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come across as a criticism of the coaching instruction!
I told him to try exhaling underwater rather than holding his breath and he has been practicing that and says it feels better. ;) He is signed up for the smaller-size stroke clinic in the Spring, so hopefully that will help hone in on ways he can improve.
Thank you all for your advice! This is all new to us! The background context was that I had noticed at his first meet that most of the other kids on his team were breathing every other pull. I thought maybe the coach was teaching them to breathe every other pull and he wasn't following instructions. Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come across as a criticism of the coaching instruction!
I told him to try exhaling underwater rather than holding his breath and he has been practicing that and says it feels better. ;) He is signed up for the smaller-size stroke clinic in the Spring, so hopefully that will help hone in on ways he can improve.
