Hi,
I started swimming a couple of months ago following a running injury. I can't run at the moment so I thought I would keep fit by swimming, but my problem is I don't know how to breathe... I can barely do 25 mt and then I have to stop and rest for 30-60 seconds. I have no problem running (I completed my first half marathon in March) so I can't understand why this is so difficult..
I'm working with a teacher to improve my freestyle crawl technique (which was quite poor as I hadn't had much practice in the last 20 years or so...) and she says the breathing will come naturally, but after 2 months swimming twice a week I can't see any improvement... still cannot swim continously for more than 25 metres. I can do *** stroke or back stroke without stopping, it's just the freestyle what gets me completely out of breath.
Is there anything I can do to improve my breathing technique?
Thanks
Ditto what 67King said -
And, another way to think about it, when your face is in the water, you should be exhaling. When your face is out of the water, you can inhale. To put a finer point on what 67King said, the exhale process is longer and can be slower, while the inhale process is fairly short. In other words, focus on exhaling and not much on inhaling.
Contrary to what your teacher told you, breathing while swimming does not come naturally. Novice swimmers want to hold their breath until their head is out of the water which does not work. They also like to lift their head to breathe instead of rotating your head to the side (as 67King suggested).
Talk with a learn-to-swim instructor about learning to breathe. if they are any good, they will have you holding onto a kickboard and learning how to time your breath with your arm motion (one arm at a time).
Ditto what 67King said -
And, another way to think about it, when your face is in the water, you should be exhaling. When your face is out of the water, you can inhale. To put a finer point on what 67King said, the exhale process is longer and can be slower, while the inhale process is fairly short. In other words, focus on exhaling and not much on inhaling.
Contrary to what your teacher told you, breathing while swimming does not come naturally. Novice swimmers want to hold their breath until their head is out of the water which does not work. They also like to lift their head to breathe instead of rotating your head to the side (as 67King suggested).
Talk with a learn-to-swim instructor about learning to breathe. if they are any good, they will have you holding onto a kickboard and learning how to time your breath with your arm motion (one arm at a time).
