Anyone know good drills to make it easier to breathe on your crappy side?
Former Member
I was wondering if anyone knew any drills or tips on how to make breathing on your less-natural side more easier for freestyle.
Are there advantages to breathing on both sides? I heard somewhere that it forces you to roll your hips to the less natural side...that way you can swim more efficiently...something like that.:o
Can someone help and clarify?
David
The Swiss call the uncrappy side the "chocolate side"--mostly for skiing, I think, i.e., it's easier to execute turns one way or the other in most people.
Here's my admittedly self-interested reply.
If you're a sprinter, you probably should only breathe once or twice per length on a 50; maybe twice as often on a 100. Thus, it's not critical to be able to breathe on either side--just go with the most natural side.
If you're a distance swimmer, you probably need to breathe every cycle, especially as you age. Again, breathe on your preferred side--and if you want to restrict your breathing, breathe every two cycles. Again, stick to the preferred side.
There are so many other things to concentrate in improving your swimming, like streamlining, keeping your head down, etc. that I would make bilateral breathing a low priority. Why fight what your body is telling you feels so unnatural? I think it will throw your stroke off, cause neck and shoulder pains potentially, and not really make you any faster...
Anyhow, that's what I think....
The Swiss call the uncrappy side the "chocolate side"--mostly for skiing, I think, i.e., it's easier to execute turns one way or the other in most people.
Here's my admittedly self-interested reply.
If you're a sprinter, you probably should only breathe once or twice per length on a 50; maybe twice as often on a 100. Thus, it's not critical to be able to breathe on either side--just go with the most natural side.
If you're a distance swimmer, you probably need to breathe every cycle, especially as you age. Again, breathe on your preferred side--and if you want to restrict your breathing, breathe every two cycles. Again, stick to the preferred side.
There are so many other things to concentrate in improving your swimming, like streamlining, keeping your head down, etc. that I would make bilateral breathing a low priority. Why fight what your body is telling you feels so unnatural? I think it will throw your stroke off, cause neck and shoulder pains potentially, and not really make you any faster...
Anyhow, that's what I think....
