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
Parents
Former Member
I recently started breathing to both sides on almost all slow freestyle sets to try to keep my right shoulder (non-breathing side) from getting sore. What I found most helpful was to first do all of my alternate side breathing while swimming with a pull-boy. Every time you take a breath your legs compensate by kicking just enough to help you roll and slightly lift your head. If you are good enough at rolling you will kick very little, but I tend to lift my head way too much when breathing. When you try to first transfer this kicking motion to your non-dominant breathing side you may have some difficulty. This is probably because you are unable to easily coordinate the kicking to turn and slightly lift your head as your breath. Using the pull-boy when you start may have 2 beneficial effects. First, if you have trouble as I do rolling well and/or lift your head too high, you will be able to concentrate on keeping your head low and rolling since your legs will be riding higher. Secondly, you will be able to get used to breathing to your non-dominant side without getting exhausted or frustrated and develop a rythm. Once you develop a rythm it is easier to start slightly kicking with the pull-boy as you would when normally breathing without it and concentrate on how you kick on you dominant side and try to transfer that feeling to the other side. Once you get it down, get rid of the pull-boy and remember to keep your head down!
Bill White
I recently started breathing to both sides on almost all slow freestyle sets to try to keep my right shoulder (non-breathing side) from getting sore. What I found most helpful was to first do all of my alternate side breathing while swimming with a pull-boy. Every time you take a breath your legs compensate by kicking just enough to help you roll and slightly lift your head. If you are good enough at rolling you will kick very little, but I tend to lift my head way too much when breathing. When you try to first transfer this kicking motion to your non-dominant breathing side you may have some difficulty. This is probably because you are unable to easily coordinate the kicking to turn and slightly lift your head as your breath. Using the pull-boy when you start may have 2 beneficial effects. First, if you have trouble as I do rolling well and/or lift your head too high, you will be able to concentrate on keeping your head low and rolling since your legs will be riding higher. Secondly, you will be able to get used to breathing to your non-dominant side without getting exhausted or frustrated and develop a rythm. Once you develop a rythm it is easier to start slightly kicking with the pull-boy as you would when normally breathing without it and concentrate on how you kick on you dominant side and try to transfer that feeling to the other side. Once you get it down, get rid of the pull-boy and remember to keep your head down!
Bill White
