Hello,
I'm excited to be here and excited to be back in the water again after about 12 years!
I have numerous questions/things I'm excited to improve on so I thought I'd start with one: my whole life (so basically for 30 years) I've only been breathing on the right when I do freestyle. Any tips for breaking this habit and learning to breath on the left? I honestly can't even remember how I learned to breath on the right the first time around....I've just always only done it that way. I think I'm partly afraid if I just try it, I'll end up drinking the pool..plus it just doesn't feel natural.
Thanks!
Parents
Former Member
I've also broken myself from one sided breathing by the breathe-on-the-wrong-side-until-you-get-use-to it method too. BUT I would also like to point out that bilateral breathing is not an end all goal. Recently in the FINA World Championships during one women's event* swimmers like Jenny Thompson* were only breathing on their right sides. The commentators mentioned it because one swimmer could see her competitor going out in the last lap and the other swimmer could see hers on the last length, possibly giving her a little advantage. I don't know if that was a strategy the women were using to keep an eye on each other or whether they swim that way all the time. But, my point is, not all swimmers do bilateral breathing all the time.
There are reasons for bilateral breathing though... from what I understand it helps you develop a more even pull with your non dominate arm.
* I don't remember what event it was and I am not saying Jenny Thompson only breathes on the right side--althought it might have been Jenny--I just don't remember. I'm saying swimmers with world class abilities. Just wanted to clear that up
Lainey
I've also broken myself from one sided breathing by the breathe-on-the-wrong-side-until-you-get-use-to it method too. BUT I would also like to point out that bilateral breathing is not an end all goal. Recently in the FINA World Championships during one women's event* swimmers like Jenny Thompson* were only breathing on their right sides. The commentators mentioned it because one swimmer could see her competitor going out in the last lap and the other swimmer could see hers on the last length, possibly giving her a little advantage. I don't know if that was a strategy the women were using to keep an eye on each other or whether they swim that way all the time. But, my point is, not all swimmers do bilateral breathing all the time.
There are reasons for bilateral breathing though... from what I understand it helps you develop a more even pull with your non dominate arm.
* I don't remember what event it was and I am not saying Jenny Thompson only breathes on the right side--althought it might have been Jenny--I just don't remember. I'm saying swimmers with world class abilities. Just wanted to clear that up
Lainey
