Hello. I started swimming about a year ago at age 40, having never received any instruction. I am making an earnest effort to learn a decent front crawl. (I had an instructor for a short while, but he got in an accident and broke several important bones.) I am stuck on the breathing right now. My questions: Say you're breathing on the left side - where is your left hand at the instant that your mouth opens to take in a breath? At that same instant, is there any sense that your right hand is pushing up slightly to keep your head at a steady vertical level?
My problem is that when I lift my left arm out of the water I feel like my head wants to sink (so low that I am unable to breathe). So I have been compensating by either adding a little lift with my pulling arm (and therefore breathing too early, probably), or with the right arm as it begins its pull. Or I don't breathe at all and run out of oxygen entirely in one length.
I appreciate your advice. (N.B.: Tennis is not an option.)
I'm not a coach or an expert, but maybe this will help until someone better comes along... I would suggested reading the TI discussions, or other articles, where they discuss balancing in the water. When you have it right, you shouldn't have to push down with your hands. You might want to try the drills where you are kicking on your side, 1 arm out, the other at your side, and keeping your head in a position to breathe normally.
When I'm breathing, it is controlled by my body roll. I'm not sure where my hand is, because I'm breathing during most of my arm recovery.
Keep in mind, as long as the back of your throat is above the water line, you can breathe with your mouth partially submerged. If you are rotating around your long axis, you don't have to move your head much (or at all) to breathe. Are you lifting your head forward, or up, to breathe? Imagine that you are trying to breathe from your armpit. :cool: You only want to get your mouth above the water, not the rest of your head as well.
I'm not a coach or an expert, but maybe this will help until someone better comes along... I would suggested reading the TI discussions, or other articles, where they discuss balancing in the water. When you have it right, you shouldn't have to push down with your hands. You might want to try the drills where you are kicking on your side, 1 arm out, the other at your side, and keeping your head in a position to breathe normally.
When I'm breathing, it is controlled by my body roll. I'm not sure where my hand is, because I'm breathing during most of my arm recovery.
Keep in mind, as long as the back of your throat is above the water line, you can breathe with your mouth partially submerged. If you are rotating around your long axis, you don't have to move your head much (or at all) to breathe. Are you lifting your head forward, or up, to breathe? Imagine that you are trying to breathe from your armpit. :cool: You only want to get your mouth above the water, not the rest of your head as well.
