I teach lessons to a forty year old woman who is having a very hard time breathing. I have been teaching lessons for about ten years and I cannot figure out why she is having such a hard time. She seems to breathe in the correct amount of oxygen and then she slowly exhales through her nose and mouth before breathing again. She has to breathe every two strokes in order to get enough oxygen but even then after a 50 her lungs are burning. She can swim a 1650 in about 35 minutes and she can swim it without stopping but her lungs get tired before anything else. I have had her swim 25's without breathing and she can do that. I am completely stumped as to what her problem is. Any suggestions? Thanks
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Former Member
I had a lot of trouble with breathing too. For me I think it was lack of cardio conditioning, but mostly tension. For a long ltime I'd get so focused on breathing that I'd wear myself out. I still feel it starting now and again, but being aware of it, I can make myself relax and regain control. Another thing I did - and sometimes still do - is focus on breathing during warm ups. After a few laps I do the underwater bubbles a few times and it helps to keep me calm. The other thing that sometimes helped with freestyle breathing was to do another stroke, usually fly, that got me breathing hard. After that, breathing for freestyle came easier.
Your swimmer sounds like she is already in better shape than I was though so I don't know if this helps. For me it was more mental than anything.
I had a lot of trouble with breathing too. For me I think it was lack of cardio conditioning, but mostly tension. For a long ltime I'd get so focused on breathing that I'd wear myself out. I still feel it starting now and again, but being aware of it, I can make myself relax and regain control. Another thing I did - and sometimes still do - is focus on breathing during warm ups. After a few laps I do the underwater bubbles a few times and it helps to keep me calm. The other thing that sometimes helped with freestyle breathing was to do another stroke, usually fly, that got me breathing hard. After that, breathing for freestyle came easier.
Your swimmer sounds like she is already in better shape than I was though so I don't know if this helps. For me it was more mental than anything.
