Breathing

Originally posted by blondi I'm really new to swimming (about a year) so I'm always focused on my stroke and stroke rate I find that by breathing every 3rd I'm more balanced and that my stroke doesn't fall apart as easily. That being said I'm trying to slow down to do more distance and try to breath every 2nd stroke, it's really hard to break the habit of being symetrical. I noticed in the Olympics that the distance swimmers changed their patterns throughout the race, I'd like to get to the point where I'm that comfortable in the water. There are many ways to swim free. Just need to find a technique that works best for you :) As for getting comfortable in the wate, patience. It will come, just takes time & practice. Drills will help you get a feel for how your stroke/body should feel at different points in your race/stroke. Then one day you'll have a great swim and realize that your entire stroke just felt right for the entire event :cool:

I'm really new to swimming (about a year) so I'm always focused on my stroke and stroke rate I find that by breathing every 3rd I'm more balanced and that my stroke doesn't fall apart as easily. That being said I'm trying to slow down to do more distance and try to breath every 2nd stroke, it's really hard to break the habit of being symetrical. I noticed in the Olympics that the distance swimmers changed their patterns throughout the race, I'd like to get to the point where I'm that comfortable in the water.

I've been a three stroke breather for years, but have always done slower long distance swimming. I recently started a new training routine, designed to increase my endurance and allow me to swim even longer distances. Part of the routine is to swim some "medium" distances (i.e. 1.5 miles) at a pace that is faster then I normally swim. I found that my stroke completely blew apart half way through the swim if I stayed with three stroke breathing. I switched to two stroke breathing and have completed those swims in "decent" form. I've noticed my shoulders get much more irritated when I two stroke breath, so I have to switch breathing sides freqently.

I am still a first-year swimmer (At age 50) and I just switched from breathing every third two every other stroke. After a little technique cleanup, I had really solid improvement, from 100Y on up....didn't matter with side I used.

Hey, I'm a backstroker, we don't need to worry about this... Ali - How about the SDK off the last wall in a 200... sometimes I wonder if I'll ever reach the surface, and then worry that I'll come up in the next guy's wake!

I'm confused on the whole breathing every stroke, isn't that technically breathing with your head up? When most people say breathing every stroke, they mean every stroke cycle, i.e., every second stroke (left arm, right arm breathe, left arm, right arm breathe).

These are very interesting comments. From what I have gathered from various coaches and swimming partners was that to breathe on every 3rd stroke or the less you breathe the faster you go. DO they mean only in short races, such as 50 or 100 free?I breathe every other stroke because I constantly feel oxygen deprived and I have become accustomed to swimming this way. I breathe to my right and I have noticed that my left arm will become fatigued after a long set and begin to drop down more in my recovery phase causing a slap of the water. I have noticed the times I do breathe to m left I do feel faster and a little more dizzy but the more I breathe to my right the better it will become and the stronger I can make my left shoulder. I think it is good to know how to breathe on both sides, it doesn't mean you can't favor one side over the other but when a shoulder gets tired you can switch sides.

I know a world-record holder who breathes every stroke. He says he likes air. In my case, I can't breathe in and out that fast, even if I was trying to hyperventilate. So I stick to 2, 3 or more. (I noticed that during lake swims, I was more comfortable sometimes breathing every 4 or 5. Dunno why.) The virtue of breathing every three is that you can always switch to every two, since you are comfortable with both sides. If you only breathe every two (in practice), you may be restricting your options if you wanted to breathe to the opposite side during a race. Most people are trained to breathe less during sprints, because of stroke flaws that are exaggerated during breathing (like head-lifting). So fewer breaths means better speed. If you have good balance and technique (like the Olympians), then there is no penalty in efficiency when rolling to take a breath versus leaving your face in the water.

I think most people breathe more naturally to the right because when you train in a crowded lane swimming "in circles" staying to the right, that is where the lane line is, which gets you more air than breathing towards the waves created by the other swimmers in the lane. At least that is my experience. Maybe someone from England can tell if they swim to the left and have a left side preference?

I'm confused on the whole breathing every stroke, isn't that technically breathing with your head up?