Ok so I don't mean to be a PITA. But I forgot to ask about breathing!
I'm starting to find a 'rhythm' with freestyle- backstroke let's not even go there- I get so distracted by the water splashing into my nose that I lose concentration quickly.
But with freestyle- is it normal to feel as though you need to be out of the water longer to catch a breath as you get tired? I am noticing I get very haphazard in and out of the water (when I go take a breath and blow massive bubbles in the water) with my breathing when exhaustion sets in and I am just wondering if this is something experience will take care of in the long run.Thanks again! You guys rock :)
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Former Member
Some thoughts on your post....
When you're exhaling, be sure to do it in a relaxed manner.
I know that's little tough to do when you're breathing hard.
What I'm getting at though is that there's people who end up putting a lot of effort into exhaling, forcing the air out rather than breathing with the same effort that the same level of out-of-water physical activity would require you to. Some people just tend to tense up.
Also, don't get into breathing in or out more then you need to if you were out of water, breathing too deeply - that will tire you out sooner too. Don't know if you do it. I've seen people think that when swimming, they have to inhale and exhale till their lungs hurt, and they wear themselves out just from abnormal breathing. Try not to do that.
Try to make a mental note and see if you're not tensing up too much when exhaling. Your cheeks and jaw should be pretty relaxed, almost as if flopping in the wind (as opposed to clenched jaw you see when people lift heavy weights)
If it's just from the effort, perhaps you're working just a bit too hard overall? As a rule of thumb, if you are so belabored that your technique is falling apart, you're not getting much of the set. It's okay to slow down a tad, and do things more properly, wioth better form. That stands true for many sports, even weighhtlifting, it;s not so much how much weight you push, but how much you push properly, so that you get balanced development, rather than some areas over developed, and other areas injury prone.
Some thoughts on your post....
When you're exhaling, be sure to do it in a relaxed manner.
I know that's little tough to do when you're breathing hard.
What I'm getting at though is that there's people who end up putting a lot of effort into exhaling, forcing the air out rather than breathing with the same effort that the same level of out-of-water physical activity would require you to. Some people just tend to tense up.
Also, don't get into breathing in or out more then you need to if you were out of water, breathing too deeply - that will tire you out sooner too. Don't know if you do it. I've seen people think that when swimming, they have to inhale and exhale till their lungs hurt, and they wear themselves out just from abnormal breathing. Try not to do that.
Try to make a mental note and see if you're not tensing up too much when exhaling. Your cheeks and jaw should be pretty relaxed, almost as if flopping in the wind (as opposed to clenched jaw you see when people lift heavy weights)
If it's just from the effort, perhaps you're working just a bit too hard overall? As a rule of thumb, if you are so belabored that your technique is falling apart, you're not getting much of the set. It's okay to slow down a tad, and do things more properly, wioth better form. That stands true for many sports, even weighhtlifting, it;s not so much how much weight you push, but how much you push properly, so that you get balanced development, rather than some areas over developed, and other areas injury prone.
