Breathing??

I wonder if the drill where you kick on your side might help you. It can evolve into 6 kick switch, but at first you should just do it on one side across and then switch to the other. Basically, you are on your side in the water, the bottom arm stretched out(like you are lying on it), your face down nose in your arm pit, but don't bury your head, try to get good alignment of your head with your spine. kick across the pool in this manner exhaling into your arm pit. When you need to breathe, the only thing that moves is your head. Rotate it to the side to catch your breathe, and then exhale into your arm pit again. Do this all in a very relaxed manner. Speed is not the desired affect, getting used to a breathing pattern, and learning to swim on your side is. Even use fins to help with your balance and kicking in the water. Once you get good at doing it one side only, you can begin to add a switch. The top arm has been lying on your side, and you just bring it over like a stroke, the bottom arm strokes in the water, and you rotate to the other side. As you rotate, breathe, and then exhaling back into your armpit. Someone else can explain this better, and probably your coach can too, as it is a very standard drill. Sometime breaking things into pieces instead of trying to do it all at once is the way to go. If you are having trouble with the breathing, take almost everything else out, so you can just think of that. As this drill gets easier, you can start adding into the drill. I was working with my daughters friend who is thinking about swimming on team, and she was having issues with breathing, and this fixed it for her. Here is Coach Sue's description from the work-out forum. Check out some of the other drills in the work-out forum. Drills can help a lot: Kick on Side Drill, hand Lead (SK): Master balancing on your side with the bottom arm extended, the top arm tucked in at side, and head resting on arm. Face should be pressing down towards bottom. Rotate face up to breathe & quickly return to nose down position. Hips rotate completely to side. Alternate right and left side kick. Fins are a great option for less confident swimmers. Kick on Side with rotation: Same as above adding rotation from side to side every 6 to 10 kicks. Power from your hips and your body should roll as a unit. It is very important that upper & lower body is coordinated. This drill can be done for freestyle or on back for backstroke. Same drill from coach Mel's work-out site: 25 – Kick on Side. Bottom arm extended underwater in streamline, top arm rests on side, face looking toward bottom when not breathing. Rotate head to breath DO NOT LIFT HEAD. Switch sides half way across pool. 25 – 6 Beat Roll Drill. Kick on side (as described above), switch sides by taking half an arm stroke after every 6 kicks. Encourage people not to breath while switching sides. Rotate hips, navel, and shoulders all together with arm pull.

I wonder if the drill where you kick on your side might help you. It can evolve into 6 kick switch, but at first you should just do it on one side across and then switch to the other. Basically, you are on your side in the water, the bottom arm stretched out(like you are lying on it), your face down nose in your arm pit, but don't bury your head, try to get good alignment of your head with your spine. kick across the pool in this manner exhaling into your arm pit. When you need to breathe, the only thing that moves is your head. Rotate it to the side to catch your breathe, and then exhale into your arm pit again. Do this all in a very relaxed manner. Speed is not the desired affect, getting used to a breathing pattern, and learning to swim on your side is. Even use fins to help with your balance and kicking in the water. Once you get good at doing it one side only, you can begin to add a switch. The top arm has been lying on your side, and you just bring it over like a stroke, the bottom arm strokes in the water, and you rotate to the other side. As you rotate, breathe, and then exhaling back into your armpit. Someone else can explain this better, and probably your coach can too, as it is a very standard drill. Sometime breaking things into pieces instead of trying to do it all at once is the way to go. If you are having trouble with the breathing, take almost everything else out, so you can just think of that. As this drill gets easier, you can start adding into the drill. I was working with my daughters friend who is thinking about swimming on team, and she was having issues with breathing, and this fixed it for her. Here is Coach Sue's description from the work-out forum. Check out some of the other drills in the work-out forum. Drills can help a lot: Kick on Side Drill, hand Lead (SK): Master balancing on your side with the bottom arm extended, the top arm tucked in at side, and head resting on arm. Face should be pressing down towards bottom. Rotate face up to breathe & quickly return to nose down position. Hips rotate completely to side. Alternate right and left side kick. Fins are a great option for less confident swimmers. Kick on Side with rotation: Same as above adding rotation from side to side every 6 to 10 kicks. Power from your hips and your body should roll as a unit. It is very important that upper & lower body is coordinated. This drill can be done for freestyle or on back for backstroke. Same drill from coach Mel's work-out site: 25 – Kick on Side. Bottom arm extended underwater in streamline, top arm rests on side, face looking toward bottom when not breathing. Rotate head to breath DO NOT LIFT HEAD. Switch sides half way across pool. 25 – 6 Beat Roll Drill. Kick on side (as described above), switch sides by taking half an arm stroke after every 6 kicks. Encourage people not to breath while switching sides. Rotate hips, navel, and shoulders all together with arm pull.