To breathe or not to breathe:

Lindsay, what's interesting is I am swimming lower in the water than I ever have now and the reason is the mileage, but even with being lower, if a swimmer is breathing only on one side, the opposite arm still has to support them while they breathe for if it didn't, they wouldn't be able to breathe because that support arm would already be on its downward cycle into the pull portion instead of catch portion. Did anyone notice that one of the Australian commentators at the World Championships consistently referred to swimmers as being "high" in the water? In a positive way I mean.

...every time a swimmer turns the head to breathe, there is great torque on the opposite shoulder. So for us who breathe every stroke, the opposite shoulder is carrying a great burden all of the time... Good observation Donna. I am a bi-lateral breather becuase it was drummed into me when I started swimming competitively. It is comfortable to breathe on both sides now and I am greatful for that because it helps with the achy shoulder issue. When I do longer swims (over 400) I tend to do more one-sided breathing every stroke to get more air; however, I noticed that my non-breathing shoulder would start to ache as I "rested" on it. So, now, I try to switch sides each lap--breathe on one side for a few strokes, then do a three stroke switch and breathe on the other side for a few, etc. This has really helped the "opposite shoulder burden" problem. And, I do feel "balanced" and keep a good role regardless of how I'm breathing, but since I've been doing it for so long, I can't say if it's because bi-lateral is comfortable, or because the roll just feels right. Also, I notice the shoulder stress more in practice than in meets. Me thinks it has something to do with the other swimmers wake--I breathe away from them, but sometimes it feels like I lift the head a little to get over the wake. Any thoughts on this from the peanut gallery? Dana

When I started OW swimming, I was taught bi-lateral breathing to aid in sighting. My USMS coach said that swimming is an aerobic sport so you will need to breath every other stroke. But in training, practice breathing both side (as mentioned earlier all on one side, then all on the other) to ease the strain on your neck. This is free-style only.

Here is a theory: it doesn't matter much how you breathe once you've left the realm of top class competition.It may or may not matter depending on your personal goals. You don’t need to be a top class competitor to challenge yourself to bilateral breath or do flip turns or swim a 100 or 10K without stopping. A number of swimmers at all skill levels have a goal of improved efficiency, for many of them bilateral breathing is a step in achieving this goal.

Here is a theory: it doesn't matter much how you breathe once you've left the realm of top class competition. I am talking bilateral versus one side, breathing every two strokes versus three or five, or breathing once you hit the flags and so forth. One other thought is that if your flip turns makes you work too much when in practice, why not just go for the open turn? Especially when swimming three or more to a lane where you are scared you might hit someone on the way out of a flip turn. Here is the deal: my coach is a normal coach in the day time with kids and some promising teenagers (at a private health club, where I live there is no swimming at school level) and so forth. These guys need to learn bilateral breathing, not breathing when finishing a fast 50 once you hit the flags and other tidbits of competitive swimming. But in the evening the same coach will sometimes want us slowpokes to emulate his teenagers. I know how to bilaterally breathe but the efficiency is so bad and such that I tend to sink on the other side and it is just too much of an effort with no returns. I've given up! If I am swimming a 50 free in a meet I will breathe a couple of times going but coming back I will probably breathe on every other stroke. The loss in speed is nothing compared to the sheer breathlessness that I have when not breathing. On buttterfly I try and breathe less up to a certain point because breathing takes such a toll on my form. I think to breathe or not to breathe cannot become a dogma, but each one (not in top class) will find his confort zone. Plus you can always do something which I have yet to do: time yourself doing 50 free with all variables. billy fanstone

Honestly: I am a newbie. I have never competed on any level. Now that's settled. I started swimming freestyle February 2006, at 43. After a kazillion miles of drillwork I finally could do some jagged whole stroke, almost exclusively breathing right. I mixed drills with whole stroke just to learn left breathing, so as of today, I prefer breathing left! Now I have to say to myself: Allright, you had your three lefties now, you have to do something slightly unpleasant for a change. Mhm. To cut it short, I try different strategies, like breathing to the side where the windows are, or something like 3|4, 3|2. I haven't made up my mind yet. Goodbye for now!

It may or may not matter depending on your personal goals. You don’t need to be a top class competitor to challenge yourself to bilateral breath or do flip turns or swim a 100 or 10K without stopping. A number of swimmers at all skill levels have a goal of improved efficiency, for many of them bilateral breathing is a step in achieving this goal. Rob, in the immortal words of "Cool Hand Luke", What we have here is a lack of communication! I didn't mean you shouldn't improve, or better your times or try and swim with a better technique. I meant that at a certain point there is such difficulty in doing bilateral breathing, if you learned way back differently, that you will be so hindered by trying to bilateral breath that you might lose the rest of the joy and improving other skills in swimming. I know people who learned to swim later in life who will not do a flip turn ever. They have "vertigo" when trying to learn the flip turn. Okay, if I am alone in a lane I will swim 2,000 whatever with all my turns flip turns. But if I am in a group sharing a lane, I have a problem with flipping blind with maybe someone behind me and I just go for the open turn. When we do timed trials or some speed drills with turns, then the coach has the group divided and only one at a time will have the lane. When I swim 1,000 meters in an open water competition in a city close by, sometimes I am the only one in my age group. But I am always wanting to lower my time for that distance. Everytime I swim the local meets I know from looking at the line up what will probably be the results of my age group. But I also know my times for the distance and I am always trying to improve. Lastly, I can move my chin to the left way back, no way I can do that to the right. I can train to get a little better but my muscles and bones are pretty much where they have been for ages. Sort of like which foot goes in the front when slaloming in water skis, snowboarding or riding skateboards or other. You favor one side. You can use the other side, but better stay with the side you favor and got used to. That is what happened in swimming way back. You trained to the side you favored to breathe. Most right handed people breathe to the left...even top swimmers when swimming fast or sprinting use one side more than the other...to each his own...billy fanstone

I'm trying to get to grips with flips and will do them at steady cruise but I don't like them--yet. I sometimes go to early and miss the wall, or barely get toes to it. The great fear, of course, is doing them at speed and clanging my heels... Until I get proper instruction...I'm not willing to risk them at speed. I have enough injury issues... That said my opens ain't bad and I can certainly keep up with my fellow swimmers and sometime out streamline them. I guess there's a trade off for me in how fast I can flip vs how fast I can open, and stream out strong. Watch for flips in the FR 100 at zones though...cameras ready!

I'm trying to get to grips with flips and will do them at steady cruise but I don't like them I sometime go to early and miss the wall, or barely get toes to it. The great fear of course is doing them at speed and clanging my heels... Until I get proper instruction...I'm not willing to risk them at speed. I have enough injury issues... that said my opens ain't bad and I can certainly keep up with my fellow swimmers and sometime out streamline them. I guess there's a trade off for me in how fast I can flip vs how fast I can open and stream out strong. Watch for flips in the FR 100 at zones though...cameras ready! I say go for it Rich! You never know, you may end up starting a new trend in breaststroke turns the way Kajitma (sp??) started a new trend for underwater pullouts at the Athens games LOL! :rofl: Newmastersswimmer