I've been trying to focus on my butterfly lately, and I really seem to have a problem getting a breathing pattern that works. First I had to slow down my pace, and really concentrate on my kick, but I'm still having trouble breathing. I seem to remember every 3rd stroke being a good pattern, but my brain says every 2nd would be better. Unfortunately, if I try for every other, it almost seems like I'm working harder to get my face up to catch a breath. Since our pool has just little ropes with floats, it really takes some doing to get above the waves and I'm trying to break myself of the side breathing habit.
But I know it would start to make me feel like I was going up and down instead of forward.
My simple formula for the 200 fly (learned through trial and error) is pace 125, sprint 75. The time when I need to start breathing more often than every other stroke is usually just before I start sprinting. So with increased effort I mitigate the slowdown that the extra breathing causes. I think it works: in Masters, all my SCY 200 flys have been split with 3.x seconds difference between the 100's. My metric 200 flys have all split @ 6.x seconds. :mad: I need to work on the "longer pool" thing, but that means training SCY 300 flys... uhhhhhhhhhhh I'm tapering for SCY Nationals, maybe next month! :agree:
But I know it would start to make me feel like I was going up and down instead of forward.
My simple formula for the 200 fly (learned through trial and error) is pace 125, sprint 75. The time when I need to start breathing more often than every other stroke is usually just before I start sprinting. So with increased effort I mitigate the slowdown that the extra breathing causes. I think it works: in Masters, all my SCY 200 flys have been split with 3.x seconds difference between the 100's. My metric 200 flys have all split @ 6.x seconds. :mad: I need to work on the "longer pool" thing, but that means training SCY 300 flys... uhhhhhhhhhhh I'm tapering for SCY Nationals, maybe next month! :agree:
