Bilateral breathing

I have been working on bilateral breathing for several months. Now I have found that my stroke has shortened and I am rotating much less. My hands tend to enter the water closer to my head than I would like. Anyone else have a similar experience? I have experienced exactly the same. My stroke gets shorter and my body hardly rotates to my left side at all. I normally breathe to my right and when I do, my body usually starts the rotation from the hips. But when I try biliateral breathing and breathe to the left, it feels like just my neck is rotating and my mouth hardly clears the water. Bilateral breathing is something I only ever do over longer distances. I can't imagine using it while sprinting because it seems to slow me down. Syd

Looked to me like Phelps breathes to one side on every stroke, at least in the 100m and 200m free. Yeah. He's a rebel for sure. Between this non bilateral business and breathing every stroke in his fly, it's a wonder the guy ever made trials cuts. ;) You've got to do what works for you.

I have gotten very used to bilateral breathing this year. I like the rythm of breathing bilateraly and my roll and stroke get in a real groove :groovy: (during distance, not sprints). But now, ever since the Asthma thing has been 'attacking' me :drown:, when I feel oxygen starved, I have been breathing on my 'pretty' side (as opposed to my 'ugly' side ;)) only. Lately. I have been noticing that my shoulder on my 'pretty' side aches when I breathe on that side too much. Now I have to decide between air and an achy shoulder :duel:.

I think this happens more than most of us realize (shortened stroke, less rotation) when you bilateral breathe. Plenty of my swimmers seem flatter and more crab like when we do bilateral drills. I think the assumption that you will rotate more when you breath to the otherside isn't always right. I think people actually rotate less because they are doing their bad side and they no longer extend out on the side they normal breath on. You equalize your rotation, but it doesn't always lengthen. I do think bilateral breathing is a great drill to focus on to even your stroke and to learn to extend more on both side if that is the purpose. I for one teach swimmers to breath to only one side when competing and training hard. Just looking statistically at the number of breathes you take breathing to one side vs breathing bilaterally, you stay aerobic much longer with more breathes.... common sense I would say.

I know now that I start the pull phase too soon when I breathe on the ugly side. It's just a matter of travelling that little bit further so that I can steal some air :eek:. Problem (will be) solved!

I think the key is not to get discouraged and keep at it. I also suggest some (gasp) slow laps breathing to the ugly side (I like that expression) where you can work on balancing your stroke. Another thing is to breathe to one side going up the pool and on the other coming back. Of course, this means that you are always looking to one side, so be sure it is the side with the best "scenery." Patience, grasshopper. -LBJ

I think the key is not to get discouraged and keep at it. I also suggest some (gasp) slow laps breathing to the ugly side (I like that expression) where you can work on balancing your stroke. Another thing is to breathe to one side going up the pool and on the other coming back. Of course, this means that you are always looking to one side, so be sure it is the side with the best "scenery." Patience, grasshopper. -LBJ Thank you, Master. Great suggestion--I actually have tried that, and I think it may work, at least when I'm swimming at a slow to moderate pace.

Thank you, Master. Great suggestion--I actually have tried that, and I think it may work, at least when I'm swimming at a slow to moderate pace. It is odd Gull, I forced myself to bilaterally breathe and my good side has become my bad side at least at slow paces. I also think my issue is to do with my lower back and hips not being happy about twisting and rotating in general; there is a resistance to that motion for me I feel.