How many breaths in a 50 free....

My 14 year old daughter just recently swam a 50 freestyle at 24.55. Unbelievably she took 9 breaths!!! Doesn't that seem like a lot of breathing for a 50? Does anyone have any imput? Sounds like a lot, but maybe she has good water balance (in which case, not a problem). Most people go slower when breathing due to head-lifting/hip-sinking.

24.55 is very good, tell her way to go I went 20.4 in the 50 when I was in college and 20.5 when I was 28 your daughter she doesn't need to breathe that much in her 50 and shouldn't she should have a breathing plan for her race I suggest 3 or less a) 1 down 2 back or b) 1 down 1 back or c) 0 down 1 back invite her to read Swim Faster Faster www.usms.org/.../showthread.php My 14 year old daughter just recently swam a 50 freestyle at 24.55. Unbelievably she took 9 breaths!!! Doesn't that seem like a lot of breathing for a 50? Does anyone have any imput? thanks, Whitney

Whitney, I recently got a chance to swim with Dara Torres and interview her for a magazine article I wrote. She told me that she breathes a lot, even on 50s, that her coach has looked at it and found the way she turns her head to breath is so streamlined and efficient that it does not slow her down. I think I have read than Inga de Bruijn takes a breath on almost every stroke in the 100. I offer these above examples as an alternative to the orthodoxy. I personally swim faster sprints by limiting my breaths to 1 down, 2 or 3 back on the 50; but unlike Dara and Inga, I've never held any records. This said, a 24.5 is such a short time that the breaths you take on the way back probably don't even reach your muscles until the race is over. So there's also that to consider, too. The urge to breath has less to do with a need for oxygen than a build up of CO2 in the blood. I think you can learn to tolerate this with practice, at least those record-holding deep sea free divers learn to, holding their breaths for 7 minutes at a time.

Wow,lane 4 won with a grab start and a regular swimsuit.Good for her.

I got yelled at by my masters coach when I breathed 9 times in my 50 M free at Nationals in Savannah. I'm now down to 3 SCY. My time has improved greatly with fewer breaths. I think I'm going to shoot for 2 breaths SCY.

I don't breathe at all SCY. It's something I have to practice regularly.

My 14 year old daughter just recently swam a 50 freestyle at 24.55. Unbelievably she took 9 breaths!!! Doesn't that seem like a lot of breathing for a 50? Does anyone have any imput? thanks, Whitney That's fast! If her breathing doesn't affect her stroke in terms of drag from head resistance...there's really no harm. Less breathing though might help get her times down even lower. It's been said though...that you don't need any oxygen intake until the 20 second mark. Not a great idea however. Most younger sprinters who take 15 plus strokes per length might go every six to eight strokes before taking a breath. As they get older...they might drop down to 1 on the first lap and 2 on the way back.

I once mentioned how many breaths do we need while swimming for one minute. Very few for sure. A 50 is a dive a few strokes a turn and a few more strokes to the finish. I like one breath after the breakout from the turn.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll let her see and read all the advice. Thanks again, Whitney

Your daughter might enjoy this. The girls are swimming roughly her same speed. I showed this to my kids for them to get a look at some serious underwater work in the 50 (Lane 4). She took one big gulp before the wall...dolphin kicked like crazy...and paddled back with no breathing. Loved seeing that the good old fashioned track start is still alive. www.youtube.com/watch