Kickboard question for new swimmer

Thanks craig...I noticed yesterday that I clench my jaws when I breathe out. Guess it's a reflex thing. Obviously I'm not relaxed. I do find it hard to slow down so I'll try the pull buoy today. I bilateral breathe - which seems too long after I get going but single side breathing is too often for me. Breathing and bilateral breathing - I found that I breathe when I want to either side. If you were to watch me swim, I sometimes breathe every stroke, I switch to bilateral then I may not breathe for several strokes. oregonmasters.ning.com/.../show. If you watch the breathing seqence you will see I swim 6 o 8 strokes without breathing. That was part of a twenty minute swim.

I actually was searching "quadriceps" and found an article that addresses the use of kickboards from 2003: forums.usms.org/showthread.php

"New to swimming, get winded after 50 yds" -- I'm not a coach so will tread delicately here, but it sounds to me as though longer swims within your present capacity would help. That is, slow down to a pace that does not wind you, so you can go forever easily. Ouch :drown: What I meant was that I can kick for quite a while...it's when I have to breathe doing freestyle or breaststroke that I get all messed up and winded. It makes since that my breathing rhythm is all off because I can do backstroke for a while just fine too.

I do the humming too, and I have often wondered if it is audible to the other swimmers. Now I just think of it as my very own whalesong-I am 1whale after all! I hum and sing -- and did quite a lot of it when I acquired a coach and actually had to learn the strokes. Songs gave me the rhythm and duration so I would not collapse betw. strokes, e.g. (Billy Strayhorn songs were excellent.) I made up some songs of my own for gliding purposes. Oliver Sacks has written of neurologically impaired people able to move fluently by musicking themselves along. It's all good. The original recommendation for humming to unclench jaw and relax breathing apparatus sounds right on, and may ease the whole experience. :applaud: VB

Oliver Sacks has written of neurologically impaired people able to move fluently by musicking themselves along. It's all good. The original recommendation for humming to unclench jaw and relax breathing apparatus sounds right on, and may ease the whole experience. :applaud: VB I will definitely practice with the humming more...I don't know if my problem is neurological, but I do overanalyze so I may very well be thinking about it too much to relax. :shakeshead:

I actually breathe in and out through my mouth...I blow a lot of bubbles when I exhale. I'll try the nose exhale tomorrow and see if that helps any. I did try to do the humming thing while exhaling today and it seemed to at least keep me from clenching my jaws and kept my mind occupied so I wasn't stressing myself out thinking about breathing. I do the humming too, and I have often wondered if it is audible to the other swimmers. Now I just think of it as my very own whalesong-I am 1whale after all!