freestyle breathing help(long)!!

Welcome to the forum!!! As for breathing, what is the exact issue you are having? And if possible, do you have a camera that can take video? If so get a friend to video you while you are swimming and post that on You tube. I have found that posting video on youtube then putting a link here is one of the fastest ways to get an accurate diagnosis of the issue(s) and there are many knowledgable folks here who are more than willing to provide positive feedback and recommendations. For me, I breath slowly out my nose so it looks like I have a small stream of bubbles leaving my nostrils. It is a relaxed exhalation as I do not try to force air out my nose. I also concentrate on starting my rotation to breathe as my opposite hand enters the water and I return my head to neutral position as my arm reaches full extension and I start my pull. I also concentrate on breathing 'one eyed', what I mean is that I try to rotate my head to the left (I breathe uni-laterally) just far enough that only my left eye is out of the water. Post that video and it may surprise you that what you thought was a breathing problem way turn out to be something else. Paul thanks a lot for a prompt response on a topic that has been belabored a lot here! i've heard about the one-eyed breathing; lindsay benko on her freestyle dvd had mentioned about that one-goggle breathing technique with a twisted mouth! i'll try to get the video of my action and then go from there! i don't know why i run out of breath after a few strokes, maybe not proper inhaling or complete exhaling!

i don't know why i run out of breath after a few strokes, maybe not proper inhaling or complete exhaling! I don't know if this, especially the drill at the end, would help you... ------ Start by Taking a Breather Let's back up. Before we talk about technique, let's start where most problems begin in the water: breathing. When you're swimming freestyle, it's critical to exhale when your face is in the water so you are able to take a full breath when you roll to the side. However, because they can't relax in the water, many swimmers hold their breath or only partially exhale, which subsequently prevents them from taking in a complete lungful of air. Invariably, these swimmers need to breathe every stroke and usually go hypoxic after a short swim, not from the effort but merely from lack of oxygen. Prescription: Always focus on breathing while warming up and cooling down. This is the perfect time to smooth out your breathing and relax in preparation for the technique work and main set to follow. Another useful exercise is to take five breaths on each side at the edge of the pool. If you are breathing to your left, place your right arm on the wall and rotate to the side, exhaling while your face is in the water and inhaling when you turn to breathe. This is not a physically demanding drill, but it helps to reinforce rhythm and relaxation. www.active.com/.../Common_freestyle_flaws_and_how_to_fix_them.htm

I don't know if this, especially the drill at the end, would help you... ------ www.active.com/.../Common_freestyle_flaws_and_how_to_fix_them.htm sweet! thanks! i'll try it out tonight! i just got back from practice and i think where i'm going wrong is that when i rotate for breathing in, i'm also gulping water, which is messing things up! it's not that i'm not inhaling at all, just that when i close my mouth after inhaling, i'm taking in water!

i know there has been a number of posts/threads on this topic and i did search the archives, but i still wanted to post this thread. ok, so i've been trying to learn freestyle since 2005, and i still haven't got the breathing right. this has been really frustrating for me. i practice almost every day on a pool that is about 5' 5'' deep at one end. i have done a lot of research-hours of youtubing and checking out swimfast dvds have resulted in nothing! i've invested about $200 into private lessons, with no significant output! my goal is very simple-to swim freestyle laps in a 25 yard pool; is that asking for too much? i'm not interested in the other difficult strokes! i think my problem lies in the fact that i don't breathe out air completely before breathing in! are there any drills to work on that? also, some swimmers say that breath out through your nose, and some say through your mouth-i'm confused! if anyone can help me out, i'd really appreciate it! i want to learn this thing, and as you can see, i don't want to give up! TIA! Hi After reading your post and the various responses, I'm under the impression that you do not exhale while your face is underwater but you probably exhale as you turn your face out of the water and then try to inhale both while your face. If that is the case, concentrate on exhaling (out of mouth and/or nose) while your face is underwater; this way when you turn (body rotation and a slight twist of the neck) the mere action of opening your mouth will cause an easy inhalation. I had this problem 45+ years ago and didn't know I was doing this. Until, one day, I was obliged to swim extremely slowly. It was so slow that, involuntarily I started exhaling in the water. I had never swum more than 100m (LCM) before. That day I believe I did 2000m+ Good luck

In addition to how much do you swim and more generally how comfortable you are in water, the question in my mind is body position and body balance. Possibly the breathing problems don't originate in the breathing itself but in some other part of biomechanics. Regards, VB

Hi After reading your post and the various responses, I'm under the impression that you do not exhale while your face is underwater but you probably exhale as you turn your face out of the water and then try to inhale both while your face. If that is the case, concentrate on exhaling (out of mouth and/or nose) while your face is underwater; this way when you turn (body rotation and a slight twist of the neck) the mere action of opening your mouth will cause an easy inhalation. I had this problem 45+ years ago and didn't know I was doing this. Until, one day, I was obliged to swim extremely slowly. It was so slow that, involuntarily I started exhaling in the water. I had never swum more than 100m (LCM) before. That day I believe I did 2000m+ Good luck thanks, and i've heard about this as well. of all the instructors i've had over the past few years, i remember one of them telling me that if you blow out all the air, the moment you rotate and your mouth comes out of the water, you take in air spontaneously-it's not something that you do, it just happens! see, i think my problem out here is too much theory and no practice!! i know everything but i just don't end up utilizing/implementing those things!

thanks, and i've heard about this as well. of all the instructors i've had over the past few years, i remember one of them telling me that if you blow out all the air, the moment you rotate and your mouth comes out of the water, you take in air spontaneously-it's not something that you do, it just happens! see, i think my problem out here is too much theory and no practice!! i know everything but i just don't end up utilizing/implementing those things! Well, practice is really the key, and feeling comfortable in the water. How often do you swim?

Welcome to the forum!!! As for breathing, what is the exact issue you are having? And if possible, do you have a camera that can take video? If so get a friend to video you while you are swimming and post that on You tube. I have found that posting video on youtube then putting a link here is one of the fastest ways to get an accurate diagnosis of the issue(s) and there are many knowledgable folks here who are more than willing to provide positive feedback and recommendations. For me, I breath slowly out my nose so it looks like I have a small stream of bubbles leaving my nostrils. It is a relaxed exhalation as I do not try to force air out my nose. I also concentrate on starting my rotation to breathe as my opposite hand enters the water and I return my head to neutral position as my arm reaches full extension and I start my pull. I also concentrate on breathing 'one eyed', what I mean is that I try to rotate my head to the left (I breathe uni-laterally) just far enough that only my left eye is out of the water. Post that video and it may surprise you that what you thought was a breathing problem way turn out to be something else. Paul

My friend if you don't breathe out underwater you will not be able to breathe in when your face is out of the water. We do not exhale completely, if you do you will wanting to gulp in air. While you are extending the opposite arm forward you breathe in on the opposite side of your extended arm. I also notice that you first said you don't breathe out completely, I would say don't breathe out completely.

I agree a video would help.Maybe you are just thinking too much.Get a center mount snorkel and swim some without worrying about how you breath and then when you feel relaxed try again.