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!
I'd like to revisit this thread if I may, because I am having a very similar problem to that of the original poster. I'm getting worn out very quickly. I definitely am exhaling underwater, through both my mouth and nose, and am doing nothing but taking a breath when my head exits the water. However, I find myself suddenly hungry for air if I do 3 or 4 strokes under water, and at the end of 50 m I am spent (even if I breathe every 2nd stroke). I also find myself wheezing. I don't believe it's asthma because I really don't have any associated cough (although I suppose a pulmonary function test might be a good idea). Of note, I am in good shape and don't have this problem running. Anyhow, I've been working with a swimmer's snorkel and still find myself exhausted, needing a rest every 50. My questions are as follows;
1. Has anyone else experienced that sense of wheezing and/or upper airway obstruction, especially people just starting to train seriously? Did it resolve with time?
2. Is this perhaps a CO2 tolerance issue that might be helped by using the snorkel regularly?
3. When my stroke mechanics stunk in the past I was much more comfortable and relaxed swimming. Now with the good extension and high elbow catch my endurance is much less although my stroke distance and speed are infinitely better. Has anyone else gone from a comfortable swimmer with bad mechanics to a better swimmer with less endurance like me? Is it just a matter of pushing myself harder and the rest will come?
I'd like to revisit this thread if I may, because I am having a very similar problem to that of the original poster. I'm getting worn out very quickly. I definitely am exhaling underwater, through both my mouth and nose, and am doing nothing but taking a breath when my head exits the water. However, I find myself suddenly hungry for air if I do 3 or 4 strokes under water, and at the end of 50 m I am spent (even if I breathe every 2nd stroke). I also find myself wheezing. I don't believe it's asthma because I really don't have any associated cough (although I suppose a pulmonary function test might be a good idea). Of note, I am in good shape and don't have this problem running. Anyhow, I've been working with a swimmer's snorkel and still find myself exhausted, needing a rest every 50. My questions are as follows;
1. Has anyone else experienced that sense of wheezing and/or upper airway obstruction, especially people just starting to train seriously? Did it resolve with time?
2. Is this perhaps a CO2 tolerance issue that might be helped by using the snorkel regularly?
3. When my stroke mechanics stunk in the past I was much more comfortable and relaxed swimming. Now with the good extension and high elbow catch my endurance is much less although my stroke distance and speed are infinitely better. Has anyone else gone from a comfortable swimmer with bad mechanics to a better swimmer with less endurance like me? Is it just a matter of pushing myself harder and the rest will come?
