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!
Parents
Former Member
I have had this problem, basically hyperventilating, to the point where I feared I had a heart defect! I'd not breathe out fully and wind up winded, hanging off the wall gasping after just one length. I have solved it by practicing sets of bobs before each swim, just dipping and blowing bubbles out my nose, fully exhaling through my nose and inhaling through my mouth when I pop up, until I have a nice easy relaxed rhythm, then I do breaststroke laps. I find that breaststroke is a very organic stroke that is an easy intro to relaxed rhythmic breathing. Then I move on to other strokes. This was how I have worked out my problem of holding my breath, not breathing out fully, fighting the urge to gasp underwater and winding up in an oxygen deficit after a ridiculously brief effort. I'm still working on this. During my swim I still catch myself breath-holding, and I still have to do a few sets of bobs to get back to a calm pattern of breathing fully out underwater and fully in over water.
I have had this problem, basically hyperventilating, to the point where I feared I had a heart defect! I'd not breathe out fully and wind up winded, hanging off the wall gasping after just one length. I have solved it by practicing sets of bobs before each swim, just dipping and blowing bubbles out my nose, fully exhaling through my nose and inhaling through my mouth when I pop up, until I have a nice easy relaxed rhythm, then I do breaststroke laps. I find that breaststroke is a very organic stroke that is an easy intro to relaxed rhythmic breathing. Then I move on to other strokes. This was how I have worked out my problem of holding my breath, not breathing out fully, fighting the urge to gasp underwater and winding up in an oxygen deficit after a ridiculously brief effort. I'm still working on this. During my swim I still catch myself breath-holding, and I still have to do a few sets of bobs to get back to a calm pattern of breathing fully out underwater and fully in over water.
