hi,
first of all, i'm very sorry for my sometimes horrible english. i'm from belgium, you see...
i've got a simple question: how do i learn 'good' freestyle myself? is there a specific manner to learn it? i enjoy swimming, but i can't swim efficient, even not my breaststroke..
so, guys, if you can give me good advice, i'll be very happy :-)
cu
Parents
Former Member
You're going to find varying opinions on whether or not it is good to breathe on both sides. I don't like it personally--I find that it throws off my rhythm, which ties into your question of keeping a constant pace. I tie my breathing into that. I'm a musician, so the natural thing for me to do is just keep a 4-count (or a 6-count if I get bored, lol). I keep the count into my head and try to breathe on the lead beats. Apparently they also have tempo things you can buy that act like a metronome; however, I don't really know anything about them.
As far as endurance, you just have to keep doing it. On the days you don't swim, you can bike or run or something, but your swimming endurance is really going to come from swimming. I had similar issues where I could swim maybe 100 yards without taking a rest, but after that I needed to rest for a few minutes. I was in the pool almost everyday after that. A few weeks of that, and I was swimming 400s with only 10 seconds or so rest in between.
You're going to find varying opinions on whether or not it is good to breathe on both sides. I don't like it personally--I find that it throws off my rhythm, which ties into your question of keeping a constant pace. I tie my breathing into that. I'm a musician, so the natural thing for me to do is just keep a 4-count (or a 6-count if I get bored, lol). I keep the count into my head and try to breathe on the lead beats. Apparently they also have tempo things you can buy that act like a metronome; however, I don't really know anything about them.
As far as endurance, you just have to keep doing it. On the days you don't swim, you can bike or run or something, but your swimming endurance is really going to come from swimming. I had similar issues where I could swim maybe 100 yards without taking a rest, but after that I needed to rest for a few minutes. I was in the pool almost everyday after that. A few weeks of that, and I was swimming 400s with only 10 seconds or so rest in between.
