I saw someone today breathing every 4 strokes, so it took her 4 or 5 breathings to finish the length. Thought it interesting to know the breathing styles of the people here, and maybe the advantages of each.
Edit: Replace "breath" by "breathe" in the title.
Right side, every stroke ...
So do I but, in workout, I try and breathe about about a quarter of the workout on the left side, every stroke.
When racing anything over a 200, it's breathe every stroke right side unless I'm gawking.
I breathe bilaterally (probably every 3 much of the time). But, if I'm doing something where I need more air I just breathe when I need it. Either side.
I like it that I was trained to breathe every 3 as an age-grouper. I think it makes you comfortable with any breathing pattern.
I agree 100%
I'll reply to myself re a, b, c above:cool:: I'm now somewhere between (a) and (c): I try to adopt bilateral as much as I can, but it's inevitable that sometimes I couldn't help but resorting to one-sided breathing to save myself from drowning, occasionally breathing every 1 stroke, 'cause when I breath to the left (the unaccustomed side) I didn't actually get much air (if at all!) :drown:, it was like in a rush. I'm just beginning to enjoy this practice as I found successful bilateral breathing solves most of my swimming problems (as far as I know). :D
By the way, it's impressive so many do bilateral here. Also I'm glad there are voters for the third option "One side, sometimes only right, sometimes only left"; I had thought I put a wrong option there. Hmmm, those who voted for "Other", I wonder how you breath... Every 5 strokes? Or random? I do hope you do breath ;)
When racing anything over a 200, it's breathe every stroke right side unless I'm gawking.
Bilateral breathing has its benefits. I breathe most comfortably to the right, but can and do breathe to both sides at various times for various reasons.
Cooling down in the dive well at Austin after an event at SCY Nationals, endorphins coursing through my veins and all being generally right with the world, I breathed to my right and saw several massage tables on the deck with masseuses and masseurs working over customers. One particularly lovely masseuse was wearing a tank top, which as she worked facing the dive well afforded me a reasonably unobstructed view down the front of said tank top.
I breathed every stroke to the right down, and, in a moment of opportunistic inspiration, chose to work on my left breathing every stroke of each length back.
All of the above. Sometimes every 3, sometimes every 2 or 4 on left or right side. In some longer races I try varying by breathing pattern to help control my pace and avoid going out too fast at the beginning.
You trying to bring in the "laps versus lengths" discussion into this? Every time my "right arm (or substitute left arm) is in the recovery phase, I breathe". That better? :D
:D In that case the votes in the poll could mean anything :cool:
In practice, if I have a lane to myself, I prefer bilateral every 3rd stroke.
If I'm sharing the lane, I breathe more to one side--away from the wakes of water from incoming traffic. Rhythm is somewhat wiped out when this happens.
For sprints, it's either bilateral every 5th stroke or one side every 4th, depending on how I feel at the moment.
Bilateral breathing has its benefits. I breathe most comfortably to the right, but can and do breathe to both sides at various times for various reasons.
Cooling down in the dive well at Austin after an event at SCY Nationals, endorphins coursing through my veins and all being generally right with the world, I breathed to my right and saw several massage tables on the deck with masseuses and masseurs working over customers. One particularly lovely masseuse was wearing a tank top, which as she worked facing the dive well afforded me a reasonably unobstructed view down the front of said tank top.
I breathed every stroke to the right down, and, in a moment of opportunistic inspiration, chose to work on my left breathing every stroke of each length back.
In this case, you should have done light vertical kicking(facing said table) , until said table was open, then sprinted like mad to be the next client for said masseuse.
Jim and inflictfreedom, you can't possibly breath "every stroke" if you only breath on the left side. It's every 2 strokes isn't it?
You trying to bring in the "laps versus lengths" discussion into this? Every time my "right arm (or substitute left arm) is in the recovery phase, I breathe". That better? :D
