I've always tried to breathe every other stroke in fly, but watching the elites at Worlds breathe every stroke made me want to try it out. So recently I experimented with breathing every stroke in fly. Findings after a couple workouts where I averaged about 600 total yards of full-stroke fly:
Breathing every stroke has a negative impact on my body position
I can help that by kicking harder
The additional oxygen that I get from all the extra breathing helps fuel the harder kicking, but it seems like I'm working harder overall (higher perceived pulse rate at the end of each swim, but I didn't actually measure it)
Stroke counts and times are about the same
So I think I've found a useful drill to make me kick harder, but I doubt I'll be trying this in a race anytime soon. Has anyone else (who hasn't always swum fly this way) messed around with breathing every stroke in fly? What were your findings?
Former Member
Has anyone else (who hasn't always swum fly this way) messed around with breathing every stroke in fly? What were your findings?
I'm not qualified to comment on anyone else's perspective because I'm relatively new to the fly. I have been struggling with the 2 beat kick with a one down, one up fly; at most I get the first kick in and an occasional second kick. I worked really hard at one arm flys, until I got the "dolphin action" going then found it was easier to breath every stroke in order to get both kicks in. Im 6'4" tall and lanky with a 6'7" arm span...so I found it easier to "emulate" the "Phelps" fly. If I try to do a one up, one down I lose my kick rhythm because of the change in my body position. I also have more stamina with the 1up/1down, I can do 10x50 now. Before, that was basically impossible. What works for me is keeping the hip action going, like a porpoise (or Orca in my case), I make breaking the surface with my hips on the first kick my priority, then everything seems to just follow through. Of coarse it will take more conditioning before I can do 100's, however getting a fly that works is half the battle.
Thanks Gary! From my 3-month experiment, I learned that I don't generate enough power to be faster breathing every stroke. It's not a big difference really, but I am indeed slower swimming that way. Since going back to breathing every other stroke, my practice and competition times have been faster.
Breathing is problematic in fly because it creates a horrible body angle in the water, increasing drag significantly. Don't breathe and you remain flatter and faster moving through water. Were it not for lactic acid and brain death, none of us would breathe on fly (or free).
Phelps minimizes the increase in drag by lifting mostly with the neck, not the shoulders and having two extremely powerful kicks that keeps him higher in the water. Side breathing can also help minimize the bad body angle, if done correctly; that means breathe back and to the side, not front and to the side. Otherwise, the side breath doesn't help much over traditional front breath.
In two Olympics, decades ago, I was a front breather and never breathed every stroke. Today, at 58 years of age, i breathe every stroke and to the side (rear), except for start and turn (lesson from Phelps). I love getting the extra oxygen. On a 50, breathe as little as possible.
The key in fly is finding the best balance between reduced drag and oxygen. If you front breathe with neck motion and/or side breathe, you can breathe every stroke and do much better. Since 1984, every male butterflyer who won the Olympic 100 m (except Pablo Morales) has breathed every stroke. That should tell us something.
Gary Hall Sr.
The Race Club
