Hey everyone:bliss:
I had a question about side breathing in the butterfly and was hoping someone could help me out as I've been experimenting with it but am not sure if I am doing it correctly. My question is this...
When bringing the head out of the water and turning it to the side do I keep my head in that position when again entering the water or do I move my head back to the front position after turning it. Sorry if this question is stupid but I like the feeling I get when I do the fly like this and want to make sure my head movements are correct.
Thanks!!!
Former Member
Get your head back to neutral before your arms come back over or you'll hit your nose with your arm ;)
I knew it was a dumb question.
Any tips on how to do that though? It's so hard to get my head back to front position before I hit the water, it's like everything has to be done so fast breathing that way!
I knew it was a dumb question.
Any tips on how to do that though? It's so hard to get my head back to front position before I hit the water, it's like everything has to be done so fast breathing that way!
I find it much easier to just breathe out front...why would you want to side breathe in fly anyway? Serious Question...I just don't see the benefits right away. It seems you would have to get out of the water further to side breathe, which would expend more energy to do so.
Why don't people breathe to the side in breaststroke?
I've seen two different people at my gym who always breathe to the right in breaststroke. I have no theories as to WHY they do that though. :dunno:
FWIW, Maglischo is not a fan:
The usual reasons given for breathing in this way are to save energy and maintain a more horizontal body position...They also feel it helps them maintain good horizontal alignment because the act of lifting the head out of the water tends to submerge the hips. This reasoning is fallacious because it overlooks an important difference between the butterfly and the front crawl...butterflyers who breathe to the side must lift the head and shoulders out of the water as much as or more than swimmers who breathe to the front.
(emphasis added)
EM has this to say about front breathing: " should breathe by elevating the shoulders and trunk above the surface so that they do not have to extend the head up and back to take a breath." He likens the motion to a breath in breaststroke.
EM also disagrees with the currently-popular notion of low arm recovery and jutting chin on the water (Phelps-style) during the breath.
EM is sometimes wrong, of course, and is refreshing in his candor in admitting it.
I know some butterflyers who do very well with side-breathing (my wife is one). Melvin Stewart obviously had some success with the practice. But I disagree with the general pronouncement that it reduces drag for all swimmers. Or even for most swimmers.
Why don't people breathe to the side in breaststroke?
Wouldn't your arms get in the way? It seems to me the over-the-water recovery in fly is what makes side breathing possible.
My guess is that in some cases, cervical anatomy might have something to do with breathing preferences in fly & free.
Bingo. Osteoarthritis and degenerative discs at C5-C6-C7 (thanks to an inattentive driver who rear-ended me at full speed in stopped traffic, on the freeway, back in 1992) force me to breathe to the side, if I want to swim fly. Actually, sometimes, I find I have to mix it up in the same lap, if the repetitiveness of breathing one way becomes painful.
As a side breather in fly for more than 20 years, I do it the same way that you do free. Head low to the water & return your head to down as you would in free. Down or neutral position for the head is the best way to cut drag. Have you tried to swim free with forward breathing? No , because it will cause your hips to drop & cut back on getting a good air intake.
