swimming and breathing

[mekira]

Sorry if this has been adressed before

I can swim but I can't breathe properly while doing it. As soon as my face hits the water, I kinda panic. I know that I have to practice and get some swimming workouts in but does anybody have any tips about breathing? How do you girls breathe - out through the nose? the mouth? That's what I want to know....

I can't see myself doing 400m in the open water when I can't even do 25m in a swimming pool. I tried to relax and take deep breaths and long strokes but it's like my lungs just shut down and I'm screaming for air....

HELP

oh I'm going tomorrow morning and trying again. 25m at a time

[Kimmyt]

Long slow breaths out through the mouth help me calm down. Visualize and feel the bubbles.

I only breath out through my nose when I do flip turns in the pool.

[Trek420]

Some injuries have me thinking it's time to get in the water and rehab as I work out so I may join ya'.

I loooooooooove to swim, feel comfortable in the water. Breathe out and you kinda have to inhale

Standard crawl stroke usually I take a breathe every two strokes (1 1.2 really). I should do either side but it's usually right side. As the right elbow breaks the water and my left hand is pulling down your body rolls slight right anyway so why not breath while we're there? I take a deep breath and as the right hand cuts into the water I start a long steady exhale. Then it's left, right, left and breath again.

Don't know if that's right.

[Skierchickie]

Try breathing slowly out through your mouth (or nose, or mouth and nose combined), while your face is pointed down, and be ready to turn your head & suck in air through your mouth as your breathing-side arm starts to come up out of the water. I time it so that it takes the whole time from putting my face down until it's time to get more air, and try to run out right then. If you push it all out early, you'll feel the lungs scream for sure. Otherwise, if you try to breath out and then in, all while your face is out of the water, you'll be gasping for sure, and will never get enough air before your face is in the water again. I also seem to kind of use the back of my tongue to close off my throat a little, to keep from inhaling water. I think I actually have my mouth partly open all the time, using my tongue to close off my throat as needed. As you get the hang of it, your lung capacity will get better, and you'll feel less desparate for air. The more you can relax, the easier it will be.

Okay, to be clearer, here is what I'm saying: I tend to breathe on my right side (my left arm is dominant), so I inhale on the right, starting when my right arm is just coming out of the water, and I exhale slowly through my nose and mouth while that arm is pulling through the water, running out of air just as that arm is ready to come out again. There are other breathing/arm cycles (1 breath to 1.5 arm cycles, which is alternate side breathing, 1 breath to 2 arm cycles, etc), but those aren't important until you get comfortable, and really aren't necessary. It is easier to breathe on the opposite side to your stronger arm, because you have more control while that arm is pulling.

Hope this helps. I do ramble on.

[Skierchickie]

Trek420 did a much clearer job than I did (post showed up while I was muddling though mine). Not sure if you sound quite ready for the double strokes yet, but it is definitely more efficient. It does take more lung capacity.

[Trek420]

Trek420 did a much clearer job than I did (post showed up while I was muddling though mine).

Thanks I think I inhale through my mouth and exhale through my nose, keeps the nose clear.

[roadie gal]

I agree with what the other women have said about breathing through the stroke and trying to time it so that you just finish breathing out when it's time to take a new breath.

Another thing to think about is that you don't have to do it all freestyle. If you can do a few strokes before you feel panicky, then do those and switch to a comfortable stroke, like the breast or backstroke for a few strokes, then go back to freestyle. Slowly build up the number of strokes that you can take before you have to switch.

[Grog]

I was just the same as you. I conquered freestyle (crawl) breathing by first conquering breaststroke breathing. Once I was secure with putting my face in the water, exhaling while IN the water, and coming out to inhale, I found it much easier to start crawling...

Good luck!

[TriMom217]

Mekira,

I've been teaching swimming lessons for a while now and what works best with kids is to have them do bobs. Come up, take a breath, go under, blow all your bubbles. Do it 5 times, do it 10 times, do it 100 times! Whatever it takes to get comfortable breathing. That's the whole purpose of the exercise, just to get comfortable breathing in and out rhythmically in the water.

Remember, breathing in the water is just like breathing when you're out of the water: if you're not breathing in you're breathing out!

Let me know how you're doing

Ellen

[divingbiker]

While we're on the subject of breathing, can anyone suggest any tips for breathing on both sides? I learned to breathe to the left, and if I try to breathe to the right my stroke gets out of whack and I'm flailing like I don't know how to swim. I don't seem to be able to figure it out on my own.

I'd like to be able to alternate, because my neck gets stiff turning only one way, and because breathing to both sides is on my list of "Fifty Things to do Before I Die."

[mekira]

ohhhh you guys are great!!!! Thank you so much for all your input

Trimom - I'll definitly try the bob thing. I'm sure it will help relax in the water.

ok so I went this morning after reading all your input on here. Breathe slow and steady Breathe in my mouth, breathe out through my nose and mouth....I managed to do 2 warmup laps!!!! yeah me LOL

Then I did 25m - 1 min rest X 8 and then switched to breast stroke and did another 50m. I really wanted to do 400m cause that's what I'll have to do for my race. So I finished with 4 laps (100m) of kicks. Took me 30 minutes.

Now I think the rest of my problem (out of breath) is more a conditionning problem than a breathing problem. My HR goes right up like when I'm running. I have to learn to pace myself and not go for record breaking times LOL Just finish the race. I'm just starting so I have to give myself a break and get those workouts in. It will get better right???

I'm going back tomorrow. I need to swim at least 3 times a week. Oh did I mention I live by a lake... I'll have to try swimming in it a few times :shudder:

[Torrilin]

Same way you breathe on the other side. Your arm forms a "triangle" right before you reach out for the next stroke. You twist your head into the triangle of air and breathe in.

This sounds much simpler written out than it is in practice. It took me quite literally hours of drill to be able to alternate sides.

[mekira]

Same way you breathe on the other side. Your arm forms a "triangle" right before you reach out for the next stroke. You twist your head into the triangle of air and breathe in.

This sounds much simpler written out than it is in practice. It took me quite literally hours of drill to be able to alternate sides.

oh that makes sense (the triangle) A lot of things to think about next time I go out swimming

I'm practicing in my office as we speak LOL Would have been funny if someone walked in!!!

[colby]

While we're on the subject of breathing, can anyone suggest any tips for breathing on both sides? I learned to breathe to the left, and if I try to breathe to the right my stroke gets out of whack and I'm flailing like I don't know how to swim. I don't seem to be able to figure it out on my own.

I'd like to be able to alternate, because my neck gets stiff turning only one way, and because breathing to both sides is on my list of "Fifty Things to do Before I Die."

Practice, practice, practice. Try making your "off" side look just like your "on" side when you breathe, which may mean you really have to study what you're actually doing on your "on" side, too. As your head turns, your arm comes out of the water, then your head comes all the way out and you can see your fingers. I like the "triangle" visual. It does take time to teach yourself, it's like learning all over again.

I learned to do 3 strokes and breathe (alternating sides) because I couldn't do 4 for very long in the beginning of the season without putting in a lot of time, and I'd get yelled at if I did 2. The more comfortable I get in the water, the better I am at alternating sides (or going one step further and doing 4 strokes between breaths).

Today in my open water practice I noticed that when I start to stress, I breathe, hold my breath, let it out quick, and breathe again, instead of breathing and slowly letting it out. Strange, something to work on in the lake and pool.

[Trek420]

thanks guys! I .... drum roll..... went swimming today. Haven't in years, forgot how much I love it. I have a crink on the right side of my neck but it was easy to breath left. Never got back to the right side but feels good to swim.