KG-I agree with AP & wahine..work on technique first. Even if you have to slow down & think about how you breathe or move etc then it's fine.

When I first started swimming with our group, my freestlye was crap as I wasn't pulling the water with my right arm/side & it often floated outwards. (it's hard to describe-i know the movement but can't describe it) It took me 1yr or so to work on it;s much better now.

Oddly enough..having to swim with a pull buoy for a month or so actually helped. I may have hated it but I actually had to think about or force myself to think about what my arms were doing.

Another thing about swimming is core strength...

Rambles from the crazy side..