Unlike with land activities, like biking and running, swimming takes us out of our natural environment. This environmental change makes basic bodily functions, like breathing, much more complex. Something that once came so naturally is now confusing and hard to achieve and yet without mastering it, swimmers will forever flounder in the pool. So, how do we perfect our breathing in the water?
Keep Your Face and Head Submerged
Initially, many swimmers will try to swim with their heads out of the water to allow for breathing; however, a high-head/ low-hip body position results in more surface area to be pushed through the water, which creates more drag. This additional drag means you will tire quicker and expend more energy while swimming.
Learning to swim with your head and face submerged rectifies this issue as it promotes better body position. Once swimmers have gotten comfortable swimming with their heads under the water, they can work on the next step.
Develop a Breathing Rhythm
Once comfortable with have your face submerged in the water, swimmers must now learn how to properly breathe in the water. A major issue many new swimmers face is holding their breath in the water. This forces individuals to quickly exhale and inhale when turning to breathe. This method results in shallow breathing, a buildup of carbon dioxide in the lungs.
Ideally, swimmers will exhale while their face is in the water, which allows them to take a deeper breath upon turning to lift their nose and mouth out of the water. When performed correctly, there’s no pause in the swimmer’s breathing rhythm.
Bilateral breathing is an effective breathing method to achieve an even swimming stroke and improved mechanics on either side of your body. This method of breathing is most commonly employed in the front crawl.