Swimming Technique: Breathing Patterns
In this session, we’re going to think about our breathing a little bit. Specifically, our breathing patterns.
Breathing? Isn’t that something beginners focus on?
Well, yes they do. But working on good breathing techniques isn’t reserved for the beginner swimmer or developing triathlete.
Why Would We Focus On Our Breathing?
Often swimmers stick to a breathing pattern they have used for years. Usually, every two strokes, every three strokes or even every four strokes. And they stick to this pattern because that is ‘what they do’ and how they usually swim.
If we change up our breathing pattern every now and again, we can really improve our overall swim ability, our swim awareness and even improve other specific areas of our stroke.
Don’t Believe Me?
We regularly do a bit of breathing work in our Squads. This type of work is usually focused on practicing our ability to breathe on both sides and is often a short set after the warm up – something like 8 x 25m – breathing to the left on the odd 25s, and breathing to the right on the evens.
Doing this type of short set is often uncomfortable (even for experienced swimmers), as we’re breathing on the ‘other side’ and / or changing our usual breathing pattern. However, this type of set helps give us a valuable open water / triathlon race day skill and, in the long run, a greater overall swim ability.
Breathing Patterns
The set we did recently, and the one I’ve included here, is all about breathing patterns.
The set has us breathing every two strokes, then every three, then every four, then every five strokes.
Why Did We Do This Set – And Why Should You?
Changing Patterns = Thinking About Our Stroke
Many of the top swim coaches suggest swimming with a front snorkel for some sets. The snorkel is their swim toy of choice. They suggest doing sets with the snorkel because it ‘takes the breathing out of the stroke’. The swimmer can keep their head in a still position and focus on their swim technique.
When we are breathing every 4 or 5 strokes, as we will in this set, it gives us a similar effect.
Forces Us To Think About The Exhale
When we usually breathe every two or three strokes for example, we don’t really think about exhaling. It just happens (or it should). When we change our pattern and start breathing every four or five strokes, we need to think about controlling the exhale. Otherwise this set is really uncomfortable.
The set makes us think about how we breathe, particularly how we exhale and makes us realise whether or not we have a tendency to hold our breath underwater.
(Note: We should never hold our breath underwater. We should always be exhaling).
Recent Experiences
We tried this session in out in one of our Swim Squads at Volair, Huyton this week. I also tried this in my own swim set this week (and loved it!)
What Did We Notice?
Quicker
Swimmers noticed that they actually swam quicker over short distances when breathing every 4 or every 5 strokes! They weren’t trying to swim quicker, but because they turned their head less, they moved through the water quicker.
I’m not trying to suggest you will swim quicker if you breathe less frequently – but the breathing movement can disrupt swim rhythm and pace.
This disruption is magnified if breathing technique still needs work, e.g.:
- Lifting head and then turning to breath
- Dropping the leading arm whilst breathing on the other side
- Losing focus on stroke technique whilst taking a breath
Another realisation came from some swimmers who noticed that by breathing to a different side, although uncomfortable, they actually swam quicker.
Propulsion
By keeping their head underwater a little longer as they breathed less frequently, swimmers were telling me that they were looking at the tiles on the bottom of the pool, noticing how much they were moving, and feeling the propulsion when they pulled. We often miss out on this sensation when moving head and breathing.
More Relaxed
Many of our swimmers commented that they felt more relaxed when they focused on their exhale and breathed less frequently.
A Little Note
This isn’t supposed to be convincing you to breathe less frequently. We want to breathe frequently. We want oxygen when we swim. Personally, I still breathe (mostly) every two strokes.
This is about trying something different, making sure we are breathing efficiently and effectively, keeping our technique sound whatever breathing pattern we adopt and also experiencing different sensations when we swim.
Swim Session
Feedback
When you have read the post and tried the session, let me know what you think? Did it make a difference to your swim? Are you thinking about your swim differently now? I’d love to hear how you got on.