How to Swim While Breathing

Swimming in the correct position while breathing makes a significant difference in performance. A proper stroke creates a pocket of air beside your face where you draw your air. Exhaling air underwater during your stroke allows you to maximize the breath from the pocket. Problems with other parts of a swim stroke, such as scissor kicking, poor body position and crossovers, often are related to not breathing properly. Focus on breathing into the pocket and not lifting your head.

Instructions

    • 1

      Practice breathing into the pocket by rolling your head to the side, keeping your lower goggle in the water. Don't look up; look to the side. Concentrate on rotating your body during your stroke to help with breathing.

    • 2

      Avoid lifting your head to breathe as it disrupts the pocket. Practice finding the pocket with a flipper drill. Put one arm out in front of you, the other down by your side. Rotate to about a 45-degree angle in the water. Look straight down and kick. Rotate your head to find the pocket.

    • 3

      Learn to breathe on one side first. Start by taking a breath on every stroke on whichever side you find more comfortable. Progress to bilateral breathing once you've mastered the one side. Bilateral breathing allows you to swim in a straight line.

    • 4

      Master the technique of bilateral breathing. Stroke three times and breathe into the pocket on one side, then stroke three more times and breathe into the pocket on the other side. You'll probably get water up your nose the first few times you practice. Water gets in there because of the pressure difference between the water and the air. Exhaling through both your nose and mouth helps to reduce nasal water intake.