How to Breathe while Swimming.

The results for my online search for ‘how to swim’ were less than satisfactory. They detailed some of the mechanics of swimming. But, they failed to address the major concerns of a new swimmer. What I found yielded only the results of those that have swam so long, they have forgotten the fears of a new swimmer. Here is what I wish my search had told me:

1)      Wear goggles!

2)      Focus on balancing in the water.

a.       With each stroke, your body rotates around the axis of your spine

b.      Practice making long rhythmic strokes.

c.       Keep your head in the water

If you do the above, breathing will come easily. For me figuring out how to breathe without getting a lung full of water was my biggest concern. This problem took care of itself when I focused on the above. Because:

1)      Wearing goggles the first time was amazing. I could open my eyes underwater and see where I was going. Being able to see freed me of some of my fears of having my face underwater.

2)      In my research, I’ve found that swimming is balancing on the water. It’s important to dedicate the first few visits to the pool to figuring out how your body balances in the water. Luckily, my body fat is well distributed throughout my body. That makes it easier for me to float without much effort. Others aren’t so lucky.  The internet and swimming instruction DVDs devote some time to floating, and they are well worth looking for.

a.       Once I figured out how my body floats in the water, I was able to move through the water rotating my hips and shoulders along the axis of my spine with each stroke. This motion will make it easier to breath. It’s not just your head and neck that move when you get air. I didn’t realize this. I thought my belly would always be parallel to the bottom of the pool. This position, however, made it quite difficult for me to get air.

b.      In addition to the side to side body rotation, having a long stroke makes it easier when it comes time to breathe. With a long stroke, you body will shift a bit. It will balance in the direction of the outstretched arm and give your other side the lift necessary to get your gulp of air.

c.       Always keep the top of your head pointed in the direction of travel. This causes a depression in the water, so when you turn to breathe, you will do it easily without getting water up your nose. At first I was doing it all wrong. I was lifting my head too far out of the water. Ironically, this made it more likely that I would get water in my nose. Also, it will through your balance off.

Because of the above, it is important to spend some time in the pool working on your stroke in the shallow end of the pool. When it becomes familiar territory, then it’s time to work on the breathing. Until then, just stand when you need to, or rotate on your back to get some air. If you spend some time working on the stroke, the breath will come much easier. I’m living proof of this.