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Important Stuff About Breathing...

Saturday, 29 December 2012 01:10

important!
(From swimsmooth.com)

Very few novice swimmers exhale properly into the water.

Nearly all intermediate swimmers think they are exhaling correctly - at least, that's what they say when we ask them. Do they? Very few do.

Even amongst advanced swimmers, quite a few like to hold onto their breath under the water.

Why is this an important swimming technique? Getting your exhalation right will make freestyle feel much easier, get you balanced in the water and as a bonus, make you more relaxed whilst swimming. This will benefit any swimmer, from beginner to elite.

In this article we're going to give you some very simple exercises to perform to improve your breathing technique and this will help you become a much better swimmer....

how you should breathe

At Swim Smooth we know the secret of freestyle breathing. The secret is good exhalation.

Whenever your face is in the water, exhale constantly and smoothly.

When you are swimming you should always be exhaling except when you turn your head to inhale.

You can exhale through your mouth or through your nose or through both, it doesn't matter. But when your face is in the water you should be exhaling all the time in one constant stream of bubbles.

Do you do this? You're probably thinking 'yes I do'. We ask hundreds of swimmers this question every year, nearly all of them answer 'yes' but when they jump in the pool and we watch their breathing technique, they are nearly all holding their breath underwater!

how do most swimmers exhale?

After inhaling and returning their face to the water, most people hold that breath for at least one stroke, if not two. Shortly before their next inhalation they exhale very late into the water, often finishing that exhalation into the air when they've turned to breathe in.

They feel they are exhaling into the water because they do a little before inhalation, but that is too little too late.

Coaches: From the pool deck, watch for a little outward spray of water from the mouth area as the swimmer turns to take their breath - this is a classic sign of late exhalation. Such a swimmer will immediately feel more relaxed from an improved exhalation technique. READ MORE