Swim I - Week 1 & 2 - Breathing Position

Week 1 & 2 – BREATHING POSITION

The first two of our classes are focused on breathing. Breathing properly in swimming ensures that:

1)      You get the air you need easily and are not taking “short” breaths.

2)      Your body position doesn’t change significantly when you breathe.

The first guarantees you’ll have the air you need to keep going, something many beginning swimmers lack because of a fear of taking in water. This can occur whether you feel comfortable in the water or not. Breathe out for at least one full stroke before breathing in. You should hear this happening due to the large amount of air being expelled.

The second keeps you from adding to the resistance you must move against. The water is enough without adding dropped legs or hips to the mix. Breathing low to the water keeps your neck aligned with your spine, and your body is most comfortable with that. We don’t walk around with our heads cocked back or twisted to the side. Our bodies will respond to these actions in the water by trying to eliminate them with changes to body position.

Tip: Breathe less, swim better. Try breathing every four strokes. It allows your body to "reset" on the surface after a breath, and in so doing gives you a chance to start your breathing motion from a better position each time.

Warm-up (150-200): 3-4x50yd easy, focused on breathing low to the water.

Drill 1 – Goggle In The Water: Place an arm out into the water about a foot below the surface. Lay your head on its’ side on top of it. Tilt your head over until you have a goggle in the water and your mouth out so you can breathe. This is where you want to be when taking a breath. Lower your head as far as possible while maintaining this position.

Swim (200-300):  5-6x50yd easy, working to duplicate the breathing position you just practiced, taking a short break after each to do the standing drill. You will drink some water. That’s the nature of the sport.

Drill 2  - Side Lying Kick (100-150): There are many ways to do a side lying drill. This one focuses on head position. Lay on your side in the water with an arm outstretched, about a foot below the surface. The other arm is at your side. Lean your shoulders back a little (but stay more on your side than your back) so it’s easy to look up at the ceiling. Kick down the pool with a steady, strong effort, keeping your head as deep as possible with just your mouth and nose out of the water.

Drill 3 – Single Arm (100-150): One arm is extended out front and the other arm pulls. Pull with one arm for a length and then the other on the next length. This means you’ll have to work on breathing on both sides. As you pull, try to rotate your hips as much as possible since this will get your legs into the act and help rotate your entire body. This in turn means your neck won’t have to twist as much to get to the surface, and that means more comfort. Make sure you return to the flat position before pulling again, and hesitate for a moment, kicking only, with both arms out front.

Swim (200-300): 5-6x50yd easy, breathing on your right side going down and your left side coming back. You won't be rotated quite as much as in the Single Arm Drill, since the drill overdoes it to make a point, but you should think of rotating your hips 45-60deg from horizontal in order to breathe. If you're having trouble on one side, rotate your hips more.

Tip: Once you’re doing well on your breathing side, with a goggle in the water, focus on rotating more to your NON-breathing side. This helps even things out.

Bonus:
Swim (100-200): If you want to do some extra distance, try a straight swim. Same focus points, and breathe on both sides as you did above.

Total ~1000yd

Goggle in the water while breathing: