Begin to Breathe

Hello Fellow Swimmers!

One of the problems swimmers come across, while in the earlier stages of learning, has to do with breathing. There doesn't seem to be enough time to breathe in as much air as you want! This results in drinking the water, water getting in your nose, or getting tired very quickly. 

If either of these issues are slowing down your progress, try to focus on blowing bubbles (specifically from your nose, though if that is proving too difficult then blowing bubbles with your mouth is a good option). 

It seems silly at first, that bubbles will be helpful. To illustrate the importance of bubbles, ask yourself - do you usually hold your breath while walking around outside of the water! It is much more natural to breathe in and out steadily.

Now that we are focusing on our bubbles, we can see how they will help for more than just keeping the water out of our nose and mouth. Once we realize there is only about 1 second to breathe, we are able to see that bubbles are preparing us for a quick inhalation. 

Try practicing to breathe before getting into moving your arms and kicking your legs. Take a few minutes to prepare yourself. A good exercise is to watch the clock for a minute, blowing bubbles for 4 seconds and breathing in for 1 second. Doing this 5 times or for about 3 minutes before getting into your swim practice or during your practice will help your body get ready.