Early Breathing In Swimming

Breathing is a big part of swimming. When you enter the water for the first time, learning how to hold your breath while under water is typically the first step. Eventually learning how to exhale under water helps you to become more comfortable with the process. Proper breathing while swimming enables you to become faster, covering longer distances with less effort.

Beginners

According to the Swim Smooth website, developing proper breathing technique might be the toughest challenge for a beginner. Becoming comfortable and relaxed in the water is important for mastering the skill of breathing during swimming. The Human Kinetics website states that relaxing the muscles of the face is important when learning how to breathe during swimming. If your face muscles are tense, your body will tire out more quickly.

Inhaling

Proper breathing technique is often taught in yoga, Pilates, martial arts, singing and dancing. The California Swimming Clinics website calls this "diaphragmatic breathing technique," inhaling and exhaling with the use of the diaphragm and not the chest. On inhalation, there should be a quick, large volume of air taken in. This helps to fuel the entire body to maintain a level of oxygen that is needed for energy. Most swimmers breathe in through their mouth, according to the Human Kinetics website.

Exhaling

Exhaling in swimming is an art and can mean the difference between a tense, tired body and one that is relaxed and moving tirelessly. The exhale should be twice as long as the inhale. When exhaling, blow air out slowly and evenly through your mouth for the duration of the stroke. At no time should you be holding your breath. The Swim Smooth website states that holding your breath builds up the carbon dioxide in your blood and lungs, making you want to inhale. Holding your breath also keeps your chest buoyant, which is bad for proper swim posture. Both the Human Kinetics and the California Swimming Clinics websites advise a stronger, puff-like exhale right before your head leaves the water, emptying your lungs completely before inhaling again.

Bilateral Breathing

Bilateral swimming is breathing on both sides of the body. This helps to keep the body streamlined for good technique, and can be done every three, five or seven strokes. The Swim Smooth website states that anything involving breathing on both sides of the body is considered bilateral. This means that even breathing on one side two or three times and switching to the other side is bilateral breathing. Swimming one lap of the pool breathing on one side, then breathing on the other for the next lap is still bilateral breathing. Regardless of how you decide to do it, bilateral breathing is important for symmetry.

Considerations

Proper breathing technique can be practiced both in the water and out. While swimming, breathing should be natural, and once proper breathing has been established, you shouldn't have to think about it. Occasionally, breathing in water happens; do not panic. The Human Kinetics website reports that even the most experienced swimmers take in water from time to time.