Proper breathing technique is one of the most difficult things about swimming for people to grasp. Problems with breathing can cause scissor kicks, poor body position, cross-overs, lop-sided strokes and other mistakes. Many people do not realize that breathing is the problem. Therefore, practicing smooth and continuous breathing is critical and fundamental to swimming exercises.
Inhalation
Learn to breathe bilaterally -- meaning to both of your sides. This helps develop a symmetrical stroke technique, which allows you to cut straight through the water. If you only breathe toward one side, then your rotation will probably be poor to your non-breathing side. Multiple strategies accomplish this technique. Classically, bilateral breathing is done every three strokes, but it can also be done every two strokes, or twice to one side and then twice to the other. Some people try to inhale and exhale all at once. This is a mistake, because there simply isn't enough time. You should breathe just as you pull your arm halfway back under your chest. If you pull with your left arm, then breathe to your right side, and vice-versa.
Exhalation
Some people neglect to exhale under the water and instead have an inclination to hold their breaths. But if you exhale under the water between breaths, then it makes inhalation much easier. During the exhalation, hold your head in one position. Rolling it around as your body rotates makes you dizzy and harms your coordination. Concentrate on looking at a single point on the bottom of the pool. Exhale just before you break the waterline.
Breathing into the Pocket
Your body creates a "bow wave" as it moves through the water just like a boat. The shape of the wave causes the water level to drop along the sides of your face and creates a trough just beneath the surface level of the pool in which to breathe. This is sometimes known as "breathing into the pocket." However, you will want to keep head movement to a minimum. Lifting your head to breathe causes your body to act like a see-saw. Your legs sink, creating more drag in the water. This disturbs the bow wave and reduces the trough. You also want to avoid over-rotating your head, which causes a loss of balance and an oblique movement through the water. Your head should only rotate so that one eye is above the water and one eye is below the water.
Body Movements
If you are struggling to reach the trough to breathe, especially to a particular side, then poor body rotation might be to blame. Rotating your body allows you to breathe in the trough without much head movement. As your arm pulls back from its stroke, your chest should be facing the side of the pool rather than the bottom. By this time the shoulder of your pulling arm should be heading toward the bottom of the pool, and the shoulder of your recovery arm should be out of the water.
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