Hi,

I would stick to what I am used to as much as possible, so for you it sounds like 3 strokes breathing. However, looking at the big picture, you may want to experiment with breathing on one side only - and you want to train right side only breathing only as much as left side only - so that you can handle rough water swim where sometimes it is very difficult to breathe on the side where the swell is coming from. But I would not worry about it until after your coming race.

In my first triathlon I realized rather quickly that all the drills and breathing techniques I had practiced had to be thrown out the window. I would just do whatever comes naturally in the first few hundred yards and then try to settle into some breathing pattern after that. I think it took me about 5 races before I could actually swim in a race the way I swam in practice. But that is me, I did not come from a swimming background. Just try to relax and have fun and your race should be enjoyable. Good luck.

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"No one ever told me they made black fondant!" - Duff Goldman

I am an advocate of more frequent breathing on distances of 4-500 yards or more. I find that the slight increase in speed is more than offset by the increased exertion and heart rate that results from less frequent breathing. I do reduce breathing rates for shorter (50-200 yards) races. An experiment to try might be to swim two 800-yard swims at your target time (i.e., the time you plan to do it in your race). On the first effort, breathe every two strokes and check your heart rate when finished. Rest/recover, and then do the second effort in the same amount of time, but breathing every three strokes, and then check your heart rate. I'll bet it is a good bit higher. Now imagine you stll have the bike and swim left to go--which heart rate do you want to have getting on the bike?

Well, see, now I was under the impression that if I went to 2 stroke breathing that I would be able to swim more efficiently and thus faster because I could stretch out each stroke to its fullest. Things I've been reading on Total Immersion. What does the general population do? I guess I need to watch some races!

In terms of pure speed, it works out that the less you breathe, the faster you go. The whole move head, breathe, replace head thing causes a decrease in turnover rate.

Having said that, anything longer than a 200 and I breathe every two for the most part. I've got a decided lope to my stroke (one side of my body does more of the work than the other) and left side breathing tends to slow me down. Used to get yelled at by coaches for breathing too much in a 500 (they wanted to see me breathing every 3) until we did the math and figured out the speed drop when I did.

Experiment with every 2, 3, and 4 and on race day, go with what feels best to you. There are a hundred different and perfectly correct ways to swim freestyle. The best thing to do is work on developing a stroke that actually works for rather than trying to exactly mimic what someone else does. How theyswim may be totally wrong for your body.

Normally I breathe every third stroke in training and racing. I think this helps also to swim a more straight line in open water then if you breathe only on one side.
But if I swim faster to overtake someone or after the start I breathe every second stroke. And rough water can change my breathing pattern too.

You won't be faster if you breath on 2 stroke intervals. Stay with what you are used to.

Felix

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http://www.weilenmann.ch.vu

Although I would agree with one of the posts above that all your plans may go out the door in a race...I would suggest bilateral breathing. You alternate breathing every 2 and 3 strokes. You'll end up breathing twice on each side and then switching to the other side. I don't do it myself but that's what I teach my distance swimmers.

Always bilateral breathe. This keeps you going straight which is a big thing in open water swimming. You shouldn't have to swim any more than you have to. So this means you'll get to point B from point A faster. You can always try breathing 2-3-2-3-2-etc. I usually do that for distance (3k or more).

Your stroke will be more efficient with bilateral, but if you're swimming hard, you can't get enough oxygen that way. I usually start the swim by going at least 12 strokes before taking my first breath, then 10, then 8 or 9, then less and less until I settle in to a two stroke breathing rhythm, breathing on the third from time to time, just to see what's happening on the other side. By not breathing much in the very beginning, you swim faster and get out in front (I usually come out first in my AG and I want to blow off the draftees) but more importantly, by keeping your head down early, you have less chance of getting your goggles knocked off or someone's finger stuffed up your nose...

It's a jungle out there!

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

Elwood is right, don't mess with what works. Bilateral breathing is a good thing in open water if both you are equally strong on both sides, but like most swimmers, I tend to have a dominant side. I tell the swimmers I coach that when they race anything greater than a 100, they should breathe whenever they want (in the 50 and the 100 they hardly breathe at all), and I find that my 200 and 500 kids breathe every 2nd when they settle down (of course they should never breathe from flags to wall, etc...we swim coaches can dream...) In test sets, they go consistently faster when left to their own devices, so I really only encourage then to bilaterally breathe in training, especially when aerobic.

Good Luck,

Oh yeah, play water polo in the off season, you learn some really cool dirty tricks to try on your buddies.

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"Maybe you should just run faster..." TM

The answers are... no, yes, no and yes.

Do what works, but hope that there are no waves or wind going the wrong way if you only breathe one side.

Do what's more comfortable to you. With two, you'll get more oxygen, but again whatever works. Try both, and you'll know the answer.

In Ironman distance races... when I get over the start and get into a groove I breath 4-6 times right side then 4-6 times left side... find it evens out my stroke and gives me something to focus on. Works for me.

Shawn

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Shawn Skene

Wow, thanks, this forum rules. I went for an ocean swim on friday afternoon at the beach in some good wind swell chop for the first time. I swam about 20 minutes and was able to see what all of you are talking about. I tried different variations and eventually got into my bilateral breathing rhythm... but when a swell came by sometimes I would be forced to breath on other patterns. It didn't seem to matter all that much. I was amazed by how much the ocean variables forced me to change things up.

I'm racing Sunday near here and the swim is in the ocean... I guess I better pick up a wet suit.