I started a new swimming clinic last night and noticed many of the usual problems: lifting the head to breathe, looking back to breathe, no arm extension into the water, and arms pulling straight down without any catch. All of these issues lead to hips and kicks going lateral.
When questioned, the swimmers were anxious about breathing. "When should I breathe? Should I hold my breath or constantly exhale? Should I breathe often or hold my breath as long as possible? Should I bilateral breathe?
I answered all their questions and posed, what I thought was a more important one, “where should you breathe?”
Timing in swimming is everything. Your head roll to breathe should fit into your body rotation. In order to rotate you need an axis to rotate around. If you are going to breathe to your left side, your right arm becomes your axis of rotation. Your right shoulder and left hip are linked (diagonal lines). As your right hand enters the water in line with your shoulder and opposite a point anywheres between your left elbow and wrist, You initiate your rotation by imagining your right hip driving toward your left hand. Your left hip opens, your left shoulder opens and at that very moment you allow your head to roll with your left shoulder and look to the left to take a breath.
Many other things have happened while this is going on. Your extended left arm is setting up its catch (primary move) in preparation for the power phase of the stroke. You are exhaling just before your head moves with your shoulder to inhale. Notice I did not say, “turn your head.” Your head moves in line with your shoulder so that it does not cause any adverse reactions. If you move in this way half your face will remain in the water as you breathe.
The easiest way for beginners to learn this pattern is to notice the hand opposite the breathing side, enter the water. Actually see it; not feel it or think about it, see it! That entering hand sets up a chain of events which allows for efficient swimming.
It took a while for the class to catch on. This was a different pattern of movement. After the third length of going over the instructions there were many smiles. The universal response was that everyone felt longer in the water and the timing of breathing was almost a non-issue.
Unless you focus on new patterns being learned they will disappear and old habits will prevail. My classes homework assignment was to notice, notice, notice.
I will see them next week.
DougStern
so your face should still be completely in the water when the opposite hand starts?
I know I breathe late.
One think I learned on ST. Read every posting by Doug Stern, then go to the pool and try it. Doug has a way of explaining things so that you can “feel what he explains” in the water. Few coaches can get things across the same way in text.
Doug, so let me get this straight…when I breath, my head is looking at the side of the pool. Is this correct?
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Pam,
Yes. If you breathe earlier than than you will create lateral motion from your hips and legs.
DougStern
Dev,
Yes, any further back will take your head out of alignment.
DougStern
Doug, so let me get this straight…when I breath, my head is looking at the side of the pool. Is this correct?
Well, duh. How else to check out the cute lifeguard each lap?
I don’t have a problem with my breathing side stroke. But often struggle trying to mirror my stoke on the non breathing side. Is this the appropriate way to go about this? It’s obviously a different stoke because you’re rotating to extend the face far enough out of the water breath. However on the opposite side the the rotation of the head/face is not required. Should my shoulder and hip rotation be the same? Clear as mud I’m sure.
Turning your head has nothing to do with body rotation. It is all kick, hips and shoulders.
Ideally you should rotate evenly on both sides.
DougStern
So you’re saying that if I breathe to the right. When I rotate to my left my head/mouth should be at the same location, where I could breathe, looking at the side of the pool.
If you allow your head to move with your shoulders in that direction.
Stand in front of a mirror and look at your reflection. Now, without turning your head rotate your shoulders and hips first to the right and then to the left. Notice that you are actively keeping your head centered. Now let your head remain in line with your shoulders as you rotate. You can breathe on either side evenly.
DougStern
As one of my old coaches used to say, the long axis strokes are like shish-kebab. Everything rotates along the long axis except the cherry tomato at the end of the kebob, which stays in place no matter how much the rest of your body is rotating.
The tomato is your head- on freestyle, you keep it in one position looking down/forward except on the strokes when you breathe. When you breathe, that’s when you let the head rotate up along the long axis along with the recovery side shoulder.
I really have a problem keeping my head steady (when not breathing).
I’m aware of it, and sometimes it is working ok - but not always.
I assume, it is primary a matter of in-water balance and neck flexibility.
That’s a good analogy. Not that my stroke feels bad. And my times are decent 1:25-7/100m, 36-38 stokes/50m without a flip turn. I usually don’t feel as if I rotate enough on my non-breathing side but when I make a point to do so I feel like I’m thrashing in the water.
I have been able to visualize this for some time but I can’t breathe in without inhaling water while half my face is still submerged. Any way to resolve that short of growing gills?
Pick up a center snorkel and do some swimming with it. You will be able to breathe without ever turning your head to the side providing you do not drown first.
DougStern
Stat your exhalation just before your roll your shoulders to breathe and finish it just as your mouth clears the water. You will have blown water out and away from your mouth so that you can breathe in air.
DougStern
here’s a “you don’t learn without asking the question” question.
If you’re seeing your extended hand enter the water, aren’t you looking up too much rather then down at the bottom?
or is this just an exercise to try until you get the breathing right. Then you can go back to looking at the endless black line.
thank you for all the great posts.
Barry
Thanks Doug! Very easy to visualize what you have described. As an adult-onset swimmer, I can say that your tips are uber helpful.
I’ve been able to incorporate much of what you have described. One thing though, do you have any “fixes” for folks like me who have good rotation (“good” being a relative term) but have a problem with having to rotate too far to breath? In my case, I feel that my shoulders are just slightly pass vertical when I breath. “TI” philosophy says this okay, just rotate farther… I can’t help but feel like I’m plowing through the water when I breath. Any tips?
Awesome post like always, wish you had some sort of camp or clinic in Ontario Canada.