I learned to swim last winter with nose plugs, and now I am totally dependent on them. I know five year olds can swim without, so what am I doing wrong? Even when I just put my head under for a second water gets sucked up even if I am not breathing. I can go about 3 strokes, and then I am sputtering and discombobulated. Please help. -zoe
or is this not a problem and I should just go on using them?
1 - Stand on the side of the pool
2 - Hold the deck at water level with your arms stretched out
3 - With your head out of the water breathe in through your mouth
4 - With your head in the water breathe out through your nose
5 - Repeat
.
breathe out your nose and in your mouth.
OK - I can do that. thanks.
You think I can ween myself off em in a week, month, year? And if I do that before my workout, can I go ahead and swim with the pluggies after - or will that just undo it?
Breathing in through your nose is just a reflex you need to get rid off. I would lose the plugs NOW and make learning this new skill your first priority.
I always swam without nose plugs until I figured out that if I use one in the pool I no longer get totally congested and was able to kick my multi-year Claritin habit. I’ll go without in fresh water lakes, etc., but found I needed it in the ocean in order to keep from feeding the marine life.
any tricks for learning not to get water up the snout when doing a flip turn? I’m fine swimming down the lane, but always get water up the nose when trying to do a flip turn.
Yes, breathe out while you’re doing the flip-turn.
SAC you are being amazingly helpful on this thread.
Breath out - Yes. Expel all of your air so you come up gasping - NO.
A slight pressure (exhale) through your nose will do the trick. After a couple nights at the pool it will become second nature.
OK - I can do that. thanks.
You think I can ween myself off em in a week, month, year? And if I do that before my workout, can I go ahead and swim with the pluggies after - or will that just undo it?
Throw them in the trash right now and never wear them again… Cold turkey is the only way to go!
While you are sitting there right now, try breathing in and out your mouth without any air coming in your nose.
Once you get that feeling breath in your mouth and then exhale through your nose. Pretend there is some nasty road kill right next to you and you don’t want to smell it at all costs.
Someone else with the same problem as me.
Learning to swim the right way is a huge obstacle but worth the time in the end.
I’m Doing lots of pool time and working on correcting and learning the right way to breathe. One thing a friend pointed out was I was turning my neck to much and not rotating the torso which causes you to swalllow the air rathar than breathe it in.
SAC you are being amazingly helpful on this thread.
I know, I’ll stop posting now… 
Never hold your breath while you are swimming. Unless you are actually in the “inhale” phase, you should be exhaling at all times. You have to maintain positive air flow out the nostrils in order to keep water from coming in. Your inhale should be short, quick, and deep, followed by a long, slow exhale–mostly out the nose.
hum when you do your flip turn. wastes less air then breathing out your nose and will still do the trick,
bill
OK - i hear ya - but isn’t this the opposite of how you are supposed to breathe when you bike and run?
Different but not opposite. The only difference in the bike and run is that you breathe in and out through both…