It would be great if you never had to breathe, wouldn’t it! You’d be so much faster if you could swim for miles without having to take a breath.
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But you can’t. And you never will. ⠀ ⠀⠀
You have to breathe to keep moving, but nothing will interrupt a great freestyle stroke faster than the motion of taking a breath. Even the best swimmers in the world slow down slightly when they breathe.⠀
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Getting the breathing motion right is critical to maintaining your speed.
The two major areas to focus on are: ⠀⠀
1. How long it takes you to breathe. ⠀⠀
The faster your breath the better. If you take too long to breathe, your stroke rate will slow down. You’ll sink slightly and lose your body position. ⠀⠀
2. The line your body holds when you breathe ⠀⠀
You must maintain a straight line with your arms and hips as you breathe. If your breath causes a change in angle or direction of your arms or side to side movement in your hips you’re going to be working against extra resistance and struggle to swim in a straight line.
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