Many beginners may say that the reason they are not good at swimming is because it is difficult to breathe.
Why do you feel it difficult to breathe?
That’s because, you breathe in too much.
Swimming breathing rules are different from those on land
※Please exclude backstroke, which is swimming on your back. (Backstroke seems to have a breathing method for backstroke, but we will not discuss it here.)
In swimming, breathing is by far the most important difference from other sports.
Swimming breathing consists of the following cycle.
- Exhale
- Inhale
- Hold your breath
Unlike in land sports, there is a new action to holding breath as well as to exhale and inhale.
Swimmers must become accustomed to this cycle, which is unfamiliar to those of us accustomed to living on land, or you will never improve.
First of all, keep this principle in mind: “Exhale,” “Inhale,” and “Hold your breath”.
The Iron Law of Breathing
”Breathe out through your nose, and breathe in through your mouth.”
This is the immutable rule of swimming breathing.
(Some people use nose clips, as in artistic swimming.)
Exhaling through the nose is to prevent water from entering the nose.
Inhaling through the mouth is for the same reason.
On land, you can exhale through the nose or mouth, or inhale with either, but not in swimming!
Then there is another reason to breathe in through the mouth.
Because you can take in a large amount of air instantaneously.
When you inhale, do it for a short time, which is also an iron law!
Fill your lungs with air very quickly and you will be ready and have room for the next movement!
Also, maximum buoyancy is achieved when the lungs are filled with air.
Momentary inhalation is important to prevent sinking.
Also, do not raise your head too high when breathing.
As explained here, the more the head is raised, the more the legs sink.
If the legs sink, water resistance will increase and speed will decrease.
Do not raise your head too much and breathe in very quickly.
Ensure the basic rule to prevent the legs from sinking.
In addition, it is very important to have a “balance between exhaling and inhaling” when breathing in and out.
Breathing is actually exhaling
People who always suffer from breathing, or who stand up halfway through because they have difficulty breathing, are often actually “not exhaling enough”.
Have you been breathing in too much because you are anxious about not being able to breathe underwater?
Breathing in too much can make breathing difficult.
Let’s try an experiment.
※If you have any health concerns or feel any unusual symptoms, do not overdo it and discontinue immediately. In some cases, a doctor’s consultation should be considered.
Breathe in the here and now.
In doing so, try doubling the amount you inhale relative to the amount you exhale, i.e., repeat the exhale : inhale at a ratio of 1:2.
Do you find it difficult to breathe, even though you are breathing in fully?
There’s some reason.
What is respiratory acidosis?
Insufficient carbon dioxide elimination leads to a condition called “respiratory acidosis”.
This condition may cause shortness of breath and dyspnea. In addition, the heart rate may increase.
In other words, if you are not breathing out properly, “you will have trouble breathing and your heart will be racing!”.
(reference : medilineplus.gov)
”I’m breathing, but I feel suffocated.” ⇒ ”I need more air.” ⇒ ”Breathing in” ⇒ ”Even more suffocating.”
It’s a vicious cycle.
It is a bit of a digression, but in fact, the same thing applies to running.
If you focus only on breathing in while running because you have trouble breathing, you may not be able to get out of your breathlessness.
At such times, I dare you to exhale deeply once to calm your chest and back area, which will help you breathe easily and calm your mind.
Whether on land or in the water, breathing out properly is an important element in calming both the body and the mind.
Inhale and exhale the same amount, that’s an important point.
If you exhale, won’t you sink?
As in this explanation, the body floats naturally when the lungs are filled with air.
However, it is floating just barely balanced, so if you exhale, you will sink.
With practice, you will find the line where you are on the edge of floating or sinking.
It’s simple to do.
Streamlining in the pool.
First, breathe in as much air as you can, then kick the wall and do streamline position.
Please click below to see how to practice streamline.
Next, breathe out gradually from your nose.
After passing a certain amount, the floating legs should begin to sink.
As you continue to exhale further, the torso also sinks below the surface of the water.
At this time, you need to check the point where the legs begin to sink.
Once the legs sink, it will be subject to water resistance.
In other words, just before the legs begin to sink is the very limit of breath that can be exhaled.
Practice many times to figure out how much breath you can exhale!
Get used to “holding your breath”
Again, the breathing in swimming are three actions. Exhaling, inhaling, and holding your breath.
You need to get used to ”holding”.
You can practice in the bathtub by dipping your face in hot water, or you can actually practice in the pool.
But…
Turning Everyday Life into Practice… Breathing Training Method
When practicing in a pool, it is probably too difficult to get used to both the unfamiliar environment of the water and the breathing unique to swimming at the same time.
Get used to swimming breathing, and concentrate on that alone first.
I recommend that you do this while actually exercising on land.
If you simulate swimming by increasing your heart rate, such as while running or riding a bicycle, you will get a more realistic sensation of swimming breathing.
At rest, you can hold your breath as long as you want and you won’t be that huffing and puffing, but during exercise, you can simulate a heart rate similar to that of swimming and the difficulty of breathing.
While running, try breathing in a “breathe out, breathe in, and hold” breath pattern.
Exhale vigorously through the nose, inhale quickly through the mouth, and then hold.
This gives you a very interesting experience.
Normally, when running, the exhale and inhale are tapered like “decrescendo,” but in swimming breathing, the intensity is constant, and each action is always ”forte” (or ”fortissimo”).
And then, the action of “hold” is added.
This is exactly the breathing similar to that of swimming, where breathing is restricted.
If you increase your running speed, your breathing will naturally become more difficult/paced, and if you decrease your running speed, your breathing will become easier/slower paced and less painful.
In such a situation, you can confirm that “this amount of breathing is sufficient for this level of heart rate and physical fitness”.
Once you get used to this on land, you will feel more relaxed when it comes time to swim.
Also, experiment with daring to skip a breath.
This is a simulation in which you messed up one breath during swimming and could not catch your breath.
Instead of repeating “breathe out, breathe in, hold” three times in a regular pattern,
It’s like ”breathe out, breathe in, hold”, ”Hooooooooooold”, ”breathe out, breathe in, hold”.
When you actually try it, you will realize that skipping one breath is no big deal, and that you can recover.
Yes, you know, it is correctable without panic.
If this is underwater, anxiety will set in and you may stand on your feet unexpectedly, but if you experience “It’s OK!” on land, you will deal with it calmly.
Summary
This is a summary of what has been explained so far.
Breathing in swimming differs from breathing on land in that it consists of three actions: exhale, inhale, and hold.
The specific points are as follows.
- Exhale through the nose and inhale through the mouth: to prevent water from entering the nose and to effectively inhale air through the mouth.
- Don’t raise your head too much: your legs will sink, increasing water resistance.
- Balance your exhale with your inhale: too much inhale can make it difficult to breathe, so be aware of how much you exhale.
- Hold your breath: Get used to “holding” your breath.
- Practice dry land: Practice breathing while running to simulate the feeling of swimming breaths.
- Simulate skipping breaths: It is also important to practice not panicking when you fail your breathing while swimming.
Breathing in swimming is not just about breathing, but also has a lot to do with balance with buoyancy and mental aspects.
You can practice breathing not only in the pool but also on land.
Please try it in your daily life so that you can breathe calmly and unhurriedly in the water.
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