I Taught This WRONG For YEARS | Freestyle Breathing

In the past I've taught freestyle breathing as 'split vision'...where you NEED to keep the head low in the water as you breath. That's true to a certain extent, but you shouldn't breath TOO low if it creates these other issues in your stroke.
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[@leslie7922]

Last year (2022) I could barely swim 50m and ended up quitting. 20 years ago when swimming at school I could swim for an hour no issues. Trying again now (2023) and I'm breathing every two strokes enough to keep calm and my pb so far is 1000m no breaks (stopped due to tired muscles which is fair enough). I'm just over 2min per 100m but taking it slow and calm to build endurance and enjoy swimming instead of being angry huffing n puffing or drowning. The most important part is showing up to swim and the rest slowly comes with time and practice.

[@addisonauletta8693]

How did you get past only being able to swim 50m? I swim 50m and am out of breath by the end of it

[@schnodopics]

It's good to see how you adjust your framework based on experience and new evidence. Thank you for the thoughtful content you've been providing for years! 🐳

[@jackheath7093]

I'm glad you put this out there. Things have come a long way since Total Immersion was the hot new thing. I have felt the issue with the catch, while over-rotating in my own stroke. This causes the elbow to lead the arm pull and results in a loss of positive resistance.

[@jsc5423]

Good of you to admit it. Found you just recently and so far things you have said makes sense. Thanks 😊

[@lgdneuro9586]

Finally someone says something about this, I have seen tons of videos saying “Oh ledecky would be faster if she didn’t take her head as much” “Oh Finke takes his head out too much”, Always wondered if those athletes do that is because their coaches and the people around them know it works…also popovici head tends to go outside of water a lot…..he is like a motor boat with the front out of water….Thanks for the video…

[@james-tennis]

Haha yea people always critiquing olympians from their couch lol

[@alansmith7228]

Hello from Las Palmas, North Atlantic. Brilliant thanks. Good points well made. Great analysis. Too low a head leads to submarining as well!

[@erinflaherty5857]

This is eye-opening perspective- thanks!!!

[@aprilpualengco7344]

Thank you for this! Will do that kickboard drill tomorrow to correct my head positioning.

[@Zamuro31]

Great video. Looking forward to the next about breathing in open water. 🏊‍♂️🏊‍♂️

[@AlexRochette]

Thanks, Coach!

[@kiwibelle85]

I will definitively give a try! Thanks.

[@kstar-tv2fs]

Thank you for this!!!

[@HamishHaughey]

Very encouraging advice

[@ahmedshaik2400]

Great advice; I would practice it. I still to incorporate breathing & synchronise with my arm movement, body position & kicking; I found my head is low & struggling with breathing.

[@dannybowles6181]

Very good clip. Sorted my left sided breathing. inadvertently I was pressing too much

[@Zipperneck.]

When I swim open water, I just prefer to pop in my frontal snorkel… much more enjoyable, particularly if the sea is a bit choppy.

[@degoo26]

Id say when I get a good catch and power phase, my head doesn't raise itself, however the axis of my head/neck/back torso, are all positioned slightly above the water (edited) line. This puts more of my face/mouth out of the water without exaggerating any neck bend. I find if I'm swimming more comfortably at a slower pace, then I tend to keep my face deeper (because my whole body isn't lifted out of the water), but I turn my neck almost looking back (like checking a blind spot when driving with the chin moving towards the shoulder on the breathing side). I think its important to note its not really the head lifting more, vs the entire upper body being lifted more out of the body due to good form (which is what's happening in the elite clips you show).

[@jafarrahman2069]

I totally agree with u when i was competing for 200 free n i was trying to keep my head low n there was a lot of disturbance on the surface n i drank water n i was not able to breath

[@pauldean8638]

Great video as always ,I hope you might pick up on a topic that kids need to learn . Brits just done an advert about struggling when out in water but it doesn’t cover the basic fact of full lungs you float . It was over complicated and didn’t really touch the subject right . Simple keeping lungs at near full you float easier , exhaling and intake fast you use minimal effort to stay afloat . Bare basics kids not taught fully , I live in a area with a high tidal currents and does kill a lot of people . Just laying on there back in salt water they float easier meaning they have time to be rescued , some try swimming but it’s hopeless in 8+ knot current.

[@xilouwanping]

I think ordinary people are too slow, which makes it difficult to breathe when their heads are low. I think it is still easy for high-level athletes to breathe when their heads are low. It may be that the speed is fast enough and they can walk around their mouths to form a breathing nest

[@liukang85]

he showed pro athletes not going as deep with their heads, too...

[@xilouwanping]

@@liukang85 You can watch this video. When Phelps breathes, his head is almost completely immersed in the water

[@lastwheel3208]

That’s true, I find it easier to breathe low when I have fins on. But struggle to breathe low when I don’t have fins. When you have speed, it gives you a pocket to breathe even with head low.

[@Dawson2011H]

Agree. I was not able to breath low until I got faster. Now I can swim long distance and breath low with one goggle in the water. When I spring, the body naturally lifted higher and I need to kick really hard to prevent legs sink.

[@stormeagle]

Yep felt this

[@shbld]

I just found out some weeks ago that I always run out of air because I breath too hard when doing freestyle. It's very important to have not too less or too little CO2 and I think breathing too much (too panicky) made me fail in freestyle.

[@Lucildor]

Yes! I had an "aha!" moment the other day when I realized I was breathing way too hard.

[@laurafowler1142]

Thank you! I have been trying to swim better and my breathing has become a big problem because I have been trying to keep my head too low.

[@user-sf5bt8eb4y]

thanks for your video. as a beginner most would lift up their entire heads to breath leading to dropping hips. after some coaching, I was told to look to the side (not the ceiling/sky) however in doing so i try to keep my entire head in the water when taking a breath. This usually leads to 1 of 2 things. 1. worse case but seldom occur, drinking some water 2. rushed breath, which leads to lack of air, which leads to panic and releasing of air and looking for intake of air again but what you said was absolutely true, when taking a breath, i notice my leading hand would start to drop, leading to a poor pull

[@donalfagan9357]

I suspect that lifting your head is less of an issue if you maintain a robust kick. I have a light two-beat kick, and keeping my head low while breathing on either side has worked well for me.

[@muthuraju7409]

I started swimming just 2 months complete amateur! But i tried many time to swim with half face like any other YT video, but that was never enough, like he said my face was around 20% in water which was way comfortable and helpful. Finally someone to authenticated this thing.

[@stevedong5117]

For a 2 months beginner, I believe you are not there yet to say that your head position is too low. Trying to keep your head position as low as possible is still your target. If your speed is too slow, you must raise your head to breathe. In this case, try some drills with fins and kickboard as shown in the video. Don't rush to practice long distance swimming, which will force you to slow down and breathe in the wrong way.

[@ammoodz2313]

I'm finding it hard as a new swimmer to find the right time to catch and purge...I keep gulping water 😄

[@ElBeeEss]

Me too, especially when attempting to breathe to my left side. Trying really hard not to get frustrated by this.

[@riken1974]

Thanks!

[@mishafomytskyi3531]

This is great tip! I have one follow up question. I noticed this kind of problem when I returned to the pool after practicing for some time in open water. What I think is happening is that in fresh water I need to lean more on my chest to keep legs from sinking and that leave the head too deep in the water. Any advice on better striking that balance?

[@lowellbelmontemarinas2083]

Great vid! Really looking forward to your next video focusing on open water. I breathe on my left side but developed a left shoulder impingement especially when sighting. Trying to breathe bilaterally so I can sight using my right arm for support but would like to avoid getting a right shoulder impingement.

[@prycealderson9352]

Popovici at Roma 2022 has his entire head out of the water when he breathes. I was always taught to have a steady position for the head and rotate. A few of us on the team are going to try more of a looping motion like Popovici.

[@mysticproduce705]

Thanks

[@rrrseajay]

This is me. 1/2 water 1/2 air. Rarely choke…. But definitely keeps me from relaxing. Will try all this !

[@klausmusik]

galloping may be better to breath, although i got blame a lot for kind of lifting the head a bit up when breathing at my school- i think that not many people know the galloping style

[@emmyin]

What is this galloping style, please?

[@ck6285]

It's really nice that you reflect on your teaching. 🙂 But I think the head issue has also something to do with sprinting vs relaxed swimming and the specific wave pattern that evolves. Also the body position is slightly different and has an impact on the head position. Thanks for sharing this anyway.

[@blissseeker9]

I agree, the head position stays high when sprinting, but as the pace reduces the head lowers, then you need to adjust rotation to breathe easy. Great vid

[@tomlat]

Faster swimmers are more at the water surface because of their speed. Open water swimmers have swimsuits that also lift them up. So I would argue here with Brenton 😉

[@markmilburn7973]

As someone who has been playing with breathing and stroke I think the biggest difference you can make to your stroke is breathing just getting the timing and position of the head movement does wonders for the rest of the stroke

[@dimrub]

I'm ALWAYS overrotating and my coach ALWAYS complains I'm looking up, instead of to the side. Maybe this is the solution. Thanks!

[@ludamix]

Hi mate you mentioned exhaling through the nose. what are your thoughts on using a nose clip during freestyle?

[@tonyshihoutang6576]

When I need to breath more air , I would drill longer n trying to straighten my whole body & then ready to recover my other arm higher to get my shoulder power drill for gliding.

[@livinginitaly16years80]

I run a swim School in Italy would love to compare methodologies👍🇮🇹

[@razs.4548]

How the 🔥 do you NOT start rotating your upperbody before the catch is developed?

[@33Jenesis]

As a new swimmer I go to the pool daily to practice in finding that sweet spot, hoping to keep that sweet spot. Once I get consistent, my free style would be smoother and less energy sucking. Looking forward to your open water videos. I am in no condition to swim in open water but it is always good to know the difference and necessary techniques in case I fall into an open water by accident.

[@Cat_Trainer]

Doing low breath is cool and very efficient in swimming pools but it's a different story when your swimming in a wavy open waters ☺

[@theswimclub8582]

It's important to learn to breathe bilaterally although you may favor one side or for lack of o2 ..it develops strong muscles on both sides and prevents injuries

[@billslicer3203]

Any suggestions concerning Aerophgia

[@wizardofahhhhhhz]

This is literally the only thing preventing me from making it across the pool. I will try this at my next swim lesson!

[@MrSidReal]

breathing 🤣 makes sense

[@alwynpereira7363]

I'm a beginner swimmer. From my experiments with balancing breathing with body balance and position, it appears that it is more important to get the breathing rhythm right, and over time, get the body balance right (to sink less while breathing). Does anyone have any feedback on my observation? I do believe that balance (and efficiency) can come only over time with experience and strengthening of muscles.

[@dannybowles6181]

Phelps is low though. Better faster?

[@JBosslady]

It might take time oh look like it won't happen, but believe me there is space for everyone, keep pushing. 🙏😊❤️

[@SeeThat92]

Hi, I’m looking for a reference point in my training process. I’ve but working on my technique for 10 months now and I’ve reach a certain confort level. I don’t know how much I could progress more, and how hard it would be. I use the arrow technique, ( 1 leg kick per stroke), at full speed I do 40s per 50m, And I can sustain 2000m at an average of 55s per 50m. Is there any consequent progression margin I can still reach ? Thanks for your advices

[@SeeThat92]

I should mention I train 2 times a week ( 40min each)

[@Alex-kr7zr]

@@SeeThat92 That's 1:50 per 100m, roughly what I swim as well, also with arrow. However, that's relatively slow if you compare it with good triathletes. I usually end up in the lower 50% of Olympic and Half-Iron events. So yes, there is a lot of progression margin. I'd say the goal should be to hold 1:30/100 at 2000m and you most likely won't reach that with the low kick rate of the arrow method.

[@traceychapman4825]

Omg my breathing technique is holding me back

[@deNudge]

I experienced quite the opposite: When doing a side kicking drill, my body is sinking so much during exhalation, that I have to turn my head extremely way up, so that my mouth can touch the water surface and I can get the next breath. An ugly sensation of drowning. 😢

[@MrSidReal]

You're exhaling too early or slowly. Time it right to retain the buoyancy

[@katebeedot6964]

Breathing properly conditions practically everything in water so thanks a lot but it would be nice to get some closeup examples from the swimmers

[@sebpig9956]

cant wait for next week. i swallow too much water during tri. Never happens at the pool.

[@richardpowell1425]

This is really helpful. Thanks. I solved a year-long problem breathing to my left. Turns out my down kick was driving up legs and pushing my head down at a bad time.

[@djokovic1747]

I've practiced for ages and now have my head low! always one eye looking underwater. Is this now wrong?

[@EffortlessSwimming]

Not wrong as long it doesn’t affect your stroke in the ways mentioned I. The video

[@djokovic1747]

@@EffortlessSwimming top coach👍love the vids!!

[@xilouwanping]

hi，When I kick sideways, my body spins. By the way, my ankles are not very flexible

[@sailorfamilytse5330]

head deep will cause injury, though it gives u a feel of downhill

[@barrymiller99]

Isn’t generating more torque the principal issue?

[@F_Bardamu]

How come pro swimmers lift out of the water when they breathe? Makes it look like they're galoping in the water.

[@liukang85]

Yeah I've actually learned this myself over the course of this year... I think it's one of those things being taught different to how it's actually done by everyone.. for Instance there are also clips of Steph Curry teaching how to shoot optimally and then every time he shoots himself he disregards his own advice

[@cindyscott8470]

I think I say thank you, but I have always swam high in the water.

[@dosazsolt9725]

so basicly voda means water

[@adorablegodzilla5628]

If you look at how much swimming has changed in the past 30 years, I think everything will be "wrong" in 100 years time as better methods are discovered.

[@rebecacalderonlopez6179]

Gracias pero estamps en Mecico y no te entiendo nada traduzcan al español adips

[@petercam8]

You don't talk about exhaling why?))

[@Colin-cv6wt]

what you taught wasnt wrong for beginners, but you are comparing technique for the elite with beginners. Different freestyle strokes