More often than not, people give up learning freestyle swimming due to the swallowing of water. Most people find it too difficult to avoid accidental drinking of water during the breathing process. The sucking in of water may be due to insufficient air and the sinking of arms during breathing. The incident of water inhalation instead of air is very likely to happen during a race as the waves are strong. However, do not despair if you are having such breathing difficulties. Among the freestyle breathing techniques to be used, you can try using the shark fin drills, side kicking and the one-arm drill. The one-arm drill will require a full stroke swim using one arm while another will be at rest. Your breathing should occur in the opposing direction of your stroking arm. You will need few practices before you master such breathing techniques.
If you are not getting enough air during your swim, the first step is to ensure you breathe out completely before you inhale a new breath. Some people would try to breathe in and exhale in split second during the rolling to the side but certainly there is not possible due to time constraint. Your exhalations should only be done in the water, breathing out in bubbles form. This breathing method may seem difficult initially but after several practices you should be able to get it right. Besides, roll your head to the side to breathe in and not rotating your head to look up. This is the way to avoid sinking when breathing.
Another common challenge faced by freestyle swimmers is the sinking of your extended arms during the process of breathing. This issue is primarily caused by unbalancing. While you are breathing at a side, your resting arm should be extended. Most swimmers will have the extended arm pushing downwards thus leading to them sinking into the water. The freestyle breathing techniques to overcome this problem are the shark fin drills and side kicking as well as the fist drill. The fist drill teaches swimmers not to use the hands and hence enhance one’s balancing in the water.
One common phenomenon that occurs during freestyle strokes is the short pause taken during the occurrence of breathing, therefore speed is reduced. Many people claim that they encounter the loss of momentum the moment they rise to take a breath. The breathing method to remedy such problems is to concentrate on breathing to side and instead of having your mouth over the water, place it parallel to the water level. You may need to take some time to master it but your pause can be overcome if you have the skill right at your hands.
The difficulty in breathing while navigating during a race is also another regular problem faced by many beginners. It is definitely impossible to rise for a breath and at the same time seeing where you are heading to. Among the possible freestyle breathing techniques to apply here is to begin using the bilateral breathing, basically means take breath on both sides after every three strokes. With this, you need lift up your head too much to have a view of your position. However, try to take a prompt peek at your target and take your breath before lowering your head back into the water. Looking straight ahead of you may affect your balance and cause you to sink.
