Proper Breathing Technique for Swimming

Proper Breathing Technique for Swimming

Breathing is something we all need to do—even in a nice, relaxing backyard pool or when swimming competitively. Once you pick a breathing technique that works best for you while you swim, you’ll be a safer, more confident swimmer—and you’ll be able to improve your overall ability to enjoy the activity, even if it’s just in a backyard lap pool. Take a moment to learn more about how you’re supposed to breathe while swimming.

Use Your Mouth (Not Your Nose)

It may be tempting to do what works best for you on land and use your nose primarily to breathe while swimming. The problem with doing this while immersed in water is that you’ll end up with more water than air inside your nostrils. This is why many swimmers, especially competitive ones, use nose plugs. What you can do instead is breathe with your mouth. Besides, it’s a lot easier to turn to one side and then the other to grab a few quick mouth breaths than it is to do the same thing with your nose.

Practice by the Wall of Your Pool

Another way to learn how to breathe through your mouth effectively while swimming is to stand by the wall of the pool. You can then hang on to the wall as you turn your head one way, take a breath, and put your head underwater before turning to the other side. Doing it this way allows you to feel safe as you develop a comfortable pattern of turning your head to breathe.

Work on Your Timing

The general recommendation with breathing as you swim is to develop a natural pattern with how you breathe in and out. You don’t want to do anything that feels forced, nor do you want to get into a panicked state where you end up gasping or taking in water in a way that throws off your swimming and presents some potential health and safety risks.

Move Your Head Slowly & Naturally

Some new swimmers get into the habit of jolting or abnormally moving their heads while breathing. The potential problem here is such movements can actually slow you down. Plus, you may end up with neck strain from these motions if you’re swimming for a while. Instead, smoothly and naturally move your head to take breaths as you swim. You’ll ultimately be a more productive and comfortable swimmer this way, too.

Practice Breathing while Doing Laps

Lastly, do some actual swimming where you’re doing either full or half laps. This gives you a chance to brush up on your breathing technique in a more practical way that’s still comfortable. You’ll also be able to practice your preferred swimming stroke as you breathe, which further allows you to transfer what you’ve learned to something that will help you swim better—and faster, if this is a goal you have set for yourself.

If you’re ready to build a pool of your own so you can enjoy the benefits of swimming, reach out to the experienced professionals at San Diego Pools. We are a premier San Diego pool builder, and our pool design and construction experts are dedicated to building the pool that’s right for your family and providing you with the highest-quality service in the industry. Give us a call today at (888) 737-6657.