Breathing is a crucial part of swimming. It is imperative to swim great Freestyle. Many beginner and intermediate swimmers struggle to get their breathing right. They often lift their heads to breathe, swallowing tons of water. Some swimmers prefer to swim with their heads out of the water the entire time. These bad habits make you less efficient in the water and can make your overall breathing significantly harder, causing swimming to be far more stressful than it needs to be. Developing a good breathing technique is one of the hardest things for new swimmers to master but one that needs constant attention. Breathing correctly will help make you feel more relaxed in the water, making stroke adjustments easier. By having poor breathing, you can cause other issues with your strokes, like scissor kicking, poor body position, crossing-over, and lop-sided strokes, to name a few.

We will cover five simple things to consider when working on your breathing in Freestyle. Each will help you be more efficient and maintain your energy level for extended periods.