Breathing your first

From the very first second that we submerge ourselves in water, on a very basic level our brain begins to panic. Even elite swimmers will be aware that there is a faint warning bell sounding somewhere. We know deep down that this is not our natural environment. Survival is the key consideration and as soon as we are out of our depth we need to have a pretty good idea of how this is to be achieved.

And the primary consideration is how we are to breathe in a medium where breathing is impossible. Secondary is how we are going to do that and still get anywhere

One of the major hurdles faced by the novice (and sometimes not-so-novice) swimmer is that of how to integrate breathing into the stroke. The fundamental issue is that it is difficult to breathe without a decent technique, but to gain that technique it seems pretty vital that one can breathe. It’s a real chicken and egg scenario (which might be one of the reasons that chickens are lousy swimmers).

It’s fascinating going to the local pool and observing how folks have sought to overcome this dichotomy.

It’s obvious that many have chosen to opt for the “breathing any way I can” approach and hope that they can sort out the body movements which will enable them to tackle the problem later.

Sadly, this is rarely successful. The act of breathing invariable breaks any connection which there may be between limbs. Once this frame is broken everything else goes to pot; for example, the streamlined position can disappear, and parts of the body begin to sink resulting in splaying of the legs to compensate. That can lead to over-rotation of the body to be sure of the next breath, which in turn can lock the scapula preventing a smooth arm recovery (and increasing the danger of shoulder injury). The consequence of that can be a poor catch and co-ordination and it all results in a significant reduction in forward momentum. It’s quite a list.

Swimmers with this approach often have a very splashy stroke which is inefficient and exhausting. If they swim more than twenty-five metres without needing a rest at the end of the pool it’s a surprise.

So, if the breath stroke is the problem perhaps it’s better to try and hold the breath for as long as possible? However, to keep the lungs full of air can unbalance the body causing the legs to sink which still leads to some of the issues listed earlier. More importantly, breath holding can be extremely dangerous, increasing the levels of CO2 in the blood stream and raising the possibility of blackouts.

Thus hypoxic breathing is advocated by some experts. (However, equally it is despised by others). For the uninitiated, hypoxic breathing is the art of breathing less. For the swimmer this means taking more strokes between breaths. It is said that this slows the flow of blood to the muscles leading to increased aerobic capacity and faster swimming.

Maybe.

But maybe not.

The jury is probably still out, (although many have already returned a guilty verdict). Either way, it’s definitely something for experienced swimmers under expert tuition and with medical guidance due to the strains it will put on the body.

Why take the risk? Is it not better to develop to a stage where the breath feels natural and unforced? To get to a stage where you don’t have to reduce the number of breaths taken because the breathing stroke is completely integrated and doesn’t interrupt the natural flow?

Clearly that’s the ideal but, of course it simply circles us back to where we came in and that Catch 22 between overall technique and breathing.

Obviously, a different approach is required to the way we learn and train.

This can often mean a return to absolute basics. If the primary concern is that of survival, that’s where we need to start. Developing efficient breath management is the first building block. Without it, the whole edifice will crumble.  To release the air from the lungs in a slow and steady trickle from the nose followed by a quick sip of air deep into the diaphragm is the key. This is the foundation for everything else that is to come. Until the cycle of getting air in and out of the body efficiently becomes second nature, little progress will be possible.

But the good thing is that you don’t need to be in a pool or a lake to practice it. You can be, but it isn’t vital. You might get a few funny looks by someone who finds you sitting at the kitchen table with your head in a bowlful of water – particularly if you tell them you are learning how to swim – but persevere. The dividends are enormous!

Because that’s often the key that unlocks the problem, particularly for the beginner. Once they are comfortable with their head in the water; once they are confident that they have far more time before they need air than they ever thought and, once they develop the habit of gradually releasing the air in their lungs, then they will be able to concentrate on the small issue of forward motion. 

Normally one wouldn’t integrate full breathing into the learning just yet, concentrating instead on short repeats to master a beautiful streamlined stroke. But with the foundations laid and good habits ingrained so deeply they become second-nature, anybody can master the art of breathing whilst swimming without ever causing undue stress on the body.

(Disclaimer. This does not necessarily apply to chickens).