Bilateral Breathing in Swimming: Techniques, Benefits, and Drills

How to Breathe on Both Sides Swimming?

Bilateral breathing, or breathing on both sides while swimming, is a fundamental skill for developing a balanced, efficient, and injury-resilient freestyle stroke. It involves coordinating body rotation with a minimal head turn to inhale air every three or five strokes, alternating sides.

Why Bilateral Breathing Matters: The Foundational Benefits

Mastering bilateral breathing is not merely an advanced technique; it is a cornerstone of efficient and sustainable swimming. Its benefits extend beyond simply getting air:

• Improved Body Symmetry and Balance: Consistently breathing to one side can lead to an asymmetrical stroke, where one arm may pull stronger or one shoulder may be higher. Bilateral breathing promotes even muscle development and a more balanced pull, reducing drag and improving glide. This symmetry is crucial for maintaining a straight line in the water.
• Enhanced Proprioception and Body Awareness: By forcing you to rotate and breathe to both sides, you become more aware of your body's position in the water, your rotation, and how your stroke feels on each side. This awareness is invaluable for identifying and correcting imbalances.
• Reduced Risk of Overuse Injuries: A one-sided breathing pattern can place repetitive stress on one shoulder, neck, and upper back, potentially leading to muscle imbalances and overuse injuries. Alternating sides distributes this stress more evenly, promoting healthier joint and muscle function.
• Increased Endurance and Efficiency: While it might initially feel like more effort, bilateral breathing can actually improve your overall endurance. It allows for more consistent oxygen intake over longer distances and encourages a more relaxed, rhythmic stroke, conserving energy.
• Tactical Advantage in Open Water: In open water swimming, conditions can change rapidly. Being able to breathe to either side allows you to adapt to waves, sun glare, or the position of other swimmers, ensuring you always have a clear view and access to air.
• Better Feel for the Water: A more balanced stroke, facilitated by bilateral breathing, allows for a more effective "catch" and "pull" through the water on both sides, enhancing your overall propulsion.

Understanding the Mechanics: The Core Principles

Effective bilateral breathing hinges on integrating several key biomechanical principles rather than just turning your head:

• Integrated Body Rotation: The breath is initiated by a rotation of your entire torso, not just your head. Your head follows your rotating body, allowing one goggle to remain in the water while the other clears the surface. This minimizes disruption to your streamlined position.
• Minimal Head Movement: The goal is to turn your head only as much as necessary to get a breath, keeping one eye and ear in the water. Lifting your head too high or too far out of alignment with your body will cause your hips to drop, increasing drag.
• Proper Timing: The breath should be taken during the recovery phase of the arm on the breathing side. As your arm exits the water and begins its forward swing, your body rotates, and you take your breath. This synchronicity maintains momentum.
• Continuous Exhalation: A common mistake is holding your breath underwater. You must continuously and fully exhale while your face is submerged. This prepares your lungs for a quick, efficient inhale when you turn to breathe.

Step-by-Step Guide to Bilateral Breathing

Developing bilateral breathing requires conscious practice and patience. Follow these steps for a structured approach:

1. Establish a Strong Freestyle Foundation: Before focusing on bilateral breathing, ensure you have a solid freestyle stroke with good body position, consistent arm pull, and continuous kicking.
2. Practice Continuous Exhalation:
   • Start by floating on your stomach, holding a kickboard if needed.
   • Submerge your face and blow bubbles continuously until you need to breathe.
   • Lift your head straight up to breathe, then immediately return your face to the water and resume exhaling.
   • The goal is to empty your lungs underwater so you can take a full, quick inhale when you turn.
3. Focus on Body Rotation:
   • Perform a "six-kick switch" drill: Push off the wall on your side, one arm extended forward, the other resting by your hip. Kick six times, then rotate onto your other side, switching arm positions.
   • Keep your head aligned with your spine as you rotate, looking down. This drill emphasizes hip and shoulder rotation independent of the head.
4. Integrate Head Turn with Body Rotation:
   • As you swim, initiate your breath by rotating your hips and shoulders.
   • Allow your head to turn with your body, not independently. Imagine a skewer running from the top of your head through your spine to your feet; your head rotates along this axis.
   • Your mouth should clear the water just enough to inhale, with one goggle still submerged.
5. The Inhale:
   • Take a quick, sharp breath into your side (not straight up), almost as if you're taking a sip of air.
   • Avoid over-rotating or lifting your head too high, which will cause your hips to drop.
6. The Return to Streamline:
   • As soon as you've inhaled, immediately return your face to the water, looking straight down.
   • Your head should lead your body back into the streamlined position.
7. Choose Your Breathing Pattern:
   • The most common bilateral breathing pattern is every three strokes (right-left-right, breath; left-right-left, breath). This ensures you alternate sides consistently.
   • You can also practice every five strokes for longer stretches of underwater focus, or even every seven strokes for advanced training.

Common Mistakes and How to Correct Them

• Lifting the Head Too High: This breaks your streamline, causes your hips to drop, and increases drag.
  • Correction: Focus on rotating your body more. Try to keep one goggle in the water as you breathe. Use a snorkel to practice maintaining a flat head position while breathing.
• Holding Your Breath Underwater: This leads to carbon dioxide buildup, making you feel out of breath quickly.
  • Correction: Emphasize continuous, gentle exhalation through your nose and mouth while your face is in the water. Practice blowing bubbles throughout your stroke.
• Insufficient Body Rotation: If you're not rotating enough, you'll feel like you have to crank your neck to get air.
  • Correction: Focus on driving your lead arm deeply into the water and rotating your hips with each stroke. Drills like the six-kick switch or single-arm swimming can help exaggerate rotation.
• Breathing Unevenly: Only breathing to one side, even if you intend to breathe bilaterally.
  • Correction: Consciously count your strokes (e.g., "1, 2, 3, breath RIGHT; 1, 2, 3, breath LEFT"). Start with short distances and focus on the pattern.
• Pausing or Gliding Too Long to Breathe: This disrupts rhythm and momentum.
  • Correction: Integrate the breath seamlessly into your stroke. The turn should be quick and efficient, not a prolonged pause.

Drills to Develop Bilateral Breathing

Incorporate these drills into your warm-up or main sets to build bilateral breathing proficiency:

• Kickboard with Bilateral Breathing: Hold a kickboard with both hands extended. Kick gently and practice turning your head to breathe every 3 or 5 kicks, alternating sides. This isolates the head turn and body rotation without arm interference.
• Single-Arm Swimming: Swim freestyle using only one arm, keeping the other arm extended forward or at your side. Breathe every 2 or 3 strokes to the side of the working arm. Alternate which arm is working after a set distance. This exaggerates body rotation.
• Catch-Up Drill with Bilateral Breathing: With both arms extended forward, take one stroke, then bring that hand back to meet the other before starting the next stroke. Breathe every 3 or 5 strokes, ensuring your head turns with the body. The pause allows you to focus on the rotation and breath timing.
• Fist Drill: Swim freestyle with clenched fists. This forces you to rely more on body rotation and core stability for propulsion and balance, making bilateral breathing more natural.
• Snorkel Training: Using a front-mounted snorkel allows you to breathe continuously without turning your head. This can help you focus purely on body rotation and maintaining a flat head position without the need to lift for air. Once comfortable, reintroduce head turns for breathing, applying the learned body rotation.

Integrating Bilateral Breathing into Your Swim

• Start Gradually: Don't try to switch to bilateral breathing for your entire workout immediately. Begin with short intervals, perhaps one length out of every four, or focusing on it during warm-ups.
• Consistency is Key: Regular practice, even for short durations, is more effective than infrequent, long sessions.
• Listen to Your Body: If you feel dizzy or overly fatigued, revert to your dominant breathing side for a few strokes, then try again.
• Embrace the Unfamiliarity: It will feel awkward and less efficient at first. This is normal. Your body needs time to adapt to new movement patterns.
• Seek Feedback: If possible, have a coach or experienced swimmer observe your stroke. External feedback can be invaluable for identifying subtle errors.

Conclusion

Bilateral breathing is a hallmark of a skilled and efficient swimmer. While it may present a challenge initially, the investment in mastering this technique pays dividends in improved stroke mechanics, enhanced endurance, and reduced injury risk. By understanding the underlying principles and committing to consistent practice, you can transform your swimming, making it more balanced, powerful, and enjoyable.