How to Breathe for the Freestyle Stroke

Freestyle, also known as the front crawl, is one of the most basic swimming techniques and is included in most club-swimming and international competitions. Knowing how to breathe properly is one of the keys to mastering this popular swimming stroke. Efficient breathing speeds up swimming and cuts down on energy spent kicking.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Place both hands in front of the head with the left hand not moving. It's important to keep the left arm extended to the front wall in order to not put any additional pressure on the hips.

2. Start the stroke with the right hand going in a circular motion into the water. Allow the head to rotate with the torso.

3. Rotate head out of the water to the right. When the right hand reaches the waist, take a breath. After gaining air, rotate the head back to the nose facing bottom position before the body.

4. Release the bubbles when the right hand reaches the surface of the water.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the direction that your belly button is facing in order to measure if you are accurate with positioning. For example, in the beginning of the roll, the belly button should be just past facing the bottom of the pool. The belly button should face the right wall as the body roll reaches its farthest point on the left side and vice versa
• This stroke can be practiced with the right hand not moving while the left hand propels forward as well.
• Keep legs kicking for balance.
• Don't allow the head to turn ahead of the body roll so that the head overcomes the urge to rise. Lifting the head upwards drains energy and slows the swimmer down.

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