Can't breathe!

[arunks]

Breathing tips from Karlyn Pipes Neilsen

Relax: Air will always be available, but not if you fight for it. Let the water support you & enjoy. Bob & blow bubbles like a kid.

Timing: Exhale some air almost as soon as the face enters the water. Taking a "little off the top" will minimizes the CO2 reflex that falsely triggers your need for more air. You just took a breath, silly.

Velocity: Try to "hum" or trickle your air out without a lot of force. Forcing your air out uses extra energy and does nothing to help you swim across the pool or bay.

Volume: As you hum/trickle your air out, always leave a little in reserve. If you completely empty your lungs, you have no other alternative than to take the next "breath" and that breath may be all water.

Hope this helps.

[haschu33]

In my opinion:

Originally Posted by cantswim

...
I understand that I am supposed to exhale while my face is under the water, at all times. Is this correct?...

Basically, yes. When I use a long breathing pattern (like every 4th or 5th stroke or even longer) I almost don't exhale at all in the beginning, otherwise I don't make it and have to breathe earlier. But for breathing every other stroke this is true.

Originally Posted by cantswim

...
And another thing. By the time I go for air, should I be completely out of breathe? Like COMPLETELY? ...

No. I don't force my breath at all, neither out nor in. I did that and it always gave my an exhausted feeling. When I let my breath happen 'naturally' the body does that on it's own and the inhale and exhale will have the proper amount. But you have to make sure that the out-breath is finished to some part while the head is under water and to some part just before breathing to clear your mouth of water.
The other thing is that it sometimes happens that you get water and not air on your next breath. When you emptied your lungs completely, you get in trouble.


Hang on in there...

[mbruse]

Check out the section of this blog devoted to breathing. O2 in H2O

http://www.totalimmersion.net/index....php%3Ft%3D2419

Also, try to set a goal to get to lesson six drills by end of summer or some reasonable timeframe. Checkout the easy freestyle instruction manual under the free stuff section.

[cantswim]

Bit of an update.

My problem was not head position as I said earlier. It was simply not rotating enough. When I focused on rotating "right to where the air is" in a single SMOOTH motion I was able to get it down with a few days of practice.

I can now breathe just as easy on my left side as on my right side.

I still have a lot of problems with my swim, as I get tired after just a few laps, but just wanted to clear this up. I am going to practice drills from the new DVD now so I can focus on building good technique.