BREATHING RATE: "Every 2" vs. "Every 3"

[Richardsk]

This is an interesting thread - aren't they all, actually?

I am an inveterate left side breather, although if I really concentrate I can breathe to the right. I have never made a serious attempt to breathe in the classic bilateral pattern, which I think can wait until I sort out more fundamental aspects of my swimming.

Breathing on the left and swimming very slowly, I can breathe every two, every four and even sometimes every eight. I just blow bubbles until all the air is gone and then breathe. I think only every two is possible on the right side. I suspect that my head is always slightly turned to the left, which makes left side breathing easy. I also suspect that I do not roll enough to the right side, although I consciously try to do so. I also try very hard to keep my head central and not tilted. When I try to swim fast ( or less slowly to be more accurate) I always breathe every two to the left. I find this odd because I am right handed and one would think that the stronger sweep with the right hand would help to roll the body. Maybe one leg is also weaker than the other ( I think it always is - or at least one leg is always dominant). Footballers (Soccer and Rugby players) usually have a "good" leg to kick with, although some can kick very well with either foot and at a high level everyone is expected to be able to do so. Perhaps something similar applies to swimmers as the kick is an element in the body roll.

I don't know how common these asymmetries of the freestyle stroke are, but I suspect that they are very common. At the elite level most male swimmers breathe to one side, although I'm sure they work on the other side in training. Female elite swimmers seem to be more inclined to use the classical bilateral technique. I wonder why?