Freestyle Breathing Drills: An Introduction

Last Updated on August 7, 2024 by admin

This article will provide advice, hacks, tips and introductory drills to improve a swimmer’s freestyle breathing technique.

• The most common fault with younger or less experienced swimmers is that they breathe with their heads out of the water.

By lifting their head, swimmers naturally drop their hips into a position that significantly increases drag* and makes their freestyle stroke less efficient.

*Drag: The resistance caused by the swimmer’s head, body or limbs, as they move through the water

• To swim freestyle efficiently, swimmers must learn to swim and breathe with their heads in the water.
• Below is a series of drills to teach a swimmer how to breathe correctly while swimming freestyle.

Trickle freestyle breathing development – dryland

Introduction: A common freestyle breathing fault is for swimmers to hold their breath while their face is in the water.

• They then exhale and inhale quickly while their face is out of the water.
• This establishes an irregular, shallow breathing pattern that is ineffective at supplying the oxygen required to the muscles and organs while swimming.
• Trickle breathing ensures the swimmer develops a deeper more efficient breathing technique.
• This requires the swimmer to take a large quick breath, then slowly exhale in the water via their nose or mouth.

How to perform this drill: This freestyle breathing drill introduces the swimmer to trickle breathing.

• This drill can be practiced anywhere out of the water.
• The swimmer needs access to a clock or a watch with a second hand.
• The swimmer starts this drill by taking a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• Then they should start to exhale very slowly, via their nose or mouth (‘trickle breathe’), until they have no breath left.
• Swimmers should record the time it takes to fill their lungs and then empty them.
• This drill should demonstrate to the swimmer that by adopting trickle breathing, they have enough time to perform an effective freestyle stroke.

Trickle freestyle breathing development – Pool

Introduction: This freestyle breathing drill introduces the swimmer to trickle breathing in the water.

How to perform this drill: The swimmer stands up straight, waist-deep in the water.

• The swimmer then bends their knees, lowering themselves into the water until their chin is touching the surface.
• They then take a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• Then the swimmer lowers themselves still further into the water until the line of the water has covered both their nose and mouth and is just below the rim of their goggles.
• They start to breathe out in the water very slowly, via their nose or mouth (‘trickle breathe’) until they have no breath left.
• The swimmer then raises themselves out of the water and then take a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• The swimmer should repeat this drill six times.

Trickle freestyle breathing development – Pool 2

Introduction: This freestyle breathing drill further helps develop the swimmer’s trickle breathing technique.

How to perform this drill: The swimmer enters the pool, holding a kickboard and stands in the water up to their waist.

• They hold the kickboard, with both hands grasping the outer edges.
• They then take a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• Then they bend at the hips until their face is in the water and they are looking down at the bottom of the pool.
• They then exhale in the water very slowly, via their nose or mouth (‘trickle breathe’), until they have no breath left.
• When they have finished exhaling, they turn their head to the side, still with their head in the water, until their mouth is just above the water’s surface.
• They then take a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• After they have finished inhaling, they then turn their head back into the water.
• Once the swimmer feels comfortable, they should repeat this drill six times.
• Once the swimmer has mastered this drill, they should repeat it a further six times. But this time breathing three times on the right-hand side and three times on the left-hand side.

Freestyle breathing with a kickboard

Introduction: For this freestyle breathing drill, the swimmer will require a kickboard and a pair of fins.

How to perform this drill:

• Starting in the water at the end of the pool.
• The swimmer should hold the kickboard, with both hands grasping the outer edges.
• They then take a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• With a push and glide from the end of the pool, the swimmer should adopt a prone (face down) position in the water, looking at the pool bottom, with their arms extended, while still holding the kickboard.
• The swimmer then starts a freestyle (flutter) kick
• They then exhale in the water very slowly, via their nose or mouth (‘trickle breathe’), until they have no breath left.
• When they have finished exhaling, they should turn their head to the side, still with their head in the water, until their mouth is just above the surface of the water.
• They then take a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• After they have finished inhaling, they then return their head to the original exhaling position.
• They should continue this drill for one length/lap of the pool.
• Swimmers should repeat this drill, breathing on their other side.
• Once the swimmer feels comfortable, they should repeat this drill for two lengths/laps of the pool.
• Once the swimmer has mastered this drill, they should repeat the drill, but this time breathing alternate on their right-hand and left-hand sides.

Coach Arthur says: “To assist them when turning their head to breathe, swimmers should smoothly rotate their body, from the shoulders, trunk and hips”.

 Related article on freestyle kicking: improving the technique

We have produced a related article, on freestyle kicking: improving the technique. You can view it by clicking this link: Swimming training: freestyle kicking

Single-arm pull with a kickboard

Introduction: This drill is similar to the one above, except that it introduces the swimmer to a single-arm pull.  For this drill, the swimmer will again require a kickboard and a pair of fins.

How to perform this drill:

• Starting in the water at the end of the pool.
• The swimmer should hold the kickboard, with both hands grasping the outer edges.
• They then should inhale taking a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• With a push and glide from the end of the pool, the swimmer should adopt a prone (face down) position in the water, looking at the pool bottom, with their arms extended, while still holding the kickboard.
• The swimmer then starts a freestyle (flutter) kick
• They then exhale in the water very slowly, via their nose or mouth (‘trickle breathe’), until they have no breath left.
• As the swimmer performs a single freestyle arm stroke (pull) with their right arm while still holding the kickboard with their left hand
• As their pulling hand reaches their hip, they turn their head and rotate their body, towards the left-hand side, which raises their body on the right-hand side.
  • This allows the swimmer to inhale as their arm starts to recover out of the water, with a high elbow position.
• Once the arm is fully recovered into the original extended (catch) position, the swimmer should return to a prone (face down) position in the water, looking at the pool bottom.
• They should continue this exercise for one length/lap of the pool.
• Swimmers should repeat this exercise breathing on their left-hand side.
• Once the swimmer feels comfortable, they should repeat this drill for two lengths/laps of the pool.
• Once the swimmer has mastered this drill, they should repeat it, but this time breathing alternate on their right-hand and left-hand sides.

Single-arm pull with arms extended

Introduction: This drill is similar to the one above, except that the swimmer, while still wearing fins, performs this drill without a kickboard.

How to perform this drill:

• Starting in the water at the end of the pool.
• The swimmer should hold the kickboard, with both hands grasping the outer edges.
• They then should inhale taking a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• With a push and glide from the end of the pool, the swimmer should adopt a prone (face down) position in the water, looking at the pool bottom, with their arms extended.
• The swimmer then starts a freestyle (flutter) kick
• They then exhale in the water while the swimmer performs a single freestyle arm stroke (pull) with their right arm and keeps their left hand extended.
• As their pulling hand reaches their hip, they turn their head and rotate their body, towards the left-hand side, which raises their body on the right-hand side.
• The swimmer then inhales and starts to recover their arm out of the water, with a high elbow position.
• Once the arm is fully recovered into the original extended (catch) position, the swimmer should return to a prone (face down) position in the water, looking at the pool bottom.
• They should continue this drill for one length/lap of the pool.
• Swimmers should repeat this drill breathing on their left-hand side.
• Once the swimmer feels comfortable, they should repeat this drill for two lengths/laps of the pool.

Catch-up drill

Introduction: This is a classic freestyle drill, which introduces the swimmer to alternate freestyle breathing and arm action.

How to perform this progression: This drill is similar to the one above, but for this drill, the swimmer breathes alternately on their right-hand and left-hand sides.

• Starting in the water at the end of the pool.
• The swimmer should hold the kickboard, with both hands grasping the outer edges.
• They then should inhale taking a large quick breath, which fills their lungs.
• With a push and glide from the end of the pool, the swimmer should adopt a prone (face down) position in the water, looking at the pool bottom, with their arms extended.
• The swimmer then starts a freestyle (flutter) kick
• They then exhale in the water while the swimmer performs a single freestyle arm stroke (pull) with their right arm and keeps their left hand extended.
• As their pulling hand reaches their hip, they turn their head and rotate their body, towards the left-hand side, which raises their body on the right-hand side.
• The swimmer then inhales and starts to recover their arm out of the water, with a high elbow position.
• Once the arm is fully recovered into the original extended (catch) position, the swimmer should have returned to a prone (face down) position in the water, looking at the pool bottom.
• Then repeat this drill, using a left-arm pull
• They should continue this drill for one length/lap of the pool.
• Once the swimmer feels comfortable, they should repeat this drill for two lengths/laps of the pool.

Freestyle Breathing: Takeaways

This article will provide hacks, tips and introductory drills to improve a swimmer’s freestyle breathing technique.

The most common fault with less experienced swimmers is that they breathe with their heads out of the water.

By lifting their head, swimmers naturally drop their hips into a position that significantly increases drag, making their freestyle stroke less efficient.

To swim freestyle efficiently swimmers must learn to swim and breathe with their heads in the water.

Related freestyle articles you may find useful

We have produced a series of related articles on freestyle. You can view these by clicking these links: Common Competitive Freestyle Faults | An Overview of The Freestyle Stroke | Improving the Freestyle Pull | Improving the Freestyle Catch | Freestyle Leg Kicking Patterns: An Introduction | Freestyle Body Rotation: An Introduction | The Major Muscles Used During Freestyle | Dryland Training Exercises for Freestyle | How to Improve a Freestyle Start | Freestyle Turns Made Easy | Freestyle Breathing Drills: An Introduction | Freestyle Kicking: Improving the Technique | 101 Ways to Improve Your Freestyle Swimming

Related publication: FREESTYLE Competitive Swimming Drills & Progressions

We have published a related publication: FREESTYLE Competitive Swimming Drills & Progressions. For further details and ordering information please use the following link: FREESTYLE Competitive Swimming Drills & Progressions.

Related publication: Swimming Plus: Freestyle

Swimming Plus: FREESTYLE is a publication designed for those swimmers who want to improve their freestyle swimming technique.

• • Swimming Plus provides you with a series of structured and progressive session training plans, plus detailed drill descriptions and expert coaching tips.

• • With Swimming Plus you can progress at your own pace when it’s convenient for you.

For further details and ordering information please use the following link: Swimming Plus: Freestyle

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• • This is a competitive swimming Facebook group to help exchange ideas and information to collectively improve the sport we love.

• • It’s an international group for all swimmers, coaches, teachers, masters, triathletes and swimming parents. It’s for all those who are interested in competitive swimming, either in the pool or in open water

For more information about joining this group please use the following link: The Competitive Swimming Exchange