Freestyle Swimming Technique | Breathing

Get faster, fitter, stronger at the pool by improving your swim technique with our series of Speedo Fit videos. Produced with an elite swim coach and filmed in slow motion to help you improve your freestyle: body positioning, kick, stroke and breathing technique.

Combining multiple camera angles and animations to capture the best footage to help you see how to improve your swim technique.

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[DeadeyeJoe]

My 2¢ - I think when they're saying "keep your body flat", they're meaning don't bend your head and/or your upper body upwards to get it out of the water more to breathe. Looking at the person swimming, you clearly see that they're rotating their upper body with the stroke, but they're keeping their head & body straight, IE parallel to the water/ground.

I used to bend my head and body upwards towards the sky when I breathed. My instructor said the same thing the video said, keep your body in a straight and then she mentioned what I was doing. Made much more sense.

[leananshae]

A trick I learned in swim team: In order to regulate exhalation, hum as you breathe out through your nose. Engaging your vocal chords acts as a valve and you can regulate the amount you breathe out by how loudly or softly you hum.

[undeadpharoah]

I think the commentary in this video is one of the best examples of how every human body behaves and functions differently.  About 75% of swim coaches tell you to rotate your body while this video says to keep it "as flat as possible".  There's also a lot of debate about breathing slowly underwater as this video suggests or forcefully exhaling all the air as soon as your head re-enters the water and finishing exhaling before your next breath.  Practice different techniques and do what works for you best.  Bilateral breathing every 3 strokes for me was one of the best techniques I learned because it helped me swim more straight, yet my brother can still swim faster than me breathing on the same side.

[lordbyron]

Knowing how to breathe is the key to distance swimming and distance running! When I was younger, I’d swim 4-5 hours nonstop. Total relaxation!! Same with running 14-16 miles . And of course marathons.

[davidbubbsoar]

great explanation of how to breath efficiently. i am training for becoming a californian lifeguard and watching these videos keeps my technique in shape! keep these awesome vids coming :)  

[Midi]

I'm having troubles with the inhales. Every time i watch someone it seems like it takes them ½-1 second to do the inhale. For me i need like 2-3 second to get a full inhale or it feels like i'm not gotten enough air in to keep swimming. Any suggestions? Also swallowing water seems to a problem for me as well :P

[IranIrakPrestan]

Thanks speedo. I tried this technique and it worked for me. My rotation isn't as flat as shown on video but look forward finding a more comfortable position to do so.

[station]

DO NOT "...aim to keep your body as flat as possible" as stated in the video. Freestyle is a rotational stroke. Flat swimmers are slow swimmers. Rotation adds to streamlining. Weird that Speedo authorized this video.

[maykomarquez]

Can you guys please make videos like this for Flip turning and Starts? :))

[liyuling]

this dude makes swimming an easy thing.

[prycealderson]

Breathing under the arm is contrary to the latest concepts of keeping the two arms moving opposite and balanced. The breath would be while the arm is finishing and alongside the body. The “late” breathing technique demonstrated here can lead to shoulder issues.

[aaronestrada]

Thana for this! I will try this at my next practice! 😊

[bordellosax]

so  usefull videos thnaks for  sharing

[geniemist]

I could not help but to laugh at those ''fins'' at 1:27

[Madhu]

I can only do 2 strokes like this..after that the head pops up automatically to take in more air or to exhale..

[tyleramuzu]

Very good love speedo swimming products

[smritibhattacharya]

Which brand and model are his goggles? Thanks.

[BhaveshPatel-yzxt]

very nice, excellent i liked swimming 🏊🏊

[gabriellafalcon]

For all of you that say you're drowning while trying this technique, hum and you'll feel bubbles coming out from your nose. When you turn to the side do the same but intake air through your mouth (:

[FirstNameLastName-qvtf]

I can't get enough oxygen when I come up to breathe and then I get exhausted...Any tips?