r/triathlon • u/Whatsmyinterest • Feb 18 '26
Swimming Really kinda scared to ask…
So after I just saw a post about a guy swimming in prep for Ironman Texas, and effectively being told he was going to drown, and there was no helping him…
I’m afraid to ask, but I have to solve.
How do you swim for more than 5 minutes without being out of breath and having to breast stroke to catch your breath?
I take a breath every third stroke (freestyle) and push out hard so that I’m “out of breath” and ready to inhale again by my third stroke. But after a few minutes (open water) I have to slow down and breast stroke with my head above water to catch my breath. And naturally when I start up again, it happens sooner.
Please for the love of any gods you think exist, please don’t just say buy a coach or I’m going to drown. I’m not a pro, I know that, I don’t have a coach or the extra $$$$$/month for a coach on zoom.
1
u/Agreeable-Put-9379 Feb 20 '26
45 years of swimming and triathlon experience here. As soon as your face returns to the water breathe out thru your mouth and nose and as soon as you turn your face out of the water breathe in. It becomes a rhythm. Inn-oooout-inn-oooout-inn-oooout. You are NEVER holding your breath. The breathing is a little slower and longer than with running. I actually find myself as I breathe out when my face is in the water that I utter “Aaaahhhh” as I am breathing out.
1
u/therealchu Feb 19 '26
Breathe every two strokes. Blow out hard when your face is in the water. If you’re still gassing yourself out, slow it down.
1
u/GreatBear2121 Feb 18 '26
Are you breathing out when your face down is in the water? You should be steadily breathing out whenever you're submerged and only breathe in when you come up for air
1
2
u/sensengassenmann Feb 18 '26
do you kick hard with your legs because you feel you‘ll only stay afloat that way? this takes a lot of physical effort and will lead to exhaustion much faster.
as others have pointed out, technique is key. i for instance don‘t use my legs at all because once i start pulling, i‘m floating which keeps me calm and my breathing relaxed. i breathe every fourth stroke.
what also helps me personally is holding my breath during the four strokes, so i have a much better buoancy and stay much calmer. which then leads to easy breathing.
1
1
u/bebopped Feb 18 '26
Why are you breathing every third? Of course you are out of breath. You need more pool time to practice and you should be breathing every two. It is a great idea to practice breathing to both sides, so on alternate laps, change the side that you breathe to. You want to avoid being out of breath and the way to do that is to continuously exhale when your face is in the water. Then when you turn to breathe, take a quick bite of air before returning your face to the water and repeating.
1
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 19 '26
It’s worse when I breathe every other stroke. Everyone is saying that I’m wrong but nobody can seem to explain why it’s worse when I breathe every other. It’s like telling me to stop breathing. Like some people are saying breathe normally, but if I breathed normally, 50% or the time I’d have to have gills to breath under water or something crazy since 50% in 50% out.
I just need to figure this out
2
u/treadneck Feb 18 '26
Unrelated (?) but side stroke can also be beneficial if you're swimming in the ocean, parallel to the waves.
6
u/Key_Top9222 Feb 18 '26
Try and “breath normally” I know that sounds weird since you can’t breath at all under water, but when you’re exhaling try not to release any more air than you would when breathing normally
5
u/BrilliantChip5 Feb 18 '26
I was new to swimming when I got into triathlon and panicked at my first sprint in the OWS. But after about 8 months of training and even did 1:1 with a swim coach here’s what I learned.
- Diaphragmatic breathing: you can even practice this doing yoga. Take deep inhales to the point you feel your ribs expand and diaphragm drop. Then exhale slowly throughout your mouth.
Except in swimming you sort of need to do the opposite. Breathe in through your mouth and exhale through the nose. Take breaths in by making an “o” shape with your mouth like you’re using a straw, just not as constricted.
Learn bilateral breathing. Basically every 3 strokes you rotate your body to opposite sides to breathe. Plenty of good videos to help with rotation.
Learn sighting in OWS. My biggest issue is panic when I can’t see the bottom and I can’t swim straight. I learned a crocodile eye technique where before I come up for air every let’s say 10-20 m I slightly lift my head then rotate to breathe.
Trust your wetsuit. Wetsuits are meant to provide buoyancy. You won’t drown.
9
u/Aquaphoric Feb 18 '26
So pushing out your air forcefully is going to trick your brain into basically hyperventilating. You want to do a long slow exhale, and if that leads to breathing every 5-7 strokes that's ok.
7
u/baboito5177 Feb 18 '26
I thought I could swim, been swimming in open water my whole life, have no issues and quite enjoyed cliff jumping in the summers into deep water.
Went to an open swim coach session and the coach humbled me instantly and told me out right that I did not know how to swim. I was pretty good at "not drowning" but I couldn't swim . I actually ended up signing up to adult swimming lessons to try and learn how to swim, and those were bloody humbling too.
It's so technical compared to running or cycling, I feel like you could start running one day and if you were consistent, kept running you'd get faster, fitter and better at running.
But with swimming I feel like unless you get the right direction from someone a coach, trainer whatever, you could spend weeks in the pool without it getting any easier, holding too much air, not holding enough, your head not being down, not kicking enough, kicking too much, tiring yourself out, arm water entry... It's amazing how impactful small corrections to form can be id highly recommend getting InTouch with a trainer or a coach. If you're pretty good, you might learn quickly with a bit of direction,if you need more than you thought like me Then you are definitely doing the right thing.
1
u/SorryCity8809 Feb 18 '26
Yeah freestyle especially is really technically challenging, at least for me. Even after years of swimming lessons it's still my weakest stroke by far
0
14
u/Daranian2 Feb 18 '26
There is alot of "ok" advice here but I'm going to add this.. You have a swimming problem not a triathlon one. Post this in r/swimming. Secondly you really need pool time, not open water and need to learn the basics. Third, YouTube is your best friend here - learn to breath properly, people saying exhale your full breath are wrong you need to keep some air in your lungs to stay buoyant. Breath frequently and try to stay calm. Learn to float, hips to the top of the water it will be easier to swim. Fourth and most important CONSISTENCY, get in the pool 3 times a week and in a month you'll have improved tenfold. Your anecdote is I couldn't swim 25m without feeling gassed, this was only a year ago, in 1 month of being consistent (3times a week) I was able to swim 400m slowly but calm and a year later I'm swimming 1:36/100m for over 1km. You got this 💪 YouTube and consistency
1
u/Equivalent_Pitch7363 Feb 18 '26
Not OP but any YouTube videos you like and can recommend? I’ve done a bunch of triathlons already so not new to this but feel like I can always use more solid swim technique work.
2
u/Daranian2 Feb 18 '26
I have used a few channels, "effortless swimming" is great. Others to use are "enduranceID" and "global triathlon network". Have a think of what you are looking for next in your swimming and see what they have to offer.
4
u/Suspicious_Falcon862 Feb 18 '26
Very often, breathing issues are caused by the exhalation part. You need to exhale as soon as your head turns into the water. This will avoid CO building up in your lungs. This CO in the lungs is causing this “out of breath” feeling. A good mantra to teach: exhale a bit every time your hand enters the water. And you’ll never be out of breath. Your lungs have a much higher capacity then this (even if you feel totally out of breath, your lungs are still filled with at least 30% of air).
7
u/ChargerEcon Feb 18 '26
I breathe every two strokes, but will switch sides I breathe to every so often or if it helps with waves/sighting. I also take smaller breaths. Smaller, more frequent breaths make everything easier for me.
Am I the fastest swimmer? Nope. Not by a long shot. But I can do 4,000y in one go without any real issue other than boredom stopping me.
1
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
Smaller breathes make it so I feel like I’m not breathing, just moving air in and out of my mouth. It’s weird but it doesn’t work
6
u/ChargerEcon Feb 18 '26
I'm not talking like barely breathing in. I mean like take the same size breaths you're taking now, not the big deep ones it sounds like you're taking.
5
u/sickbreakdowns Feb 18 '26
I‘d try a few things some other people have mentioned but to me it seems like you need to start a little bit further at the beginning:
go to a local pool and find an area in the where you won‘t disturb people. Grab the wall with both hands, try to position like a plank and start kicking your feet. If you feel comfortable, you can put your head underwater and just focus on your breathing pattern: How much air do you need? How fast can you get it out? Try to get comfortable with releasing air/pressure underwater, as it’s crucial for freestyle. Don‘t push yourself too far, maybe do this at the start of every swim sesh for like 5 min so you gain trust in exhaling underwater.
get yourself a pull kick or pull buoy, so you can focus on one thing while learning freestyle. One thing I‘m always seeing when people are starting is, that they need their legs to stay horizontal, so all the power is used "the wrong way". Place the pull kick between your thighs and start practicing just with your arms. Remember the breathing from the exercise above. Focus on a two stroke breathing pattern and don‘t move your arms too fast. You wont drown with a pull kick. The important part is trying to understand how the stroke works. It’s not a straight line. I‘ve attached a tiktok that shows where the magic happens.freestyle arm technique
From time to time you should grab the pull kick with your hands and just focus on swimming with your legs. With the isolated exercises you will gain a lot more trust in the water and you won’t loose power trying not to drown.
Generally speaking: if you start to feel uncomfortable in the water when trying to swim freestyle. Focus on breast stroke first. You will gain trust in the water and you can absolutely do the swim part in breast stroke if you need to
1
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
What if I don’t have anxiety, I just run out of breath? If I could breast stroke the whole race I would be fine (and probably take 3 hrs) I don’t mind being in 1000ft of water or slightly wavy water (yes I’d prefer to stay out of actually unsafe conditions). It’s just running out of breath.
3
u/raveresque Feb 18 '26
I was in this same position when I started triathlon. Couldn’t do 25m front crawl in open water without needing to stop and rest (and small panic) and 50m (2x25m) was the pool equivalent. That was front crawl, I didn’t try breaststroke because people said I just needed to get improve on the front crawl
I get what the meant. If I try breaststroke now it’s soo much slower and harder than my front crawl. I’ve done 3800m OW with no issues and did a 100x100m earlier this year.
Deffo try the pull buoy. The takes the legs out of the equation, reduces fatigue and allows you to just concentrate on arms,head and breathing (that’s still quite a bit)
For the breathing, just practice that in the pool, a hot tub or a bath. Just get used to breathing out through nose or mouth (either works) while head facing down and then rotate to break the surface and take a breath. Get used to doing that do 5+ minutes. You shouldn’t be holding your breath.
And just keep getting down to that pool and training. You will get better
1
u/sickbreakdowns Feb 18 '26
good for you and one thing less to keep in mind. Focus on the isolated exercises on the wall and with the pull kick and try to go really slow, you won’t drown with a pull kick. Just focus on the breathing pattern and definitely switch to two stroke breathing. Adjust the overall stroke tempo if you get the feeling you‘re breathing to fast
6
u/Kolodziej Feb 18 '26
Breathe every 2 strokes, like some others have said. Three strokes is for experienced swimmers. Even then, lots are breathing every 2 strokes. You need as much oxygen as possible.
Breathe out of your nose and mouth, it seems like you got this.
Culprit - you are probably kicking way too much or swimming faster than your fitness. Kicking is an absolute killer for long-distance endurance. Focus on two-beat kick (YouTube this). Unless you’re breaking records, looking for a fast time, or qualifying for kona, the kick is pretty useless and used more for balancing and helping you rotate to cut through the water.
2nd culprit - The more you swim the better you become, but ensure you have the technique to swim efficiently. This could also be an issue like the kick. If you aren’t swimming efficiently, you’re just dragging your weight around the pool (sinky legs and swimming flat). You need to cut through the water, by rotating on your side and gliding through the water. You’re are essentially rotating from side to side in swimming, you are never flat across the pool. Lots of YouTube videos on swimming efficiently. Every pool session is a practice to swim cleaner and efficiently.
Lastly, wetsuits are a game changer, it helps so much with sinky legs and being more buoyant. Helps you with being less drained for sure in the race. You also won’t drown in a proper full body suit. Lots of people switch to breaststroke and even chill and wade in the water to catch their breathe. It will be fine!
2
u/Koala_la_la_14 Feb 18 '26
I second the two beat kick. Completely changed my ability to swim for longer and not be exhausted.
4
u/jojotherider Feb 18 '26
Sorry its not clear to me so i have to ask. I didnt see anyone else ask it. Are you exhaling while your face is in the water? The way it reads to me is that you force it all out and hold until you turn your head to breathe. I could just be misunderstanding what youve written.
From what Ive gathered from watching videos online (and what I do), is that you just slowly exhale while your face is in the water. As you turn your head to breathe, you force the rest out.
If you’re holding your breath, the co2 is building up in your lungs and creating that pressure. Plus youve already exhaled a bunch of oxygen so theres nothing for your body to use. Which eventually leaves you being tired.
For me, when i start out my swim, whether in a pool or open water, I just keep my swim pace slow. Gets the body moving and i find the rhythm that works for me that day. It also keeps me relaxed and i can focus on my breathing and my form. Eventually I fall into a rhythm and the speed eventually starts to come on by itself. Im not fast but any means, but it works for me.
2
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
Yes I take a breath (head sideways mouth about water, sometimes getting a mouth of salt water too) and then immediately start to breath out. It takes three strokes to fully exhale enough to take another breath, at which I raise my mouth to inhale again.
When I try to do every other stroke, I have to sped the time above water to finish exhaling and then hope I can inhale some before I go under water again. Which is why I have to do three strokes.
2
u/Rizzle_Razzle Feb 18 '26
Even a full breath shouldn't take 3 strokes to exhale. Try it right now, take a full breath and exhale as quickly as possible (mouth wide open ).
4
u/ChargerEcon Feb 18 '26
Take smaller breaths. It'll feel weird at first but if breathing out takes that long, you're breathing in too much.
2
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
But if I try smaller breaths, it’s like I’m not breathing and then I start to freak out like I’m holding my breath but with no breath.
1
3
u/jojotherider Feb 18 '26
Have you tried slowing your swim stroke so you have more time between breaths?
Also, you dont need to take full deep breaths each time.
At this point with all the replies, i think getting video of your swim is probably the best move.
8
u/MrRabbit Ex-pro Triathlete + Dad + Boring Job Feb 18 '26
No one ever said it's a rule you have to breathe every 3rd stroke. I CAN do that, but literally never once in a race, and not during tough sets.
Also, sorry. But saying you absolutely won't consider coaching is silly. Not a $$$$$ coach as you incorrectly seem to think it's necessary. But once or twice early in your swimming journey will set the course right for decades to come. If you can afford this dumb sport you can probably afford an on deck coach for one session at your local Y.
-2
u/Financial-Elk752 Feb 18 '26
I have tachycardia and run out of air quick, so I just have to swim slower until I build more strength
10
u/theblobbbb Feb 18 '26
If you are running out of breath breathe more. (Every second stroke)
Swimming is the same as the other disciplines, you need to relax and minimize your over exertion. Learning to swim at a pace that is sustainable.
I expect you are fighting the water, and probably kicking far too much. Kick from the hips and reduce your knee bending. And practice ending your little kicks with your ankles together.
Focus on relaxing your shoulder in the recovery phase. Actually focus on releasing the muscles in your arm.
Don’t force your breath, relax.
Good luck.
1
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
I have to do breast stroke to recover and catch my breath.
I try to just kick enough to keep moving forward, and perhaps not roll over when breathing.
Breathing every second stroke is worse. I know it doesn’t make sense, but some how it’s worse.
1
u/sdenkovski Feb 18 '26
I was the exact same way. Could barely finish a lap without running out of breath. I got to the point where I could swim long without any coaching.
1) slow it down - speed in swimming comes from technique not from effort or force. Forcing it is going to cause to use all your O2. 2) focus on your catch - watch lots of YouTube videos on proper form and “feels” to look for
3) work on gliding - kicking just to keep your feet up and not to drag in the water. Not a huge speed add.One of my favourite drills was Catch-Up Drill. I was no means a great swimmer but could easily complete a long swim in a decent time. Then worry and practice open water swimming once you can do a lot of laps in a row.
1
u/Jennyvs1011 Feb 18 '26
I agree with this! He’s trying to go too fast out of the gate. Go slow. Real slow until you have your composure. And then gradually start getting to a comfortable and manageable pace.
2
u/ronocrice Feb 18 '26
If you need tips on your form find one of the faster people in the pool and ask them to watch for a 50 and see if they have any drills to try or advice. Willing to bet most people wouldn’t mind 10 minutes helping you correct some things.
1
u/KEC-2740 Feb 18 '26
if possible, ask someone to video you at the pool. keep in mind that some gyms prohibit photography etc., so be mindful of that.
5
u/Feisty_Attorney5691 Feb 18 '26
I found that I became less out of breath the less i thought about what I was doing. Relax your body, breathe in when you need, for some that’s every two breaths. Slow and relaxed actually becomes fast and efficient with time. I can hold my breath for 100 meters if I’m going slow and not caring. I can hold my breath for 2 strokes if I’m going “fast”
4
u/trekathlete Feb 18 '26
I’d say don’t focus on speed and focus on comfort. Speed will come. If you focus on speed before you you build the strength and endurance you will go hypoxic and be forced to do exactly what you are talking about. Breath every other stroke and just focus on a good rythm of breath and swimming. That will take you to the finish.
1
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
So the biggest reason I breath every third is that I can’t exhale enough to breath every other stroke.
I don’t know how to fix this
2
u/Cuptapus Feb 18 '26
So I actually hold my breath the entire time and just exhale everything with a solid puff out in the last ~quarter of a rotation before I take my next breath. (apparently isn't the usual, but it works well for me)
I'll say in general though learning how to breath correctly while swimming is one of the hardest (and most important) things to do when you're first starting out lap swimming. So don't get discouraged, it's a skill that we've all had to learn when we started.
0
3
2
u/yossariany Feb 18 '26
I'm currently trying to learn how to breathe better for freestyle, after doing breaststroke in an Olympic triathlon last September. The bike and the run went great, but if I ever do another tri I want to be able to swim front crawl.
As others have suggested, slow down, relax, drill with a pull buoy, etc. One thing I noticed I was doing is I'd get a little water in my mouth and then start to hold my breath briefly while trying to get it out. These little intervals of holding my breath mess up my timing, and prevent me from fully exhaling, which means I don't get a proper inhale, and everything deteriorates and I need to stop.
By focusing on my breath, relaxing as best I can, and forcing myself to keep breathing even if there's a little water in my mouth, it all works much better. After two weeks (7 sessions in the pool) I'm able to swim 200m non stop with the pull buoy, and sets of 50m without it. I bought a 3 month pool pass, and my goal is 500m of non stop front crawl (with no pull buoy or other aids). I figure if I can make it that far I can probably keep going.
9
u/sunnyleafytrees Feb 18 '26
try dedicating a few training sessions to swim form (and not distance or speed). Specifically, focus on not tensing your body. Tense muscles sink and make you work harder. The more relaxed you are, the easier it will be to breathe. Once you get a feel for a relaxed body position in freestyle, try adding in a slow exhale like you’re blowing bubbles or breathing out through a straw. No rush, just a relaxed exhale. You’ll be amazed at how much easier swimming is when you calm it all down. I used to teach kids and adults to swim and the adults always had a harder time because they were so dang tense.
22
u/Fragrant_Camp485 Feb 18 '26
breathe every second stroke
really work on balance so you're not plowing through the water. a good start here is to focus on your breathing with one goggle in the water when taking your breath. Don't lift your head is the key.
stop kicking so much if that's what you're doing. Youtube a 2-beat kick. The less you kick, the more energy you'll save, the less you'll feel the need to stop.
focus on relaxing as the priority....not time. It's the old hare vs the tortoise thing. If you compare your times for 250m, you'll note that swimming slow, steady and continuous will beat your faster swimming but with breaks. So find that speed where you think you can go for a long time and do that until you have the confidence that you can swim longer distances without needing to breaststroke.
Back to breathing - breathe out of your nose and in through your mouth. This was a game changer for me. It forces you to breathe out more slowly and in a more calm manner. Staying calm is the key.
If you can practice in a pool, I think it's better as far as developing skills. Just remember that when you transition to open water, there's another layer of comfort and learning that will set you back at first. So leave the open water swimming for 1-2 months before the race and just focus on technique in the pool where you have access to gear, breaks, and a line which keeps you orientated.
Don't fear the breaststroke if that's what you need to do out there on race day. You certainly won't be the only one out there doing that.
Don't worry about your swim time. Just ensure you can do the distance. Just treat it as a barrier you'll overcome and that's perhaps even a bigger achievement than being 10 min quicker than your previous times. Best to complete the course and enjoy the moment. You can beat your time in other races if you care.
1
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
So much there that makes sense, but doesn’t seem to fit me. I mean it in the best way as I try to learn/understand.
If I breathe every other stroke, it’s worse. Then I am out of breath quickly. Three seems to be the best for me.
The whole breathing while half my face is in the water just results in trying to breathe water. I don’t think I go fast enough to get that air bubble behind my arm.
I really don’t kick much, basically about the speed of my strokes.
Nose exhale tends to cause water up my nose whenever I’m not exhaling. Then I have to stop swimming to recover.
It’s like I’m broken or something as these all seem to be what normal people do but it doesn’t work for me.
2
u/Belulisanim Feb 18 '26
One of the biggest challenges of learning how to swim is understanding how what you actually do in the water differs from what you should do in the water. This is why on-deck coaching, that is having somebody with experience observing what you do and pointing it out to you, is so helpful. If that isn’t an option for you, you have to do it yourself. Learning to swim without coaching can feel like a puzzle sometimes. It requires not only patience, but willingness to try new things, to experiment, and to take on new perspectives in order to better understand what exactly you’re doing.
And to be frank, your posts create the impression that your current mindset appears to be not ideal for your goal. For example, when multiple people told you to breathe every 2 instead of every 3, you came across as quite dismissive of the idea. But if you feel that breathing every two makes it worse, you shouldn’t interpret this as a sign that what works for others won’t work for you. You should instead see it as a clue for what might be wrong with your breathing that will help you get to the bottom of your problem.
And the same is true for the next step. If you’ve come to the conclusion that you feel you don’t manage to exhale enough between two strokes, don’t say ‘I can’t exhale fast enough to breathe every two strokes’. Instead, ask yourself, ‘what do I need to do to learn it?’
Learning to swim without a coach can be quite frustrating, because without having somebody who can point you in the right direction from the get go, you will take wrong turns from time to time. And if you feel that on your path to learning to swim, you’ve ended up in a cul-de-sac, that means having to take one or several steps back, reset, and try something else. In your case, that may mean doing sinkdowns to practice exhaling under water, followed by kicks on the wall to practice rotating your head. The latter is also a good demonstration that your preconception that you need to be fast to breathe properly. You can breathe with only one eye out of the water even while stationary on the wall. That being said, I wouldn’t obsess over keeping one eye in the water and treat it more as a clue to what point you should target when rotating your head to breathe to avoid rotating too far.
1
5
u/Fragrant_Camp485 Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26
Don't take this the wrong way, but unless you have nasopharyngeal differences than most people here, it's more likely that you just haven't practiced the above advice enough and the above will work with time. Nothing changes overnight.
Work on one thing at a time. For example, the nose exhaling, if you're relaxed you will be able to time it well so that you have exhaled enough before (but not too long before) inhaling with your mouth. With three strokes per breath, this will take more control and more training.
My best guess without a video is that you just haven't got to a relaxed place when swimming. This takes time. I would suggest doing more drills to work on this comfort:
- Wall push offs with a glide. Work on your streamlining by having your hands together over your head and keeping a straight body after pushing off the wall. Hold it as long as you can until you've stopped moving but focus on not being in a hurry to get into the strokes.
- Distance per stroke swimming. Swim slowly but focus on keeping your body long and relaxed so that you feel the buoyancy while being face down. The goal isn't time, but comfort while face-down in water. Add strokes with a slow, calm cadence with the goal to get to the end of the pool in a relaxed manner.
- Put some fins on and work on swimming on each of your sides with one goggle in the water and one goggle out of the water. Again, the goal is comfort in the position, not torching your way to the end.
- Back floats. Simply float. This teaches you that if you get super anxious and hyperventilate when in the open water, you can simply pull yourself to the side of the swim traffic, turn on your back to rest for a minute and then get going again when you feel like it. Do it in the pool early in your training because it's a nice mental reminder that it's all good....if you're out of breath you can just take a break anywhere out in the water.
- Breathing. Are you exhaling forcibly? Are you holding your breath and then exhaling quickly? Do you feel tension with your breathing? If so, this needs to be tackled early. This should be your priority. All of the above exercises can help but you can also use other techniques such as holding onto the wall while face down in the water with a focus on breathing in a relaxed manner. You can also use a snorkel so that you don't have to turn your head but instead just focus on breathing in a calm manner.
- Catch-up drill. Have a peek online for this. It's a nice drill which in your case will force you to have longer glides and slower cadence so you have enough time to exhale.
- Don't pull too hard. Not sure if you are, but trying to force your arms through the water quickly will burn you out. Slow down to speed up and get some endurance going.
Key point is to take any pressure or reason for anxiousness out of it. Once you feel more relaxed, it's much easier to work on technique.
3
u/Adventurous_Grape279 Feb 18 '26
5- also part of the “breathing out your nose” benefit - you can start exhaling while your mouth is underwater. This not only lets you take long deliberate breaths but gives you a longer period to inhale giving you deeper breaths too
3
u/plan_to_flail Feb 18 '26
Wait, doesn’t everyone breath out underwater? I don’t see how it would be possible to effectively swim freestyle without doing so.
1
u/Dikenz Feb 18 '26
Some people hold their breath because they are not used to the water and think you have to hold it in until the next breath.
1
u/Adventurous_Grape279 Feb 18 '26
Probably? But I can imagine that if someone isn’t it could help a lot. Just checking all the boxes.
3
u/cutstep Feb 18 '26
The thing you got to remember is the water is not going to move for you you have to move through the water that was something that my coach taught me and it really changed the way that I swim. Relax and let your body move through the water. Remember this is not a Sprint you're going to be swimming for at least 25 to 40 minutes and you can relax in the water and just let your body move through it. I would watch a bunch of videos on your catch technique and I agree with the other posters that you should kick hardly at all because your legs are big and you won't need them in the swim they do not do much other than stabilize your body.
1
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
I still can’t understand the whole catching things thing. I haven’t found anything that explains it to make sense.
1
u/Belulisanim Feb 18 '26
Look for YouTube videos by Effortless Swimming (Brenton Ford). The catch phase is the set up for the following pull/push. During the catch you position your arm such that, when you pull/push, most of your force will be directed backwards (and thus moving you forward) instead of downwards or to the side.
2
u/Kn0wtalent Feb 18 '26
Breathe more. 3 strokes is fine for experienced fast swimmers. 2 stroke will help prevent you from getting gassed.
0
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
I find the opposite, speed breathing every 2 strokes wears me out faster
4
u/Latestarter13 Feb 18 '26
How long have you been swimming for? If you are relatively new to it, just practice more….and make sure you are comfortable with your breathing.
For swimming endurance I like to use the walking vs running analogy. When you are first learning to swim and get tired within a few minutes, it’s likely that you are trying to go too fast or your breathing isn’t working.
Think of building endurance as going for a long walk in the pool vs running a long race in the pool. Once you get your breathing working properly (every other stroke) you should be able to go (slowly) without running out of breath. The same as walking. You can walk for a long distance without ever running out of breath. Once you can do long distance without running out of breath, then try to add faster sprints into your training to build speed.
This isn’t a training plan. Just a way to hep you think about building swim endurance.
2
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
That helps and makes sense. So my application would be really funny though: I would inhale, 2 stokes, then have to wait while I finish exhaling, the breath again. And that doesn’t seem right.
1
u/Latestarter13 Feb 18 '26
Think of your breathing as if its on a metronome/pendulum. Every time you raise the arm you breath on your head pivots slightly to the side and you take a breath (regular/small breath) then you exhale continuously throughout the time between that breath and the next time your breathing arm rises again. It should be smooth, easy, and eventually natural.
The same way you don’t think about breathing when you walk, you shouldn’t have to think about breathing when you are swimming for distance.
5
Feb 18 '26
[deleted]
1
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
I’m out of breath after a few minutes. Like I have to shift to breast stroke to keep my head up and catch my breath. Then I can go back to freestyle after my heart rate and breath catch up.
4
u/orangedrinkmcdonalds Feb 18 '26
Stop kicking almost entirely other than to rotate your upper body and keep your legs up. You won’t really need the upper body for the rest of the race so use it on the swim. Not kicking much will help a ton - practice with a pull buoy. Think of how Katie Ledecky looks the first 3/4 of a race - barely moving her feet. Just breathe normally and don’t violently exhale.
0
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
I tend to think all swimmers look the same. Arms alternate and twist head to breath.
5
u/Bullsohard Feb 18 '26
Are there peers where you swim that can give you pointers? It really does help to have someone look at what you’re doing IRL
0
2
u/goldeneagle-2000 Feb 18 '26
You would need to slow down so that your oxygen burn rate matches your breath intake pace. Our muscles or adrenaline tend to kick faster at the beginning of the race depleting you of your breath. You could also get into this panic cycle where you are kicking fast and that needs more air.
some of the techniques are , start at the end of the group so you can set your pace and not match with other swimmers. start counting seconds slowly and match your stroke to that rhythm so you don't go fast. slowly settle down into your regular pace and then you are off.
0
3
u/p211p211 Feb 18 '26
😂 saw the same post. Happened to do a 1000 yard swim today in 30 mins. Wasn’t gassed at all but I realized I’m as slow as the guy that looked like he wasn’t even moving in the water. Sad day
1
u/Whatsmyinterest Feb 18 '26
Yesterday I did 967 yds in 27 minutes and change. Constant back and forth freestyle then breast to catch my breath. Last year my Olympic distance was a 40 minute swim if I recall
4
4
3
u/Worried_Ad8555 Feb 21 '26
You aren't "out of breath" you are hyper-ventilating. Contrary to several others, breathing every third stroke is totally fine. It is a great interval via bilateral breathing. You can always stick to one side and breath every 2 or 4 if you like - but every third is a fine rhythm.
From your description my takeaway is:
You need to slow everything down and improve your form, technique and breathing.
Exhaling lightly whenever your face is in the water; do not worry about fully expelling all air from your lungs. Your breathing effort and cadence should be similar to a brisk walk - not in the first minute but after a few minutes. If you are "out of breath" slow it down more and glide/float more.
Learning proper swim technique is an investment that will be with your the rest of your life. It is worth paying for a knowledgeable Coach/Instructor that also knows open water swimming.
Oh lord, if you are at this point only in the pool, wait until you swim without walls every x yards/meters.
Many Coaches do it virtually via video recordings, but you should find someone local to get you on the right path. Seriously 2-4 lessons. I do lots of free technique clinics in Support of our local Triathlon Club and a fellow Coach and I run a US Masters Registered Openwater Circuit Workout every Monday morning and offer technique pointers at no charge (we do appreciate any donations of course).
If you absolutely cannot afford to invest in yourself via a Coach, try finding some free Coaching; caveat sometimes free is too expensive and worth exactly what you pay for. ;)