FDS Coaching
Form...Distance...Speed!
Adult swimming instruction in Colorado's Front Range
Certified Senior Coach
Brian Vande Krol
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More Breathing Focal Points
In my previous newsletter, I discussed several focal points related to breathing, particularly wide tracks and rotating “just enough”. Rotating too much can be the underlying cause of other breathing errors, such as lifting the head. The more you rotate to your side, the less support you receive from the water. As you lose support, you will be lower in the water, further from the air. In order to breathe from that position, you will likely lift the head to get air. This will create drag and slow you down. The focal points from the previous newsletter should help you learn to rotate just enough (for more information on how much is “just enough”, see my article in Total Swim Magazine).
In this issue, we’ll focus on alignment for breathing. Our number one priority for swimming well is to reduce drag. We pierce the water with the lead hand, and then line the body up behind it, gradually parting the water. The farther the water has to move out of our way, the more energy it takes to move it. In breathing, we want to maintain that alignment behind the lead hand, particularly with the head.
Move the Head Toward the Extended Shoulder
An instruction I often give for breathing is that the chin follows the shoulder to the air. And that’s what we want it to do. Sometimes, however, that instruction results in the entire head lifting toward the high shoulder. Now the head is no longer aligned behind the lead hand, creating drag.
Also, weight shifts create propulsion. If you watch a skilled swimmer from the front, you’ll see a subtle shift of the head and body from side to side on each stroke. If the head moves toward the high shoulder during a breath, it counters the weight shift and diminishes propulsion.
By moving the head toward the extended shoulder, head-spine alignment is maintained, reducing drag. Weight shift is enhanced, increasing propulsion.
Move the Head Away From the High Shoulder
This is effectively the same as the previous focal point, but the change in intent might yield different results. Try them both.
Align Your Laser Beam
Visualize a laser beam shining out of the top of your head. When you swim without breathing, that laser should point straight down the pool. If you lift your head or shift it in the wrong direction, your laser will no longer point straight down the pool. As you breathe, keep your laser aligned.
Breathe From the Mouth, Not the Top of the Head
This seems obvious. But many swimmers lift the top of the head, as if that were the part that needs the air. And the head is a significant amount of weight to lift out of the water. To get a feel for how much energy it takes, ask your lifeguard if you can use the brick they use for lifeguard tests (it’s a rubber brick that weighs about 10 pounds, probably less than your head). Hold the brick at the waterline, and swim in any fashion. It’s a difficult task.
With proper head-spine alignment, good balance and the laser beam pointing straight across the pool, the mouth will be the part of the head getting to the air, and the top of the head will be lying low, supported by the water. The burden of lifting the head out of the water will be gone, and swimming will be easier!
If breathing is a challenge, or you just think you could do it better with some additional guidance, contact me for a lesson!
