**Freestyle Swim Lesson #5: Side Breathing**

What do we want to see in a good freestyle breath?   Hardly anything!  The breath should do almost nothing to disturb the rhythm of the stroke and the position of the body.  Notice how this swimmer times the breath so that the head and body start to turn to air just as the hand enters the water.

The head stays in neutral and moves very little during the breath.  In fact…the swimmer keeps one goggle in the water as she breathes.  This is where we’re headed when we teach the skill of side breathing.

To teach freestyle side breathing, we first practice Roll-Over Breathing.

I teach a Head-Lead Kick with In-Line Rotation to the back… and then return, rotating to both sides.

To keep the head in line with the body, we put the thumb side of one hand on the sternum and the fingers touching the chin.

The other arm is by the side.

The swimmer moves as a unit from the stomach to the back…pauses to get some air…then rolls as a unit from the back to the stomach. 

It’s important for the swimmer to exhale and to blow bubbles through each rotation.

I demonstrate.

As she rolls to her back, she keeps her head in a neutral position. Having the side of the hand on the sternum and the fingers on the chin should guarantee this. 

I will assist her like this, if needed.

The next step is to review Side-Glide Kick without Breathing. I position the swimmer like this, on her side with the face straight down while kicking on her side.

Next we do Side-Glide Kick with Breathing.    I assist her in rotating the head to breathe.

Then I have her practice on the other side. I will assist to get her started.

Be sure the swimmer does not lift the head when rotating the head to the side for a breath.

A good cue is to have the swimmer roll their ear onto their extended shoulder as they rotate their head to the side.

Next I have the swimmer do Side-Glide 6-Count Switch with Breathing.   She starts in a side-glide position for 6-kicks… then takes one stroke and breathes to the opposite side as the hand enters. 

Here’s a right-arm-leading side-glide kick… then the left arm recovers… and the right arm starts to pull AFTER the left arm has passed the head.  As the left hand enters the water, the head turns to the right and the swimmer gets a breath…and returns the face to the water for a 6-count kick on the left side.

Repeat the process on the other side.

When the swimmer is first learning how to do this, it’s OK to be facing up while breathing.   In fact, this is BETTER than having them lift the HEAD UP to breathe.  

Next I have the swimmer take 3 strokes in between each side-glide breath. 

The swimmer starts in a side-glide position and takes 3 strokes (she can count 3 hand hits) and then breathes to the other side on the 3rd hand hit. 

After getting a good breath of air, the swimmer takes three strokes and ends up on the other side to take another side-glide breath.

Here I’m assisting the swimmer as she goes to the side-glide breathing position, helping her align and extend her arm correctly…and balance her body as she goes to air on each side. 

This skill should be repeated until the swimmer can take one breath without stopping the back arm, and without needing to roll completely to their back to get a breath.  The lead arm stays in front until the face returns to the water.

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Freestyle #5:  Side Breathing

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Freestyle #5: Side Breathing

Freestyle #5:  Side Breathing