Breathing. Sounds simple doesn't it but how many of you feel breathless when swimming? There are a number of reasons why you might feel breathless. Most of us will automatically assume that it is a lack of fitness that is the cause. However it may be something far more simple like holding your breath or not exhaling properly or a combination of both.
If you hold your breath, trapping air in your lungs, it will increase the buoyancy in the chest. The consequence of this...your hips and legs will drop lower in the water. Why you ask? Just think what happens when you put a life jacket on. You increase the buoyancy around the chest and you will sit vertically in the water. Breathing therefore can have a major effect on your body position. If you missed my blog about breathing last month click here to take a look. We will cover some simple drills to improve your breathing technique on Saturday.
What is an ideal body position for swimming freestyle (front crawl)? If you have not seen Mr Smooth from the Swim Smooth website you should take a look. He is an animated swimmer with an 'ideal freestyle stroke'. See how horizontal he sits in the water. See how the back of the head, upper back and buttocks are at the surface of the water with the heels just breaking the surface with each kick. This position minimises drag and maximises efficiency. We will cover some great drills to improve your body position on Saturday too.
Remember your fins! Have I said that before? Seriously you will find the session much more beneficial (and fun) if you have them. If you have a pull buoy bring that too.
See ya, Tim (LFTC Coach).
