Breathing Basics: Swimming technique, drills and fixes

Breathing is what trips up most new freestyle swimmers. The fix is to breathe out steadily while your face is in the water, then turn your head with your body's roll for a quick breath in, keeping one goggle in the water. Lifting your head to breathe makes your hips and legs sink, so every stroke gets harder.

Exhale underwater

While your face is in the water, breathe out through your mouth, nose or both. A steady trickle of bubbles is the usual way to learn; a quicker, stronger breath out just before you turn also works. Don't hold your breath.

bubbles leaving the whole time your face is down.

Finish the breath out before your mouth clears the water. Then the only job above water is a quick breath in.

lungs mostly empty as you start to turn.

Turn, don't lift

Keep your opposite arm reaching forward, in line with your shoulder, while you breathe. Don't press it down to lift your head.

a long front arm holding you up while you turn.

Roll your whole body to the breathing side and let your head turn with it. Don't lift your head forward or up. Your mouth breathes into the small pocket of air the bow wave leaves beside your head.

your mouth clearing the surface as your shoulder rolls up.

Breathe in quickly with only one goggle above the water. If both goggles and both cheeks come out, you've turned or lifted too far.

one eye sees air, the other stays in the water.

Return to neutral

Turn your face back into the water before your recovering hand enters. Breathing late is the most common timing problem.

face down first, then the hand reaches in.

Settle back to looking at the bottom with your head still, and start breathing out again.

a flat, face-down line until the next breath.

Pick a pattern you can keep up: every 2nd or 4th stroke to one side, or every 3rd or 5th stroke to alternate sides. It's better to breathe every stroke and keep swimming than to run out of air and stop.

a rhythm you could hold for a whole length.

Feel it

A calm loop: bubbles out while your face is down, a quick sip of air to the side with one goggle in, then face back down before your hand goes in. Holding your breath builds up carbon dioxide and can make you feel panicky, so if you're gasping, fix the breath out first. If your hips drop when you breathe, you're lifting your head instead of rolling.

Fix-its

You lift your head to breathe Roll your body and let your head turn with it. Even a small head lift sinks your hips and legs. Aim for one goggle in the water.
You hold your breath, then gasp Breathe out the whole time your face is down, so all you need above water is a quick breath in.
You over-rotate or turn your face up Over-rotating often comes from trying to breathe out above water. Finish the breath out underwater and stop the turn once your mouth is clear.
You breathe late Start the turn as your body rolls and get your face back in before your recovering hand enters.
Your front arm sinks when you breathe Keep the opposite arm reaching forward in line with your shoulder; pressing it down to lift up stalls your stroke.

Drill

Bubbles: stand in shallow water, face in, breathe out a steady stream through your nose and mouth, then turn your head to the side to breathe in. Repeat until it feels calm.
Side kick (Side-11 drill, ideally with a coach): kick with one arm extended and your face down, breathing out through your nose. Pull with the other arm, roll onto your side and take three breaths while breathing out underwater. Switch sides. Over time cut the kicks from 10 to 8 to 6 and take fewer breaths.
Use fins for the side-kick drill early on; they keep you moving so you can practise one-goggle breaths.
Swim easy lengths breathing every 2nd stroke to your stronger side, then try every 3rd stroke to alternate sides.
If breathing makes you anxious, ask a coach about a swimmer's snorkel so you can work on the stroke without turning to breathe.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-25.