{"id":67388,"date":"2017-12-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.arenaswim.com\/uncategorized\/alternate-breathing-and-perfectly-balanced-freestyle-swimming\/"},"modified":"2017-12-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-12-20T00:00:00","slug":"alternate-breathing-and-perfectly-balanced-freestyle-swimming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.arenaswim.com\/en\/training-technique\/alternate-breathing-and-perfectly-balanced-freestyle-swimming\/","title":{"rendered":"Alternate breathing and perfectly balanced freestyle swimming"},"content":{"rendered":"

You will have certainly heard about alternate freestyle breathing, but have you ever wondered what the real benefits are?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alternate breathing means breathing every three strokes or, rather, the ability to breathe both sides of the body.<\/p>\n

It is important to be taught alternate breathing when you are young, because this will give you:<\/p>\n

1. A better balanced stroke.<\/strong> If this basic is overlooked, you are likely to have an asymmetrical swim stroke when you are older.<\/p>\n

2. Good propulsion in the water.<\/strong> As mentioned above, alternate breathing gives you better balance and hence less rotation of the shoulders and better forward thrust.<\/p>\n

This is extremely important for triathletes, too, and not just swimmers. It allows you to maintain an efficient swim stroke in such disparate situations as waves, swimming around a buoy and\/or checking the position of your closest rivals.<\/p>\n

Here are some exercises you can include in your training to either learn how to breathe alternately or improve your alternate breathing:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learn to count to 3.<\/strong> Everybody knows three is the perfect number. Breathing every stroke would interfere with your balance and body position, while breathing every 5 or 7 strokes is tricky if you are an inexperienced swimmer.<\/p>\n