HELP: Swim Dilemma
First I would like to say my swimming since becoming an EN member has gotten much better, so thank you EN!!!
Here is my dilemma. Last year I when I swam I would breathe every stroke to my strong side (right). Doing this I really felt very comfortable in the water and felt like I had the right amount of oxygen to swim long without feeling light headed. In the pool it was easy to do and if I got off the line, I would just shift over to righten myself. The problem came when I would swim/race in open water. I would swim so far off course that I had to sprint to get back with everyone else. As you can imagine, this wasted alot of energy.
Enter this season. I decided that I should work on bi-lateral breathing to help keep me going in a straight line. The result was just that, I stayed straight and even (to my surprise) got faster. BUT this came at the expense of not getting enough oxygen. I feel, even in the pool, that Im gasping for air every time I roll to breathe. By the end of a workout Im a bit lightheaded and completely winded.
What to do? I would love to go back to breathing every stroke, but need some advice on how to stay straight as I would prefer to swim 2.4 miles in AZ and not 3 
Thanks!
Comments
This summer I taught myself 2:3 breathing (Left Stroke Breath Right (LBR), Right Stroke Breathe Left (RBL) Left Stroke no breath (L), Right Stroke no breath (R).
More oxygen, still bilateral. There is a lot of information on this if you do a google search.
discussion here: http://www.theraceclub.net/aqua-not...ed-myth-7/
video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-bHqFVuwgM
It took a while to feel coordinated and sometimes its not really smooth for me (yet), but I think it really helped in the open water ocean swims. Sometimes I also do RBL, LBR, L, RBL, LBR, R which helps settle me down when particularly panicked (at the start, near the buoys etc).
To help with the coordination I do reps of 25m breathe EVERY stroke i.e. breathe right, breathe left and repeat then 25m swim normally.
@ John, I too believe I should stick with bi-lateral breathing as well, especially at the ironman distance. With so many bodies in the water and varying conditions it just makes sense to be proficient on both sides. A lot of work to be done.
@Satish, this information is fantastic, thank you! I may have to wait until the OS to try it as Im not the most coordinated gal in the water. My technique has a long way to go...Im only (fairly) successful with the swim portion of races due to my determination to get out of the water as quickly as possible
- Learn how to sight in open water. When to lift my head, and what to look for
- Start doing every 3rd stroke breathing, at least during warm up and cool down.
- forced myself to start breathing on the right, every second stroke. That felt incredible awkward, probably like learning how to throw or play tennis with one's off hand ( two things I ve actually tried with little success.
All three of those things are now in use by me during every swim practice and triathlon. And all are needed on race day depending on the situation. Take the time to break down the elements of sighting and breathing every second stroke on your "off"'side, and practice them every time you are in the pool,or OWS.
Argument against using "bilateral" (every third stroke) breathing: its slower. If finishing as fast as possible is your goal, you must learn how to sight and also how to breath on your off side, sometimes for 50-100 meters at a time. Me, when I'm doing interval work in the pool, I go out breathing on my right, come back on my left, switching every length of 25 yds or 50m.
If you know Total Immersion, the "switch drill" is a good place to start to learn how to breathe on the opposite side. Another useful drill is literally breathing every stroke. Start out that one by gliding with both hands in front for a beat before starting the next stroke. Slowing down your stroke (maybe kicking with short fins) will help your brain figure out how to switch sides. It also helps ingrain the feeling of going straight.
Another place to look for improvement is where your hands are entering the water. Directly in front of you shoulder is where you want it. To the extent that your hand enters across your midline, you'll go off course.( If BOTH hands are crossing midline, your hips will wiggle side side.)
So strongly suggest what i think Al is suggesting.
Learn to breathe on both sides. Breathe every stroke. and switch sides every 3-10 strokes. stay longer on whatever side to suite conditions, swells, winds, company, etc.
up to 4-5 years ago, i only felt comfortable breathing on one side. then I just started forcing myself to breath on both sides. now i don't remember which was my favorite side.
I'm with Al and Robin. Bi-lateral. No way around it but to force yourself to do it. I've been making myself bi-lateral breath in workouts this year too. I still slip back to single sided in the hard/fast sets. I've found practicing it in warm up, cool down and when I do pull bouy sets really helps. I'm higher in the water with a pull bouy which makes getting that breath easier and less panicky. It sets up good muscle memory for correct stroke and position. Sooner or later you'll find your self doing it without thinking about it here and there, and then eventually it will become the way you breath the majority of the time. Just be patient with it!