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swim breathing: dominant side is slowest!

Julia HerrmannJulia Herrmann
in General Training Discussions

I've been switching things up a bit in the pool playing with bilateral breathing and breathing on my left (non-dominant) side.  I know, I know.  I am sure I should have been bilateral breathing all along, but in the past doing that in the open ocean would give me the dizzies pretty fierce . Turns out that my left (non-dominant) side only is the fastest - almost 5 seconds per 100yds.  In the middle is bilateral breathing, and then my slowest is my "dominant" right side. I am practicing bilateral breathing in the open water again because that speed pattern has been pretty consistent over the past few weeks.  Bilateral breathing, although not my fastest, seems to be the "smartest" maneuver...   I realize that nobody can really tell me what's up because nobody can see me actually swim, but I thought I would post about it and see what you all had to say.  Thanks!! 

Comments

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    Julia - Breathing on the left (I'm R handed) has always been easier/faster for me. I had assumed that was because when breathing on that side, I'm pulling primarily with my right arm. Because that one's stronger, it's easier to control my body position and stability when pulling with the right arm, and so things are easier when breathing to that side.

    Bilateral breathing should ultimately be the slowest, as you are getting air 50% less often, limiting your ability to go really fast due to oxygen requirements. So if your left arm/right side breathing is slower than that, yeah you have some work to do.

    Years ago, when I taught myself to breathe on the right after decades of avoiding it, I suceeded by paying strict attention to what my head and body were doing when I breathed left, and trying to replicate that on the right. Keep doing it, with attentiveness. You'll get there.

  • Julia HerrmannJulia Herrmann

    Thanks for the thoughts, Al!  The part about bilateral being slowest was good food for thought, because although I am breathing less, I feel like the time not breathing is used for cleaner, more powerful strokes.  I don't really feel like I am struggling for air either...    HMM.

     

  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    I was taught as an adult to swim, and was taught to breath bilaterally (every 3 strokes, l/r/l/r, etc). Several years ago a former olympian tri coach here in Dallas told me to breath every other stroke (l/l/l, or r/r/r), so I switched and haven't looked back.

    My point is, in my opinion, it's good to know how to do both - to cope with various race scenarios (waves/chop, other bad swimmers in your face, etc).

    As far as faster...well, any way I breath while swimming will not make ME fast!!!
  • trirebeltrirebel
    Jordan Rapp posted on slowtwitch one time that there is not a single pro that he knows of that bilaterally breathes while racing. He said he may do several laps breathing to the right, then several laps breathing to the left, just for practice on both sides, but never bilaterally.
  • Coach RichCoach Rich

    Bilateral breathing is a good tool to help you even out your stroke, rolling equally to both sides. It's a good tool to help you learn body position. But when racing or going faster, you need to breath. Recommend you breath to one side only.

    That said, you will typically drop the non-breathing shoulder (ie, right should if you are breathing to your left side) lower and pull harder with that arm = more shoulder stress. I breath exclusively to my left and have had chronic right shoulder pain since I was 15.

    Short answer is I would recommend you mix it up to help you sort out your stroke under a variety of conditions, but recommend you breath to one side only when racing or trying to go faster.

  • Julia HerrmannJulia Herrmann

    Thank you for the input guys!  I really like the plan of being able to keep it mixed up.  And I'll save my left side for speediness. 

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