The air we breathe is vital. It gives us life and is fundamental to our survival, feeding our organs with oxygen.
Breathing is also a hugely important part of swimming. It helps swimmers to relax their minds, soften their muscles and move more easily through the water.
In our experience, the reason adults struggle with front crawl is very often poor breathing technique, with many swimmers holding their breath without even noticing. As a consequence, their bodies are tense, making it even harder to move through the water.
So, at Angelfish, when we teach a person to swim, we start with breathing. And bubbles. Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles – long, quiet bubbles. The slow exhalation of air allows the water to support the body and the swimmer to move, glide and propel through the water more easily.
We have a phrase that helps communicate the importance of breath control to our little ones – ‘BLOW BEFORE YOU GO’! This means that swimmers should start exhaling before they attempt to push themselves through the water. During exhalation, the constant stream of bubbles helps to distract the swimmers from any feelings of worry and helps them to focus, relax and start to have fun.
As our swimmers progress, they focus on regular and controlled breathing so that they can swim independently for longer distances. They also learn to use their breath to regulate their buoyancy and reduce resistance.
Then, as our swimmers become stronger, their focus turns to the timing and volume of their breathing so that they remain energised and can swim for longer periods of time.
Bubble blowing at home in the bath or into a bowl of water is an excellent introduction to breathing. This can be made more fun for children with straws and going on treasure hunts to find sinking objects!
It is ALL about the breath and remembering to BLOW BEFORE YOU GO!
Jen x
Angelfish Swimmers, developing water confidence and beautiful swimming technique in a supportive and fun environment.
