Master Your Swimming Breathing Technique: How to Breathe Properly in the Water
Mastering proper swimming breathing technique is the single biggest hurdle for new and intermediate swimmers, yet it’s the key to swimming further, faster and more comfortably.
Whether you’re a beginner struggling to make it across the pool or an improving swimmer chasing faster lap times, how you breathe will define your progress more than almost any other element of your stroke.
This guide explains the fundamentals of breathing while swimming, technique tips for the major strokes and easy to follow drills.
Why Proper Breathing Matters
Breathing serves two essential functions while you swim: delivering oxygen to working muscles and letting out carbon dioxide produced when working out.
Many beginners hold their breath underwater, but this is one of the most counterproductive habits you can develop. Swim England’s guidance emphasises that holding your breath causes a rapid build-up of CO2, which actually triggers the urgent “need to breathe” sensation – not lack of oxygen. The result is panic, rushed strokes and becoming tired quicker.
Poor breathing also causes problems with your body position. When swimmers tense up holding their breath, their legs sink, their core tightens and their stroke loses momentum. Lifting the head to gasp for air pushes the hips down further, dramatically increasing drag. Research published has consistently linked rhythmic breathing patterns to improved stroke efficiency and reduced energy expenditure, particularly in front crawl swimmers.
In short, breathing isn’t simply about getting air, it’s the foundation of relaxation, efficiency and speed. Once you learn to trust the rhythm of your breath, the rest of your stroke becomes much easier to improve.
The Fundamentals of Breathing While Swimming
The first and most important principle is to exhale continuously underwater through both your nose and mouth, rather than holding your breath. Swim England’s coaching guidance is explicit on this point: when your face is submerged, you should be breathing out steadily, not storing air. Continuous exhalation prevents CO2 build-up, keeps you relaxed, and means you’re ready to inhale instantly when your mouth clears the surface.
The inhale itself should be quick, sharp, and through the mouth. You don’t need a huge gulp of air – a fast, efficient breath is far better than a deep, panicked one. Most importantly, keep your neck and jaw relaxed during the inhale. Tension in these areas pulls your head out of alignment and impacts your body position. Think of the breath as something you “sip” rather than something you fight for.
Finally, every effective breathing technique relies on rhythm. Tying your breath to a specific stroke count creates predictability, which calms the nervous system and lets your body settle into an efficient pattern. Whether you breathe every two strokes, every three, or every four, consistency is what transforms breathing from a stressful interruption into a seamless part of your stroke.
Front Crawl Breathing
Front crawl breathing is where most swimmers either find their flow or fall apart. The golden rule is to rotate your head with your body and not lift it. As your shoulder rolls during the stroke, your head should turn just enough that your mouth clears the water. Ideally, one goggle stays submerged while the other rises into the air. This subtle rotation maintains your streamlined position and prevents the dreaded sinking-leg syndrome.
There are two main approaches to front crawl breathing. Unilateral breathing (every two strokes, always to the same side) feels more natural for most beginners and allows more oxygen intake. Bilateral breathing (every three strokes, alternating sides) is widely recommended by coaches because it promotes stroke symmetry, balanced muscle development, and better awareness in open water. Many swimmers use bilateral breathing in training and switch to unilateral for racing.
Common mistakes include over-rotating the head, lifting the chin forward instead of turning sideways, and exhaling too late. Late exhalation is particularly problematic – if you wait until your face is out of the water to breathe out and in, you simply won’t have time.
Exhale steadily underwater so that when your mouth surfaces, you only need to inhale.
Breathing in Other Strokes
While front crawl gets the most attention, each stroke has its own breathing pattern. In breaststroke, the timing is naturally built into the stroke: you inhale during the recovery phase, when the chest rises as your arms sweep back. The key is to keep this motion smooth rather than lurching upward for air.
In backstroke, breathing is the simplest of all four strokes because your face stays out of the water. However, many swimmers still hold their breath unnecessarily. We recommend a steady inhale-exhale rhythm tied to arm strokes, with relaxed exhalation through the nose to keep splashing water from entering your airways.
Butterfly demands the most precise timing. The breath is taken forward as your arms sweep through the recovery, ideally synchronised with the second kick of the stroke cycle. Quick, low breaths are essential — lifting the head too high disrupts the wave-like body motion that powers the stroke.
Two Simple Drills to Practise
Effective breathing tips are useless without practice, and these two drills are among the most proven methods for building confidence. The bobbing drill involves standing in shallow water, submerging fully while exhaling completely through nose and mouth, then rising to inhale at the surface. Repeating this builds the habit of continuous underwater exhalation and removes the fear of putting your face in the water.
The 3-3-3 drill is the gold standard for developing bilateral breathing. Swim three strokes breathing to the left, three breathing to the right, and three with your face down and centred. This pattern develops symmetry, rhythm, and control simultaneously, and it’s a staple of coached sessions worldwide.
Conclusion
Effective breathing for swimmers comes down to three principles: exhale continuously underwater, inhale quickly and calmly above water, and maintain a relaxed rhythm tied to your stroke. Practise the drills above consistently and your endurance, comfort, and confidence in the pool will improve dramatically.
Ready to Swim with Confidence?
If you’re struggling with breathing in the water or want tailored feedback from a qualified instructor, including support for nervous swimmers and learners. Swim Now offers private 1-to-1 swimming lessons across the UK. Book your personalised session today and start swimming with confidence.