Proper Freestyle Breathing Technique

What if I told you your Freestyle Breathing technique is either making you faster… or silently destroying your stroke?

I’ve seen it over and over again. Swimmers train HARD. Their catch improves. Their kick improves. But the moment they breathe while swimming Freestyle, everything falls apart — hips drop, lead arm collapses, rhythm disappears.

Here’s the deal.

Breathing during Freestyle Swimming is not just about getting oxygen. It’s about maintaining rhythm, bodyline, and propulsion — all at the same time.
And yes — there’s more than ONE way to do it right.

Why Breathing During Freestyle Matters More Than You Think

Swimming is the only sport where you can’t breathe whenever you want.
That creates stress.

And under stress, swimmers panic — they hold their breath, lift their head too high, or completely disrupt their timing.
Here’s what’s actually happening:

• Oxygen levels drop.
• Carbon dioxide (CO₂) rises.
• Your brain screams: “BREATHE NOW.”

That urgency causes most breathing mistakes in the Freestyle stroke.
The goal is NOT to avoid breathing.
The goal is to CONTROL it.

3 Easy Steps to Perfect Your Freestyle Breathing

So what’s the trick with this system and shuttling the gases through the body?

1.) Have a breathing pattern

If you don’t have a breathing pattern, your body will panic-breathe.
That’s when swimmers start skipping breaths, double-breathing, holding too long, or rushing the inhale. The stroke loses rhythm, and everything begins to feel chaotic.
When working on breathing during Freestyle Swimming, you must decide ahead of time what your pattern will be. Every 2? Every 3? Every 5? Something different in practice versus racing?
Your brain loves consistency. So does your stroke.

Practice Different Patterns

 2.) Keep Air in Your Lungs as Long as Possible

This doesn’t mean you hold your breath after you inhale. It actually means quite the opposite. Remember above that we said CO₂ is the body’s indicator to breathe? Well an easy way to counter act that is to SLOWLY exhale after you stick your face back into the water from a breath. What this does is SLOW DOWN the increase of your CO₂ levels and delay the alert to your brain that your body is running out of oxygen.

So the cycle of breathing should be an inhale, followed by a slow-release exhale (while swimming), and then lastly — a HUGE exhale right before you turn your head to take the next breath.

Another great component to this breathing pattern above is it forces a swimmer to hold a lot of gas in their lungs throughout their stroke (back to that good ol’ buoyancy thing above huh 😉 )

3.) The slow exhale while swimming should be similar to blowing bubbles

Slow exhaling in the water should feel familiar — like the first time you were taught to blow bubbles in a learn-to-swim class. Use a very small opening of the lips and let the air escape gradually, not all at once. The better you control the rate of that exhale, the more air you keep in your lungs, which helps maintain buoyancy and supports your aerobic efficiency. When you manage the breath this way, your body stays calmer, your stroke stays smoother, and the urge to breathe again comes later rather than sooner.

Drills to Improve Freestyle Breathing Control

If you truly want to improve your breathing technique for Freestyle Swimming, you must isolate it.

Most swimmers try to “fix” breathing while swimming full stroke at speed. That rarely works. Breathing needs focused reps — just like your catch or kick.

Here are the drills I use consistently to build control, timing, and confidence.

When swimmers add their arms back into full stroke, they often over-rotate and stay too long on the breath. This drill teaches them to separate rotation from breathing.

The breath becomes small, quick, and controlled. That’s exactly what we want in real Freestyle.

Many swimmers take too long inhaling. Their head lifts, the lead arm pauses, and momentum stalls. In this example, you’ll notice the pulling arm stays slightly too straight during the breath, which causes a small downward press of their top arm and the core connection is lost.

Quick breath training helps swimmers maintain stroke fluidity while keeping the inhale compact and connected to rotation.

Think “touch and go” — not “stop a

How to Use These Drills in Practice

Start with isolated kicking drills to establish low breath position and alignment. Then progress to quick-breath Freestyle work. Finish by integrating breathing patterns into full swimming.

Think progression:

Control → Shorten → Integrate → Perform.

Breathing during Freestyle Swimming should feel rhythmic, not rushed. These drills help build that rhythm before speed ever enters the picture.

When Not Breathing Is the Right Choice (50 Pace Example)

Now let’s flip the script for a second.

There are moments in Freestyle where breathing during the stroke is intentionally minimized — or removed completely.

But here’s the important part.

This is not panic breath-holding. It is trained breath control.

Sprint swimmers develop tolerance to rising CO₂ levels so they can maintain power without disruption. They don’t skip breathing because they’re anxious. They choose not to breathe because the race demands uninterrupted propulsion.

And that only works if the foundation is solid.

If a swimmer cannot control breathing technique at aerobic pace, they should not be attempting breath restriction at sprint pace. Proper breathing for Freestyle Swimming must come first — slow exhale, low breath, stable rotation. Only then does breath reduction become a performance tool instead of a weakness.

Foundation first. Speed second.

What Most Swimmers Get Wrong About Freestyle Breathing

Let’s address the debate.

Some coaches insist on constant bilateral breathing. Others teach breathing to one side only. The truth? Neither approach is universally right.

Here’s my stance: practice multiple breathing patterns — race what makes you fastest.

If shoulder mobility is limited, forcing bilateral breathing can create unnecessary tension. If your rhythm collapses when breathing every 2, try every 3 in practice to improve balance and control. The goal isn’t to lock yourself into one system. It’s to develop adaptability.

Flexibility in training builds confidence in racing.

Quick Self-Check Before Your Next Workout

Before you push off the wall, pause and think.

Do you actually have a breathing pattern, or are you reacting to fatigue? Are you slowly exhaling underwater, or dumping air immediately? Is your breath low and connected to rotation? Does your bodyline stay intact when you turn to breathe?

If even one of those answers is “not sure,” that’s where you start.

Action Step for Your Next Practice

Swim 4 × 100 Freestyle.

On the first, breathe every 2 strokes. On the second, every 3. On the third, every 5. On the fourth, choose the pattern that feels strongest and most controlled.

Pay attention to what changes. Which pattern keeps your hips highest? Which keeps your rhythm smoothest? Which one feels powerful instead of rushed?

That’s useful data. Train with intention.

Want to Fix Your Freestyle Breathing for Good?

If your stroke falls apart every time you breathe, it’s time for expert eyes.

Get detailed feedback with our Video Analysis Packages:

You’ll receive:

• Frame-by-frame breakdown
• Breath timing analysis
• Bodyline correction
• Specific drills tailored to YOU

Our complete Freestyle system walks you step-by-step through breathing control, stroke timing, rotation, and propulsion so everything works together instead of fighting itself. 

How to Swim a Faster Freestyle in 90 Days

This program breaks down exactly how to breathe, rotate, and hold bodyline under fatigue — so your Freestyle stays smooth at race pace, not just during warm-up.

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