The short answer
Blow air out the whole time your face is in the water. Roll your head to the side with your body as one arm finishes its pull, keep one goggle in the water, take a quick breath, and put your face back down. Practice breathing to both sides.
One breath, four steps
- 1
Breathe out underwater
Let air out through your nose and mouth the whole time your face is down. If you hold it, you have to exhale and inhale in the half second your mouth is clear, and there isn’t time for both.
- 2
Turn with your body
Your head rolls with your shoulders as the arm on your breathing side finishes its pull. Turn, don’t lift.
- 3
Keep one goggle in the water
Look to the side, not forward. Your head stays low, and the bow wave from your head leaves a small pocket of air beside your mouth.
- 4
Sip, then return
A quick breath in, then your face goes back down before that arm reaches forward again. A long breath stalls the stroke.
Every 2, 3 or 4 strokes?
Pick a pattern to see where the breaths fall.
12 arm strokes, right arm first
4 breaths in 12 strokes: 2 to the right, 2 to the left.
Breaths alternate sides. Your stroke stays even, and you can see both ways, which helps in open water. It asks for a steady exhale.
Common mistakes
Lifting the head forward
Your hips drop and you swim uphill. Look sideways and let the body roll do the work.
Holding your breath
The panicky, out-of-air feeling usually comes from too much stale air, not too little fresh air. Hum or blow bubbles while your face is down.
The front arm collapses while you breathe
Keep the leading arm extended and pressing gently forward while your head turns. It holds you up.
Turning too late
Start the turn as the pulling arm passes your hip, not once it is already out of the water.
Drills to try
- Bobs. In shallow water, sink and blow out all your air, come up and take one breath. Ten in a row, slow and calm.
- Side kick. Kick on your side with your bottom arm extended and your face down. Roll your head up to breathe and back down, without moving the arm.
- Catch-up breathing. Freestyle where each hand touches the other out front before it pulls. The pause gives you time to get the turn right.
Questions
Why do I run out of air swimming freestyle?+
Most often because you hold your breath underwater. Your lungs are still full of old air when you turn, so you can’t get a full breath in. Exhale steadily the whole time your face is down.
Should I breathe every 2 or every 3 strokes?+
Practice both. Every 3 keeps your stroke even and lets you breathe to either side. Every 2 gives you more air for hard or long efforts. Many swimmers use every 3 in warm-up and drills and every 2 when racing.
Should I breathe through my nose or mouth?+
Breathe in through your mouth. Breathe out through your nose, your mouth, or both, as long as the exhale is steady.
How do triathletes breathe in open water?+
The same rotation, plus breathing to both sides so a wave or a swimmer on one side doesn’t stop you. Sighting forward is a separate, quick movement, usually just before a side breath.
Still fighting for air?
A coach can often spot the problem from one length of video. Send us one, or get in the water with a coach.