How do you breathe properly when swimming front crawl?

Most people who struggle with front crawl do not have a fitness problem. They have a breathing problem: they hold their breath underwater, then try to breathe out and in during the half second their mouth is clear, and after a length they feel as if they have run up a tower. The fix is mostly about timing.

Breathe out under the water

This is the single most important change. The Wikipedia article on front crawl describes the usual pattern: the swimmer breathes out through mouth and nose while the face is in the water, until the next breath. Some people let the air out in a steady trickle, some in a firmer stream just before they turn. Either works, as long as your lungs are ready to fill the moment your mouth is clear.

A simple way to practise, standing in shallow water:

• Take a breath, put your face in and hum or blow bubbles gently through your nose and mouth.
• Lift or turn your head, breathe in, and repeat.
• Do this until it feels as unremarkable as walking.

If putting your face in the water is the hard part, start with our page on getting comfortable with your face in the water.

Turn, do not lift

The classic mistake is lifting the head forwards to look for air. The head goes up, the hips go down, and you end up swimming uphill. Instead:

• Roll with your body. Front crawl involves a natural roll from side to side. Let your head turn with that roll, as if you were resting your cheek on a pillow.
• Keep one goggle in the water. Look sideways, slightly back, not up at the ceiling.
• Use the pocket. As you move forward, a small bow wave forms around your head with a dip in the surface beside your face. The same article notes that you can breathe in that trough without lifting your mouth much at all.
• Keep the front arm long. The arm that stays ahead of you is your support while you breathe. If it collapses, so does your position.
• Return early. Bring your face back down before the recovering arm enters the water.

How often to breathe

There is no single right rhythm. Common patterns:

• Every two strokes, always to the same side. Plenty of air and the easiest place to start.
• Every three strokes, which alternates sides. This is what people usually mean by bilateral breathing, and the front crawl article describes it as a standard pattern.
• Mixing, for example two lengths breathing every two, one length breathing every three.

Breathe as often as you need to stay relaxed. Running out of air to look tidy is a false economy.

Bilateral breathing without the panic

Many swimmers like breathing to both sides: it feels more balanced, and it lets you breathe away from waves or a splashing neighbour. But nobody needs it on day one. Build it gently:

• Practise turning to your weaker side with a kickboard or while holding the wall.
• Swim a few strokes breathing every two to your weaker side, then switch back.
• Try every three strokes for a single width or length, then rest.
• If you feel short of air, return to your favourite side without guilt.

The calm comes from repetition. After a few weeks, the weak side starts to feel merely unfamiliar, then normal.