8 Drills to Learn Breathing in the Front Crawl / Freestyle Stroke

Experienced front crawl swimmers make breathing look easy as it is so well-integrated into their overall technique. However, appearances can be deceiving, and beginners often have trouble breathing. There are manifold reasons for this:

1. The head must be turned to the side to breathe, which is unusual for beginners.
2. Breathing must be synchronized with arm and leg movements as it must be done at a specific time in the stroke cycle.
3. Arm and leg movements are asymmetrical, which further increases the coordination effort.
4. Many beginners try to compensate for a lack of balance by kicking vigorously with their legs, but this increases oxygen demand and quickly leads to shortness of breath due to poor technique.

As you can see, beginners must overcome several hurdles before achieving a good, smooth breathing technique. That’s why we have put together the following swimming drills to help you learn the proper front crawl breathing technique.

Breathing Drill #1

Standing, Exhale in the Water, Inhale on the Side

1. Stand in waist-deep water.
2. Inhale. Then, bend forward until your upper body is horizontal and your chest and face are in the water. Your head should be in a neutral position.
3. Keep your arms at your sides (or let them dangle in the water).
4. Exhale in the water.
5. Turn your head to the right until your mouth is above the water’s surface. Now inhale.
6. After inhaling, turn your head back down and start exhaling.
7. Repeat several times.
8. Practice inhaling only to the right, then only to the left, and then alternating on each side.

Breathing Drill #2

Standing, exhale in the water, inhale on the side, with arm movements

Drill #2 is similar to drill #1, except that you add the arm movements of the front crawl.

1. Stand in the shallow water so that the water reaches your waist.
2. Inhale and bend forward until your upper body is horizontal and your chest and face are in the water. Your head should be in a neutral position.
3. Extend both arms forward.
4. Start to exhale in the water.
5. At the same time, start the underwater movements of an arm stroke with your right arm. Keep your left arm extended forward.
6. When your right hand reaches your right hip, turn your head to that side until your mouth is above the water surface.
7. Start to inhale and, at the same time, recover your right arm forward.
8. At the end of the arm recovery, turn your head back down and start to exhale.
9. Repeat several times.
10. Practice inhaling only to the right, then only to the left, and then alternating on each side.

Breathing Drill #3

Lateral Breathing while Flutter-Kicking with a Kickboard

1. Put on some swim fins and grab a kickboard.
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Push off from the floor, assume the prone position, extend your arms forward while holding the kickboard, and begin to flutter kick.
4. Keep your head in a neutral position so that your face is in the water and you are looking down.
5. Exhale in the water as you move forward with the kick.
6. When you run out of air, turn your head (and your body a little) to the side until your mouth is above the water’s surface, and breathe in.
7. Turn your head back down, and begin to exhale.
8. Repeat this sequence several times (or over several lengths).
9. Practice inhaling on one side, the other side, and then, alternating on both sides.

Breathing Drill #4

Lateral Breathing while Flutter Kicking with a Kickboard and with Arm Movements

Drill #4 is similar to drill #3, except you incorporate the arm movements of the front crawl.

1. Make sure you are wearing your swim fins and holding your kickboard.
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Push off from the floor, assume the prone position, extend your arms forward while holding the kickboard, and begin to flutter kick.
4. Keep your head in a neutral position so that your face is in the water and you are looking down.
5. In the water, pull your right arm from the front toward your right hip while exhaling. Continue to hold the kickboard with your left hand.
6. As your right hand approaches your right hip, turn your head (and body) to the right until your mouth is above the water’s surface.
7. Inhale quickly as you lift your right arm out of the water, and then, recover it forward.
8. As your arm recovers forward, turn your head back down in the water, and begin to exhale.
9. Grab the kickboard again with both hands at the end of the arm recovery.
10. Repeat this sequence several times (or over several lengths).
11. Practice inhaling on one side, the other side, and then alternating on both sides. (The hand holding the kickboard changes each time.)

Breathing Drill #5

Lateral Breathing while Flutter Kicking, and with Arms Extended Forward

Drill #5 is basically the same as drill #3, but without a kickboard.

1. You are still wearing your swim fins.
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Push off from the floor, assume the prone position, extend your arms forward, and begin to flutter kick.
4. Keep your head in a neutral position, so that your face is in the water and you are looking down.
5. Exhale in the water as you move forward with the kick.
6. When you run out of air, turn your head (and also your body a little) to the side until your mouth is above the surface of the water and breathe in.
7. After you have taken a breath, turn your head down again, and begin to exhale.
8. Repeat this sequence several times (or over several lengths).
9. Practice inhaling on one side, then the other, and then alternating on both sides.

If this exercise is difficult to perform without a kickboard, you may need to work on your balance in the water first, and then return to this drill.

Breathing Drill #6

Lateral Breathing while Flutter Kicking, and with Catch-Up Arm Movements

Drill #6 is basically the same as drill #4, but without using a kickboard. This drill is often called the Catch-Up Front Crawl drill.

1. You are still wearing your swim fins.
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Push off from the floor, assume the prone position, extend your arms forward, and begin to flutter kick.
4. In the water, pull from the front toward the hip with your right arm. Breathe out while doing so. Your left arm remains extended forward.
5. As your right hand approaches your right hip, turn your head (and body) to that side until your mouth is above the water surface.
6. Quickly inhale as you lift your right arm out of the water, then recover it forward.
7. As your arm recovers forward, turn your head back down into the water and begin to exhale.
8. Touch your left hand with your right hand at the end of the arm recovery, then switch sides. Now perform the arm stroke with your left arm, and so on.
9. Continue swimming with these catch-up arm movements, switching arms each time.
10. Repeat this sequence several times (or over several lengths).

Breathing Drill #7

Swim Front Crawl with Fins, Always Breathing on the Same Side

In this drill, you will start swimming front crawl using both arms.

In previous drills, you only moved one arm at a time, so it might be awkward at first to use both arms simultaneously.

To make things a little easier, keep your fins on. This will help you keep your legs up and moving forward. Consequently, you will be able to concentrate on your arm movements and your breathing better.

Do the following:

1. Swim front crawl with your fins on and breathe on the same side for the entire length. This means that you breathe every other arm stroke.
2. Breathe on the other side for the next length.
3. Swim a few laps in this manner, switching your breathing side after each length.

Breathing Drill #8

Swim Front Crawl with Fins, Breathing on Both Sides

Beginners must get in the habit of breathing on both sides (bilateral breathing) so that they develop a balanced swimming stroke. This is what we will practice in this drill.

To alternate breathing sides, you will breathe every third arm stroke instead of every second as you did in the previous exercise. Do the following:

1. Keep wearing your swim fins.
2. Push off the ground, extend your arms forward, start to flutter kick, and then start to pull in the water with your right arm.
3. Breathe on the right side while recovering your right arm, and start to pull in the water with your left arm.
4. Begin exhaling as soon as the right arm re-enters the water and finishes recovering forward.
5. Continue exhaling while the left arm recovers forward and the right arm pulls in the water.
6. Continue exhaling while the left arm pulls in the water and the right arm recovers forward (your head/face stays turned down).
7. Finally, inhale on the left side while the left arm recovers forward and the right arm pulls in the water.
8. Continue swimming with this breathing pattern, inhaling every third arm stroke on alternating sides.

Swimming Front Crawl without Swim Fins

After completing the above breathing drills, it is now time to swim front crawl without training gear. Take off your fins, and try to swim a few lengths without them. Hopefully, you can do this without too much trouble.

Meanwhile, if you still have difficulties with your breathing technique after practicing the above drills for a few training sessions, this could be a sign of underlying problems that must be addressed. If this is the case, I suggest looking at our main series of drills for learning the front crawl stroke.

Good luck, and have fun!

Related Pages

• Top of 8 Drills to Learn Breathing and in the Front Crawl Stroke
• Basic Breathing while Swimming Tips
• Learn How to Swim the Freestyle Stroke
• Freestyle Stroke Breathing Technique
• Rundown of Breathing Technique in Swimming
• Swimming Tips Overview
• Enjoy Swimming Home