Mastering the breath is often the most challenging hurdle for freestyle swimmers, as poor timing can disrupt body alignment and lead to exhaustion.1 The following Breathing Drills are designed to transform breathing from a corrective struggle into a rhythmic, integrated part of the stroke. By focusing on the "inhale/exhale" cycle, maintaining a "weightless" lead arm, and utilizing the physics of the "bow wave," these exercises teach swimmers to breathe with their entire core rather than just their neck. This collection provides a step-by-step progression to help you achieve a low-profile, efficient breath that preserves your forward momentum.
- Drill 15: Inhale Arm / Exhale Arm – This foundational drill assigns a specific role to each arm to establish rhythm. It uses standing and swimming exercises to teach swimmers to inhale as the "inhale arm" finishes its stroke and exhale consistently when the "exhale arm" enters the water, ensuring a continuous supply of oxygen.
- Drill 16: The Weightless Arm – This drill addresses the "heavy arm" mistake, where the lead arm sinks to provide leverage for a breath.2 By practicing side-lying positions and focused swimming, athletes learn to keep their lead arm fully extended and near the surface—effectively "weightless"—while they inhale.
- Drill 17: Temple Press – Focusing on head alignment, this drill introduces "low-profile" breathing. By pressing the temple into the water during the inhale, swimmers create a "bow wave" effect. This physical phenomenon creates a pocket of air near the mouth, allowing for a breath without lifting the head too high and disrupting body position.3
- Drill 18: Dead Arm Freestyle – Using a single-arm swimming technique, this drill isolates the breathing movement. By keeping one arm motionless at the side, the swimmer is forced to use their hips and shoulders to initiate the roll for a breath, ensuring the core—rather than just the head—drives the rotation.
FreeStyle : - Breathing Drill
Swim Drill - 15 - Inhale Arm/Exhale Arm
THE PURPOSE OF THIS DRILL
Learning the correct timing of the freestyle breathing
Using a regular breathing pattern
Maintaining a relaxed, rhythmic stroke with breathing
HOW TO DO THIS DRILL
Step 1: Choose a side that you will turn toward for breathing. The arm on that side will be called your "inhale arm". The other arm will be called your "exhale arm".
Step 2: Standing in waist deep water, bow forward until your face is submerged. Extend your arms forward, aligned with your shoulders to do the freestyle arm stroke in the standing position. Do several strokes, saying to your self "inhale", as you are stroking underwater with the "inhale arm", and saying, "exhale", as you are stroking with the "exhale arm".
Step 3: Now try to actually get a breath. Stroke first with your "inhale arm". As you begin to press back on the water, start turning your face to the side toward the "inhale arm". Turn your face until your mouth clears the water, but keep your lower cheek in the water. Inhale as your hand reaches the back of the stroke. Inhale deeply through your mouth. Then, as the "inhale arm" returns over the water to the front, allow your face to follow it, arriving back into the water by the time the "inhale arm" passes your shoulder. Look at the bottom of the pool.
Step 4: When your face returns to the water, begin stroking with the "exhale arm". As you begin to press back on the water, look down at the bottom of the pool and exhale. Exhale through your mouth and nose. You should see an abundance of bubbles as you exhale. Continue exhaling throughout the length of the stroke, and as the "exhale arm" returns over the water to the front.
Step 5: As your "exhale arm" passes your shoulder, again begin stroking with the "inhale arm". Continue stroking rhythmically, inhaling with the one-arm stroke, and exhaling with the other. Maintain the full length of each stroke. Do a quick, deep inhale through your mouth. Do a long, thorough exhale from your mouth and nose, producing bubbles. Practice until you can breathe rhythmically with the rhythm of the stroke.
Step 6: Now try breathing while swimming freestyle. Start slowly. Stroke several times saying to your self "inhale" and "exhale" as the designated arm strokes through the water. Then try turning your head toward the "inhale arm" as it strokes. Turn to the point that your mouth clears the water but your cheek remains connected to the water. Inhale as your arm reaches the back of the stroke. Then, allow your face to turn back into the water, following your "inhale arm" as it recovers back to the front. Exhale as the "exhale arm" strokes.
Step 7: Practice several times then rest. Practice again. Be patient and set the rhythm of your arm stroke to your inhale and exhale.
FreeStyle : - Breathing Drill
Swim Drill - 16 - The Weightless Arm
THE PURPOSE OF THIS DRILL
Maintaining the full length of the arm stroke while breathing
Learning the correct timing of the freestyle breathing
Using your core to breathe, not just your head
HOW TO DO THIS DRILL
Step 1: Push off the wall for freestyle. Achieve a firm core and look at the bottom of the pool. Swim to the far end of the pool. Begin swimming freestyle. Establish a relaxed stroke and regular breathing rhythm. Inhale with one arm, exhale with the other.
Step 2: When you have reached about the halfway mark to the other end of the pool, at the exact point when your mouth clears the water to inhale, freeze in that position. Identify precisely where the arm is that you are turned away from when breathing. Has it left the fully extended position? Is it under your chest? If the answer to either of these questions is "yes", you have a heavy arm. As this heavy arm presses down on the water in an attempt to lift you up to breathe, it works like an anchor. When your arm sinks, you lose half of your next stroke that could have moved you forward in the water.
Step 3: To avoid a heavy arm, float on your side, with your breathing side higher in the water. Extend your lower arm fully in front of you. Position the higher arm at your side. Begin a gentle flutter kick. Holding your core firm, roll your face, shoulder and hip as a unit back until your mouth clears the water. Inhale. Roll back down. Practice several times, maintaining the position of your extended position of your lower arm throughout your roll and inhale.
Step 4: Now, try it while stroking. Again float on your side, breathing side high. Stroke through the water with your lower side arm, and recover over the water with your higher side arm. Once you have switched floating sides and switched arm positions, prepare to breathe on the next stroke. As your arms again begin to switch positions, hold your core firm, roll your face, shoulders and hips up in unison towards the stroking arm. By the time the stroking arm reaches the back of the stroke, you should be floating on your other side with your mouth clear of the water to inhale.
Step 5: Notice the position of your lower arm. It should be fully extended throughout your breath, reaching toward the far end of the pool, fairly close to the surface of the water...as if weightless. Practice again. Continue practicing until you can inhale as the lower arm reaches forward, instead of pressing down.
Step 6: Once you are comfortable with this breathing position, begin to swim regular freestyle. Go slowly and focus on reaching forward with your lower arm as you roll your face, shoulder and hip up to the high side for each breath. Keep reaching forward throughout your inhale. Practice until you achieve a weightless reaching arm.
FreeStyle : - Breathing Drill
Swim Drill - 17 - Temple Press
THE PURPOSE OF THIS DRILL
Practicing the correct head alignment while breathing
Learning to use a "low profile" breathing technique
Experiencing the bow wave when inhaling
HOW TO DO THIS DRILL
Step 1: Stand in waist deep water. Bow forward at the waist and submerge your face in the water. Look at the bottom of the pool. Extend your arms in front of you on the surface of the water. Bring one arm back toward your hip underwater, and turn to that side, as if breathing in freestyle. Freeze in that position. What parts of your head are connected to the water? Your jaw bone? Your cheek? How about your temple?
Step 2: Adjust your head position so that your temple is pressing down on the water. Notice that by doing so your cheek and your jaw bone automatically connect to the water. Your mouth might not clear the water as much as you are used to. That is fine.
Step 3: Now begin to swim regular freestyle. Roll up to breathe and reach forward with your lower arm. While turned for the inhale, press your temple into the water. Feel that your cheek and your jaw bone connect to the water as well. Notice that as you are moving forward during the breath, the water parts around your head, like it does at the bow of a moving boat. With your temple pressed into the water, this "bow wave" will create a sort of pocket of air for you to inhale, even if your mouth is very close to the water.
Step 4: Continue swimming, using the low profile breathing technique by pressing your temple into the water, and breathing within the "bow wave".
FreeStyle : - Breathing Drill
Swim Drill - 18 - Dead Arm Freestyle
THE PURPOSE OF THIS DRILL
Feeling the core involvement in breathing
Reaching forward while breathing
Experiencing the correct timing of the breathing
HOW TO DO THIS DRILL
Step 1: Push off the wall as if preparing to swim freestyle. Bring one arm to your side and hold it there motionless. Engage your core tension.
Step 2: Swim freestyle with the other arm only. Before each stroke, focus on aligning your moving arm forward, directly in front of your shoulder. When you stroke, maintain a high elbow position, and use the full length of each stroke to accelerate through. Pull then push from front to back.
Step 3: Breathe towards the side with the motionless arm. Without moving your head independently, turn to breathe using your hips and shoulders to initiate your roll to breathe. Time your inhale to begin when the moving arm is reaching for the front, just as your finger tips touch the water. Keep reaching forward throughout the inhale.
Step 4: As you inhale, you should be able to see the shoulder on your breathing side out of the water. As you return your face to the water, feel that shoulder and same side hip roll down.
Step 5: Continue swimming with one arm to the end of the pool, focusing on breathing with your body roll. Switch arms. Repeat. Continue practicing until you can achieve balanced breathing by rolling with a firm core.
