Bilaterial Breathing for Training - One side for racing

I really try to train as I'm going to perform.  However, I train with bilateral but it always seems like come race day, I want to control my breathing better so I go every stroke.  Either right or left side.  In the swim portion of a tri, I tend to breathe to the side of where the marker boueys are since most of the swims for me are in lakes.  Unless there are large waves, which can happen, then I try to breath to the side that is not rolling into waves.

Part of your original question, I think bi-lateral breathing does build my endurance level.  I take longer strokes and breathe out underwater at a more controlled level.

Seems to work for me at least.

Always train bilaterally.

For racing, I used to breath nearly exclusively to the right, because it was slightly more comfortable. Now I breath on both - weirdly enough, not because of sighting or technical issues, but because since I'm so used to alternating in training, my neck gets tired when I breath only to one side. I didn't expect that one, but it's happened to me in all my swims this year - if I don't mix it up in OWS, my neck starts to remind me that I should be going over to the other side.

If you're comfortable on unilateral breathing on race day, don't worry about it - just do it.

Swimming is my weakest discipline.  I was dealing with a stress fracture in May, so I was told no running (obviously) or cycling.  So that meant the only thing I could do was swim.  So I swam a lot for me.  I ended up with shoulder pain on the left side.  I started researching it a little and on the swim smooth site I learned that my left shoulder was sore most likely from breathing only to the right.  So I started bilaterally breathing.  At first it really slowed me down, and I felt out of breath so I couldn't do as much in the pool.  After about 2 weeks of making myself bilaterally breathe I got my times back to where they had been.  And no more shoulder pain.  I still do better breathing to the right as far as form.  I can feel myself sinking a little when I go on the left.  I try to pay attention to form when I breathe to that side.  And if I going at a harder effort, I do find myself only breathing to the right.

jami  

When I'm training, I always breathe bilaterally. In my races this year, I've been really successful in breathing to just one side. I do rotate sides during the race so I don't cause too much fatigue on my left side, but I prefer to breathe to my right.  

I've found that I am faster because I am taking in more air and feel less stressed about breathing every third stroke. I also find that I get into a better rhythm, have an easier time sighting and navigate buoys and other racers more easily.

I didn't learn to breathe bilaterally as a kid, and the general consensus (at least here on BT) is to not worry about it that much. However, I do practice breathing on one side down the pool and on the other side up the pool, so I'm always looking at the same wall.

I favor my right side, so I almost always breathe only to the right while I am racing. At least twice this year during a race, though, left-side breathing has come in handy -- once when the sun was shining directly into my eyes and once when the buoys were on the left. It is definitely useful to be able to breathe on both sides.

So practice both, but if you only breathe on one side during a race, that's OK. You're not going to injure anything for those 15-30 minutes once a month. =)

Kathy, I thought I was the only one who had a breathing pattern other than plain old 2, 3, or 4! I swam competitively as a kid and almost always breathed 2-2-4 to the right. My mom claims she can spot me at crowded races and beaches by this distinctive pattern.

I've worked hard as an adult to learn bilateral breathing after realizing it is sometimes necessary in OWS, esp. for sighting and in chop. In training, I make sure to do some bilateral breathing in every set. Sometimes I use it as "punctuation". For example, today I did a 2000m steady swim (not a typical workout, but feeling tired and just wanted to get in an easy long swim) and the last 25 of every 100m was bilateral. Or I'll do 50 bilateral and 50 regular out of each 100.  In open water, breathing to either side feels natural and I do it when I need to, otherwise I just breathe my preferred way;  in the pool, when I'm going hard, I still prefer 2-2-4. Three just doesn't seem to be quite enough sometimes and two is too much.

I normally breathe every 3 when training, I don't even think about it, only at the wall do I change that as I need some extra air before the flip turn. When I started to practice sighting I found that this rhythm just didn't work. In stead I breathe every 4: breathe in-hold-sight-blow out. So, take your time in the pool and practice different breathing rhythms, combine with sighting and see what works for you.

BR, Erik

I like that.  

I also vary the number of strokes in my bilateral breathing, depending on conditions.  A favorite pattern in a races is 3R-1R-3L-1L but I've also done 4R-1R-4L-1L-3R-1R-3L-1L.  

I tend to have more air capacity than most so I like to stroke more and breathe less often, but breathe lots when I can.   Doesn't really help my speed though.

I personally don't think you need to train bilateral breathing, but if it makes you more comfortable, go for it.

I race AND train breathing on my right side 90% of the time.  BUT, I know how to bilateral breath and will throw it in once a week for a couple hundred yards to make sure I'm smooth with it.  You never know when you might need it for a short time in a race.

So I think it's important to know, but not important to do it every time you swim.  Just have it in the back pocket for emergencies.

I guy I work with teaches masters and has an long distance OWS group/program and preaches the same thing.  Know how to do it, but breath on the comfortable side when you can.

Sweet!  Yeah, I'm 2-4-2-4.  Dunno why but 3 is not right and 4 is not right and 2 is too much.    I swim OWS, depending on storms, about 3 times a week and have to breathe bilaterally at one point to stay on course as I'm not really familiar with the sea bottom at that point.  Going out to the reef I only need to sight on bad days - today was CRAZEEE currents and waves and the water was so murky (I am only comfy in crystal clear water) that I sighted more than usual, but I normally can go 150m (out to the reef) without sighting once just by my seabottom landmarks.