How to learn how to exhale under water? (Page 2)

I agree that this is a great thread.  I use to be a great swimmer, now like most, I too can not breath.  Thanks for all the suggestions!

Well I don't know if it was exhaling or what, but my swim this morning went much better. I didn't need to breathe each stroke. There was less panting and less panic to get to back to the wall. Can't wait to try it again!

I think swimming is more about efficient exchange of gases more than anything else. Failure to rid your body of CO2 will lead to wall-clinging and panting. My unscientific ranking of crucial swimming "skills" for triathletes:

1. Proper breathing technique. Without this, nothing else matters.
2. Positive mental attitude. Learn to eliminate or greatly reduce the fears associated with the water and things in the water.
3. Proper body alignment. Keep your body as horizontal as possible to reduce drag.
4. OW practice using a wetsuit. Totally different conditions than the friendly confines of your clear, warm pool.
5. Good pulling technique
6. Good kicking technique

Again, just my opinion....

Try not to breathe every stroke. The drills we used to do at practice were breathe twice to one side, take 3 strokes, breathe twice to the other side, repeat. It is important to learn to breathe to both sides because if for instance if someone is swimming right beside you during a race, it's nice to be able to turn your head and breathe to the other side. I've had that happen. Also, whoever said try humming is right on. I hum all the time coming out of flip turns. Remember, in through the mouth out through the nose.

Please explain the humming thing. I've heard it mentioned before but I don't get it.

I practiced today and I think I'm improving!  I love swimming, every visit to the pool seems to show improvement in something. 

The one thing that helped me when it comes to breathing and swimming in general is someone said to try to take normal breaths. Not deep breaths, not big breaths not panting breaths like you are racing a 10 k, normal breaths, like you are walking (perhaps somewhat briskly). I suppose this also means you have less air to blow out under water.

Now you may find that when you do this you slow down, or need to breath more often, and, consequently cant stay "balanced" in the water. If this is the case then your technique also needs improvement. Once you get this down you can start to think of taking deeper breaths.

Anyways, worked for me.

Good luck.

Breathe in relation to your level of exertion. If you are just gliding across the pool, you should be taking very easy, short breaths. Think about how you breathe during a brisk walk. How many breaths do you take per minute? How deeply are you breathing? Also, do you breathe in through your mouth and out your nose while walking? Probably not (naturally anyway), so there's no reason to do it while swimming.

When I'm walking, I breath as often as I can or want to. I don't take 3 steps and then breathe. I also don't just breathe out through my nose. Likewise, when swimming, I breathe as often as I can (1 breath per stroke cycle). I breathe in through my mouth and I breathe out through my nose and mouth. I find it much less restrictive than trying to breathe out through my nose.

Breathing while in the water should mimic breathing on land as closely as possible with the exception of timing your inhales with your roll to your breathing side.

It's all about exchanging gases, out with the bad, in with the good. There is no holding breath, not even for a second. Breathe in or out, no in-between! Pay close attention to this, you may be holding your breath for a split second somewhere, 1/2 way through your stroke, right after you take a breath, somewhere. Be on the lookout for this.