我從學員那裡得到的最常見的請求是：「我只是希望能夠輕鬆呼吸」。這是有充分理由的，因為很明顯，如果你轉動呼吸並吸入比空氣更多的水，這將完全打斷你的划水，焦慮和挫折會阻止游泳者前進。關鍵是將輕鬆的呼吸融入您的動作 – 不需要打斷節奏並改變身體姿勢以吸入空氣。
畢竟我們是人類，我們在陸地呼吸的時候頭頂要高於下巴。把我們放在水中，抬起頭部和更多的旋轉是人類如何在水中呼吸的本能。旋轉的越多，身體越不穩定並開始下沉。頭部抬起越高，臀部（和下巴）下沉的越多。這不是秘密，只是物理學。
抬頭和更多的轉動呼吸會觸發引導臂向下划水並且雙腿會分開以保持穩定。一旦吸完氣並且臉部回到水中，身體位置就不像自由泳，而是看起來更像飛行義大利面怪物（FSM）。兩劃一呼吸你也可能像一個自由式義大利面怪物 -阻力成倍增加，需要更多的力量和空氣。
為了輕鬆呼吸，頭部和脊柱必須對齊，身體需要水平 – 或者更精確地用TI表示，「平衡」第一。這是違反直覺的，非本能地保持低頭並且較少的轉動來輕鬆吸到空氣，這兩者都是無縫呼吸的核心。
時機也很重要。如果呼吸延遲和/或過長，人類FSM本能將接管。讓肩膀來決定時機。滾動呼吸時，下巴應該跟著肩膀來吸氣。當滾動呼吸時清空肺部，以便在鼻子和嘴巴突破水面時立即吸氣。如果你在嘴巴出水後呼氣並吸氣，呼吸周期會過長，你會吸入比空氣更多的水。此外，如果呼吸遲到或身體滾動有輕微的猶豫（即，下巴不跟隨肩部到空氣），類似於「長呼吸」，您將只能找到比空氣更多的水。
波谷中呼吸
當滾動呼吸時，保持低頭並與脊柱對齊，頭部前方的水會在下巴附近變得越來越低。我將其稱為下巴附近的「口袋」或「找到口袋」，這樣可以輕鬆呼吸。
通過手掌創造弓形波進行實驗，以獲得良好的視覺效果。站在游泳池的淺水端，伸出手臂，手掌向前（拇指向上） – 現在向前掃圓弧形。注意手前（手掌側）的水較高 – 手的後部或關節側的水較低。低水區是下巴旁邊的口袋，讓您輕鬆呼吸。不用抬頭，改變動作，節奏或身體姿勢就可以吸氣。只需在波谷快速吸氣即可。
在插圖中，注意游泳者：1.穩定，足夠的轉動以獲得空氣，2。頭部和脊柱對齊，頭部低，有一個泳鏡在水中，一個露出來，3。移臂出水的時候，下巴跟隨肩部在波谷中充分呼吸（吸氣）4。引導臂固定在前面，在呼吸時保持靜止 – 不需要划水。這位游泳者沒有改變動作，節奏或身體姿勢來呼吸 – 從而保持平衡，低阻力狀態和前進動量。
「輕鬆呼吸」的簡單步驟：
1.先不要呼吸，首先將一個泳鏡抬到水面上方，練習時機。做一些長划水，然後當準備好/穩定時，下巴跟著肩，直到一個泳鏡露出水面。在TI中，這被稱為「鯨魚眼」。一旦你看到空氣（用一個泳鏡！），將頭部恢復到中立位置 – 「泳鏡向下」。在水面上方用一個泳鏡偷看可以讓您感覺頭部和脊柱對齊，頭部不需要抬起來看空氣。在淺水區中，在兩個或每隔一個划水偷看一下。當你需要呼吸時停止，站起來呼吸並重複「鯨魚眼」過程。
2.一旦你通過一個泳鏡偷看時感到自信和舒適，頭部和脊柱對齊（沒有抬起頭部），下面就是呼氣時機。當下巴跟著肩膀露出一個泳鏡時，不斷呼氣並迅速排空肺部。如果做得正確的話，你會感覺呼氣時最後一陣氣流結束會留出吸氣的空間，當嘴巴出水時不吸氣。停止站起來吸氣，重複泳鏡窺視和呼氣時機。
3.現在整合新的頭部位置和脊柱對齊，呼氣時機並嘗試吸氣。但首先，開始用三到四個划水動作保持頭部中立（泳鏡/鼻子向下），然後在下一個划水用一個泳鏡偷看（沒有呼吸），在泳鏡窺視後的下一次划水，當下巴跟著肩膀呼氣，當嘴巴突破水面時迅速吸氣（在波谷處）。但是- 如果你在嘗試吸氣時發現水比空氣多，不用管它，並嘗試在下一次划水時再次呼吸。如果沒有成功吸到氣，停止，站立和呼吸 – 重複「先偷看然後再呼吸」過程。你的任務是打破抬頭的本能，轉動過大的呼吸習慣，發現容易呼吸的波谷。空氣在水面上方五英寸處與在水面處是相同的。
呼吸和浮力
呼吸的一個重要部分是肺部的空氣量。我經常聽到和看到，特別是對鐵人三項運動員的建議，是當臉部進入水中時立即開始清空肺部空氣。雖然這個建議的精神和意圖是好的，但你的身體姿勢可能會下降幾英寸或更多，並且由於缺乏浮力（肺部空氣不足）而永遠找不到「口袋」。你不要屏住呼吸，而是在面部進入水時緩慢控制呼氣 – 只在下巴跟著肩膀轉動到空氣時迅速呼氣，清空肺部。請參閱教練Mandy McDougal的「自由泳呼吸」視頻。她通過肺部充滿空氣和過早排空肺部來證明身體姿勢的不同：建議：在自由泳中舒適地呼吸
自由泳的呼吸真的被高估了。只有我們人類才會增加本能的動作和複雜性，使呼吸變得更加困難和過度沮喪。呼吸不在我們的額頭上，抬起頭部不會給我們帶來更多空氣，只會降低水面下方的下巴，使呼吸更加困難。一旦我們的人類，基於陸地的呼吸本能被消除，那麼你將在弓波的波谷中找到穩定，輕鬆的呼吸。無論是在平靜的游泳池游泳還是在洶湧的開闊水域中游泳，呼吸位置和過程都保持不變。學會在自由泳中輕鬆呼吸需要時間，需要耐心並信任這個過程。
空氣是免費的，隨便吸。
The most frequent request I get from swimmers is: 「I just want to be able to breathe easy」. This is for good reason, since clearly if you rotate to breathe and inhale more water than air this will completely interrupt your stroke, anxiety and frustration sets in preventing the swimmer from progressing. The key is to integrate an easy breath into your stroke – not interrupt rhythm and change body position to gasp for air.
We are humans after all, we breathe with the top of our head higher than our chin 99% of the time. Put us horizontal in water and the instinct to lift the head and rotate more is how a human is driven to breathe in an aquatic environment. The more we rotate the less stable the body is and begins to sink. The higher the head lifts, the more the hips (and chin) sink. That』s no secret, just physics.
Lifting head and rotating more to breathe instinctively triggers the lead arm to push down and legs to splay wide to maintain stability. Once air is found and face is back in the water, body position resembles nothing like freestyle and looks more like the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM). Breathing like this on two』s (every other stroke) you may as well be a Freestyle Spaghetti Monster – drag profile increases exponentially, effort and the need for a lot more air.
In order to breathe easily, head and spine must be in alignment, body needs to be level – or more precisely characterized in TI and is priority #1 – 「Balance」. It』s counterintuitive, really counter-instinctive to keep head low and rotate less to easily find air, and both are central to seamless breathing.
Timing is critical too. If breath is late and/or long, human FSM instincts will take over. Allow the shoulders to do the timing. When rolling to breathe, chin should follow shoulder to air. Empty the lungs when rolling to breathe to allow for immediate inhale when nose and mouth breach surface. If you exhale and inhale after mouth breaches surface, the breathing cycle is too long and you will be sucking on more water than air. Also, if breath is late or has slight hesitation on body roll (i.e, chin doesn』t follow shoulder to air), similar to the 「long breath」 you will only find more water than air.
Breathing in the Bow Wave: When rolling to breathe, keeping head low and aligned with spine the water in front of your head will be higher and lower near your chin. I refer to this as 「the pocket」 or 「finding the pocket」 near chin which allows for an easy breath. A more scientific definition of the 「bow wave」, select this link: Bow Wave Physics.
Experiment by creating a bow wave with the palm of your hand so you have a good visual. Stand in the shallow end of pool, extend arm out, palm facing forward (thumb up) – now sweep hand forward in circular arc. Notice the water in front of hand (palm side) is higher – and water lower at the back or knuckle side of hand. The low water zone is the pocket next to chin that allows you to breathe easy. No lifting of head, altering stroke, rhythm, or body position to gasp for air. Just get your air quickly in the low pocket. See illustration below
In the illustration, notice swimmer is: 1. Stable, rotated just enough to get air, 2. head and spine are in alignment, head is low with one goggle in and one out, 3. chin follows shoulder getting a full breath (inhale) early in low pocket as recovery arm exits water, and 4. lead arm is anchored in front holding clean edge at breath – pulling not required. This swimmer is not altering stroke, rhythm or body position to breathe – thus maintaining balance, a low drag profile and forward momentum.
Simple steps to 「Breathe Easy」:
1. Remove the breathing component and practice the timing first by lifting one goggle above the surface. Take a few long strokes, then when ready/stable, chin follows shoulder until one goggle breaches the surface. In TI this is called the 「Whale Eye」. Once you see air (with one goggle!), return head back to neutral position – 「goggles down」. Peeking one goggle above the surface allows you to feel the head and spine in alignment, head doesn』t need to lift to to see air. In shallow lanes, take a few strokes peeking on two』s or every other stroke. When you need air stop, stand up and breathe and repeat the 「Whale Eye」 process.
2. Once you feel confident and comfortable peeking one goggle above surface, head and spine in alignment (no lifting of head), now bring in the timing of exhale. As chin follows shoulder to peek one goggle above the surface, exhale continuously and quickly emptying lungs. Done correctly, you will feel the ending last burst of air on exhale clearing the way when mouth breaches surface and return head to goggles down without inhaling air. Stop stand up get a full tank of air, repeat the goggle peek and timing of exhale.
3. Now integrate the new position head and spine alignment, timing of exhale and try to take a breath in. But first, start off with three to four strokes keeping head neutral (goggles/nose down), then on next stroke peek one goggle (no breathing), on the next stroke after goggle peek, exhale as chin follows shoulder to air and quickly inhale (in low pocket) when mouth breaches the surface. However – if you find more water than air when trying to inhale, LET IT GO and try to breathe again on the next stroke. If no success getting air on either stroke, stop, stand up and breathe – repeat the 「peek first then breathe second」 process. Your mission is to break the instinct of lifting head, rotating more to breathe and discover the low pocket where easy breathing happens. The air is the same five inches above the surface as it is at the surface.
Breathing and Buoyancy: One important part of breathing is the amount of air in your lungs. A common message I hear and read frequently, especially advice given to triathletes, is to start emptying lungs of air immediately when face enters water. Although the spirit and intentions of this advice are good, your body position can drop a couple of inches or more and never find 「the pocket」 due to lack of buoyancy (not enough air in the lungs). You don』t want to hold your breath, but rather have a slow controlled exhale as face enters water – only exhale quickly and empty lungs as chin follows shoulder to air. See this 『breathing in freestyle』 video from Coach Mandy McDougal. She demonstrates body position with air in the lungs and emptying lungs too early: SwimVICE: Breathing Comfortably in Freestyle
Breathing in freestyle really is overrated. It』s only us humans adding instinctive movements and complexity that make breathing much more difficult and overly frustrating. Our mouths are not located on our foreheads, lifting the head will not get us more air, only lowers the chin below surface making it more difficult to breathe. Once our human, land based instincts to breathe have been removed is when you will find that stable, easy breath in the low pressure pocket of the bow wave. Whether swimming in calm pool or in lumpy open water conditions, the breathing position and process remains the same. Learning to breathe easy in freestyle takes time, be patient and trust the process. The air is free, take all you need.
by CoachStuartMcDougal 翻譯來自全浸游泳大熊
