2. Breathe on both sides
If you’re teaching yourself basic swim strokes, make sure you learn how to breathe on both sides—not just one. There are a couple reasons for this. “Breathing on your left and on right side every three to five strokes allows you to watch out for kite surfers, windsurfers, sail boats, power boats, and marine life,” Cox says. “It also balances out your swim stroke, diminishing your chances of getting swimmers shoulder.” When you always breathe on one side, you run the risk of straining the muscles and joints, and are far more likely to drift on a diagonal. When breathing, focus on exhaling through your nose while your face is turned down in the water, then turning your head to the side to take a quick gulp of air out of the side of your mouth, trying to keep your head as low to the water as possible, Marsh says. “Keep your head straight and in line with your spine the whole time.”
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