Do you know what it takes to be a good swimmer? There are a few different things that can make a difference. Cardiovascular fitness, strength, and the ability to generate power are some factors that matter. Breath control is another one. Improving your breath control can lead to some great benefits that can do some awesome things for your swimming.
Improving Focus and Reducing Stress
Have you ever heard athletes talking about being in the zone after they’d performed really well? Part of that comes from having a strong focus on what they were doing. Controlled breathing can be an excellent focal point, which gives your mind something to think about instead of other things that could stress you out. Breathing exercises can also help you manage your stress better, preventing you from becoming stressed to the point that it negatively affects your performance.
Boosting Energy
The human body must have oxygen in order to function. Oxygen is a critical component in your body’s ability to generate energy (you may remember learning about that in biology). It’s what allows your body to break down the food you eat into nutrients and energy that you can use as fuel for your swimming. When you have greater control over your breathing, you’re able to breathe deeply. This allows you to maximize your oxygen intake, enabling you to more effectively convert food into usable energy.
Expanding Lung Capacity
The lungs create a gas exchange by expanding and contracting, thanks to the muscles in the ribs and diaphragm. The more they are able to expand, the more air they are able to take in, and therefore the greater their capacity. Greater lung capacity means that you’ll be able to swim longer underwater without having to come up for air. That can be really crucial during training and competitions since swimming underwater for longer can have a real impact on your swim times.
While it’s not the only thing that matters as a swimmer, the better your breath control, the better you’ll get at swimming. Better breath control leads to improved focus, reduced stress, more energy, and better lung capacity. All of that results in better swimming times when you train and during any competitions you might be in. Trust us, this is one element of swimming you want to always be working on.
It can be helpful to hold your breath while you swim, but that’s sometimes easier said than done. Try these Tips for How to Hold Your Breath Longer While Swimming.