Swimming & breath-holding tips

I used to be a long-distance runner, going on jogs for several hours at a time. After moving to the UK, I realised that I’d have to take up another sport, as outdoor temperatures were so low that my core temperature kept dropping inevitably.

So, several years ago, I started swimming regularly, after not having done much swimming in the preceding decade. I’m now able to swim underwater continuously for distances of over 40 metres, and can hold my breath for 3 minutes while remaining static underwater. While these are not record-breaking feats by any means, they’re still significantly longer than what many people find comfortable.

Here are some of my training techniques, which are easy to implement and yield quite satisfying results!

First, a few comments:

• The main reason I practise holding my breath is to gain freedom underwater. I can gaze at aquatic life with fewer interruptions; I’m not reliant on a snorkel and am not restricted to swimming at the surface; and when the sea is rough, I can cut through large waves without feeling short of breath.
• As much as possible, I like to rely on my own body, rather than on equipment. Oxygen tanks and gear, while liberating in certain ways, are an additional weight and expense, and thus far I haven’t used them in my training.
• My focus is on holding my breath while moving (termed ‘active apnea’). I personally see little point in practising holding my breath while static, just for the sake of it, because in just about every outdoor situation that I encounter, in which breath holding is desirable (e.g. when buffeted by large waves or observing underwater life), I am also moving around constantly.

Tips:

1. If you are not used to being underwater, then start getting comfortable with it. Submerge your head and immerse yourself. On each stroke, instead of craning your head towards the surface with your neck at an angle, allow your neck to straighten and relax so that you are facing downwards. Allow the top of your head, rather than your face, to point in the direction that you are moving. Not only does this position allow you to expend less energy in your neck muscles, it gives your body a more streamlined shape, allowing you to cut through the water more swiftly.


2. With practice, gradually extend the amount of time that you spend with your face submerged. If you currently surface once per stroke, train yourself to stay submerged for two strokes. If you can do two, work your way up to three. When I first started some years ago, I felt out of breath on each stroke and kept surfacing. I pushed myself, and can now comfortably do many strokes on each breath.


3. Do not feel compelled to swim fast and furiously- unless you want to. Media broadcasts tend to focus on sporting events such as the Olympics, where timing is everything. Frankly, I think that the key reason why competitive swimming is so focused on speed is that it’s the easiest parameter to measure, and thus acts as a reliable standard across individuals. Unlike gymnastics and diving, which take place largely in the air, and can more easily be judged on aesthetics, swimmers are partially hidden- unless someone can afford to furnish the pool with high-speed underwater cameras. Fast does not always mean functional.


4. Similarly, do not limit yourself to just one stroke (the one you feel most confident with, or which allows you to travel most quickly), or to the few standard strokes used in competitive arenas (breaststroke, crawl, butterfly, backstroke). Again, under such circumstances, restrictions are imposed upon athletes in order to make the judges’ job easier. There is a virtually unlimited range of styles that you can adopt, invent, and tailor according to your specific strengths and body type. As I spent time in the pool, I realised that the most efficient and enjoyable way of swimming underwater, for me, was to combine the breaststroke with the crawl- essentially, I take a strong stroke with my arms and legs (breaststroke style), and while my arms return to and remain in a recovery position (pointing straight out ahead of me, as I glide through the water, carried on the power of the first strong stroke), my legs kick up and down (crawl style). I find that this maximises the distance I get while coasting, and it allows me to recover fully before taking the next stroke with my arms (because my arms tire more rapidly than my legs). This wikipedia article has a list that includes alternative styles, many of which I discovered independently through experimentation (e.g. swimming underwater facing upwards; occasionally performing a roll during the crawl and taking in a breath when facing upwards). Some pools impose regulations that restrict the types of strokes that can be used, which is annoying from the POV of a serious practitioner who wants to explore the body's abilities. For example, the newly-opened-to-the-public pool at London's Olympic Park, although beautiful and large, requires swimmers to stick to a small handful of 'standard' strokes, and forbids underwater swimming, as they claim that the lifeguards can't see what is happening underwater and one's risk of drowning is higher. For me, this is a deal-breaker and I'd rather swim in a 17-m pool where I can train properly, incorporating turns into my underwater stretches, than charge along frustratedly at the surface for 50 m straight.


5. Adapt your style to your environment and needs. Many people seem to use the crawl by default, whether they are in the pool or the ocean, because it is efficient and fast. I do the same- when my top priority is to get somewhere quickly. However, this constitutes only a small fraction of the time spent in the water. When swimming in very shallow water, such as at a sandy beach with a very low incline, or in an area with a lot of rocks, foliage, or other life forms just beneath the surface, the breaststroke allows me to hover in the water without disturbing the wildlife or smashing my foot or knee into a hard surface, which is what would happen if I tried to use the crawl. If I’m in particularly stunning surroundings and want to imprint the view of adjacent cliffs, vegetation, beach condominiums, and rock formations firmly upon my memory, then the stroke that I use depends on my orientation relative to the scenery. If the best views lie directly ahead of me, then I could use the breaststroke or the crawl, while keeping my head above the surface continuously, or I could use the breaststroke while submerging my face every few strokes, so that I see the view above water part of the time, and the view underwater the rest of the time. When gorgeous scenery lies on either side, I could use the crawl, alternating the sides on which I take a breath, or not submerging my head at all. If the view lies on just one side, then I might use the crawl while breathing consistently on the same side. If I really want an uninterrupted view, without breaks underwater, then the breaststroke is good for views all around, while the crawl is best for views directly ahead. In calm water, the backstroke is also good for views directly ahead (in the direction that you’re heading), as you can tilt your head back, and survey your surroundings upside down, as far as the horizon. If the scenery extends fairly far upwards in the vertical plane, then the backstroke affords a relaxed view all round as well. The only times I use the butterfly are when I’m in need of a good cardiovascular workout, and have a lot of excess energy to dissipate, and/or am trying to ‘scare’ annoying people from the pool (i.e. people who sit or splash around aimlessly and get in the way, who scream or chatter loudly and endlessly about trivial things, etc). For continuous underwater swimming, I use my favourite breaststroke/crawl combination, as described in the point above, which is also what I think of as my ‘stealth mode.’ In a pool, my criteria for stealth mode is: at the start, the surface of the pool is calm; after I swim the entire length and emerge on the opposite end, I should be able to turn round and see only the gentlest ripples across the surface. The ripples should dissipate within seconds, leaving an almost-totally-flat surface. I like to stay still for a while, sticking the tips of my fingers just out of the surface, and monitoring the decline of energy in the water.


6. When you work your way up to doing multiple strokes per breath, you will find that your posture changes- previously, when you could only hold your breath for a few seconds, your face was constrained to stay close to the surface, to allow easy access to air. Now, since you can keep your head underwater for extended periods of time, you find yourself slicing through the water with the top of your head leading the way much of the time, instead of moving face first. This loosening of the ‘face to surface distance’ parameter allows flexibility with the rest of your body- work on using your whole torso, dolphin-like, to move underwater. Try keeping your legs together like a mermaid, and do not use your arms to propel yourself forward. If you watch videos of professional swimmers, you will notice that their torsos are very flexible and they move through the water like fish- this is good for agility as well as being aesthetically pleasing!


7. Keep experimenting with your stroke, to find out what suits you. Work on aspects that you think need improvement- for example, if your arms tire easily, then focus on making strong, powerful strokes with them every so often, to build them up. If your kick is asymmetrical, concentrate on moving your legs in synchrony and with equal strength. There are lots of little ways in which you can improve, and you don’t necessarily need an instructor to coach you. Feel the water move past and search for inefficiencies. Are you slowing down during the recovery phase, as your arms sweep through the water in the opposite direction? Try angling them differently, or gliding them near the surface of your body, to reduce resistance. Are you expending a lot of energy towards the end of your arm stroke, with little forward movement? You might be pushing upwards against the water, rather than backwards. If so, it might make more sense to use that energy for the next stroke, or to create an additional mini-stroke if you still have a lot of strength left. If part of you tires while another part feels strong, perhaps explore ways of balancing out the two, instead of simply training the weaker part (though that can work well, too). When you surge forward, are you in as streamlined a posture as possible, to take advantage of the forward motion? If your neck is craned upward such that you are facing forward, this may be necessary in order to see where you are going; however, sometimes a quick look ahead is enough and you can spend the majority of the thrust facing down with your head aligned to your body, allowing you to cut smoothly through the water.


8. When you breathe, take deep breaths that fill up your stomach as well as your lungs. When I’m swimming hard, I tend to breathe through my mouth, as this allows faster intake of air, and helps me fill up my cheeks with more air. Breathing through your mouth is also helpful when the water surface is choppy (e.g. due to the wind, or to nearby swimmers)- if some splashes into your mouth, you can release or swallow the water with little difficulty, whereas it can be painful when it enters the nose. That said, breathing water in through the nose can be dealt with, given enough practice. I initially found water intake through the nose to be highly disruptive and unpleasant. As I gradually got used to controlling the opening and closing of my nasal passages, I discovered that I was able to breathe water in through my nose, but then to channel it away from my lungs and into my throat, and swallow it with little difficulty- thus clearing my passages without expelling the water through my nose. Till today, I don’t quite know how this happened- it occurred seemingly naturally, with practice. It’s not something that I do frequently or intentionally, but on those occasions when a splash comes unexpectedly and my nose is on the front lines, it’s quite an advantage to be able to divert the water without breathing out forcefully through the nose.


9. Practice will also enable you to exert fine control over the air pressure in your body cavity. The air is stored in numerous locations- your mouth, throat, lungs, and stomach. Your muscles exert pressure on these cavities and modify their volumes through relaxation and contraction. You can calibrate the pressure exerted by your internal cavities on the stored air, against the pressure exerted by the fluid surrounding you. For example, when moving rapidly underwater, in order to prevent water entry up your nose, you may tense your muscles to reduce compression of the air into your body, or you may actively breathe out a little, against the force of the oncoming water. This is particularly relevant when diving, or when jumping into water in such a way that water is forced into your nose. I also notice, during periods of static breath holding (e.g. face down in a hot tub), that I sometimes release a little bubble of air from one nostril at a time, every few seconds. Furthermore, the bubbles emerge from alternating nostrils! I'm not exactly sure how or why this physiological pattern evolved, or even whether it is particularly beneficial, but I intuitively think that it's related to the acquisition of finer control over my breathing patterns and mechanisms of air exchange (after all, it seems more challenging to release air from one nostril at a time than from both simultaneously).


10. In order to stay underwater for long periods, and to maximise your store of air, it helps to maximise the efficiency of your muscles. Swimming underwater is what motivated me to develop an economical style, which exploits forward motion and calls for exertion only when necessary. I stay as calm and relaxed as possible, and reduce muscle movement- even eye movements, believe it or not. I find that when I’m pushing myself to stay under the surface, the smallest energy expenditures become apparent. I sometimes keep my eyes closed part of the time- if opening my eyes seems vaguely difficult, that is a sure sign (for me) that it’s time to resurface. I mentally associate darkened vision with blacking out, and thus like having my eyes open just to check (I’m not sure how scientific this is- it’s a habit of mine). Similarly, at the end of a 40-metre swim, I sometimes emerge gasping and my bladder and extremities (hands and legs) feel weak. I have never knowingly come anywhere close to blacking out or getting into difficulties due to holding my breath, and am careful not to push myself to a point where blacking out seems possible.


11. If you are practising holding your breath for long periods, you will find that intake of more air is not always better- after you have filled up your main stores and taken a gulp for your mouth, an attempt to retain even more air, beyond the amount that you can comfortably hold, can make you feel like bursting and be quite difficult, costing you more energy to maintain than it’s worth ('detrimental returns').


12. On land, we are used to taking breaths in and out, cycling fresh air through our system. If you hold your breath for a while, your body instinctively tries to release the old air and breathe in new- just like how clenching of your arm or leg muscles for a while is eventually followed by relaxation. The muscles involved in breathing can only remain tensed for so long. The trick to remaining underwater for longer than the limit of muscle tension, is to allow your muscles to undergo cycles of contraction and relaxation, as they would above water- but while cycling through the same reserves of air, instead of exchanging old air for new. This can be done in several ways. Once underwater, your store of air is held largely in three places: your stomach, your lungs, and your mouth (and some in your throat). You can incrementally exchange the air in your lungs and stomach with that in your mouth- for example, every few strokes, you could allow a tiny passage of air out of your mouth and into your thoraxic cavity, and keep this exchange process going until your air supply is depleted. (I’m not sure whether I’m able to control my the air in my stomach and my lungs independently- it seem feasible in theory; I think that professional singers are able to do this, with careful control over their chest cavity and diaphragm.) Alternatively, you could do the exchange all at once- halfway through your underwater swim for example- by passing all the air from your mouth into your thoraxic cavity. Typically, I spend the first half of my intended distance, either keeping the air in my mouth in reserve (not using it), or performing an incremental swap. Either way, I still have plenty of usable air at the halfway point. When I feel the need, I do a full swap- whatever air was held in my mouth (either completely fresh or partially used) goes into my lungs and stomach. Moments later, this is replaced by partially-used air, which I hold in my expanded cheeks, instead of releasing as would typically be done on land. Some seconds later (depending on how I feel), I breathe in the air in my mouth and replace it with another depleted lot. This cycle occurs several times (maybe half a dozen), with progressively staler air. This way, my muscles continue their natural process of relaxation and contraction, and I make full use of my air reserves. If you make movements which cause compression of the air in your body cavity (e.g. by doing a turn after reaching one end of the pool), this exerts pressure on the air, inclining you to breathe some out- it takes practice to maintain control and retain all the air that you have.


13. Some attention needs to be devoted to the act of swallowing- I have already mentioned that expenditure of energy is clearly felt during underwater breath holding, and even simple movements can be challenging. The act of swallowing, while underwater, seems to be particularly difficult, whether or not one is conserving energy- I find that while it is quite easy to draw air through my throat in small amounts, it takes a conscious effort to swallow- a bit like swallowing a small pill, though slightly less effortful- or when on a plane during rapid pressure changes. When swimming, unless I make the decision to swallow, I doubt it would happen. Perhaps this is a reflex, a natural guard imposed by my body to avoid accidental fluid intake while submerged. If so, then the combination with a low energy ration makes the process of swallowing a bit tedious- however, I find that once I’ve swallowed my air, my body seems to relax a bit- as if it has undergone a reset and can therefore continue for longer. Perhaps it has to do with allowing tense muscles to relax, or maybe it is mostly psychological- but whatever it is, this is something I’ve noticed. It also takes some practice to exert independent control over your nose and your throat, so that in the process of swallowing, you do not breathe water in through your nose.


14. If I’m aiming to cover a certain distance underwater, and am pushing myself, I sometimes use up virtually all my air reserves by the time I surface. Mostly, though, I like having a pocket to spare, which is released only after I break the surface- this is a habit I’ve acquired after underestimations of the remaining distance to the surface, and after encounters with waves that break over my head as I surface.


15. Other factors that determine one’s stamina underwater include the surrounding temperature and how recently one ate. If the water is too warm, one may feel sluggish; too cold, and it is only possible to swim for a short while. I find that I swim best underwater if I haven’t eaten for several hours before hitting the water- probably because digestion consumes energy. If I’m less intent on breath holding and am simply enjoying a plunge into bracing, choppy waves, there are few things more luxurious than swimming in the salty ocean while still chewing on a good hunk of sandwich!