Front Crawl Breathing – swimming activities

Turning to breathe to the side, breathing patterns and timing with the arms.

Activities

• Breathe with the Pull – Timing drill: the head starts to turn as that arm begins to push back, and returns as the arm recovers.
• Bubble Trails – Swimmers leave a continuous trail of bubbles behind them as they travel – breathing out while moving, not just standing still.
• Bubble, Bubble, Breathe – A breathing rhythm of every third stroke, so swimmers breathe out steadily and learn to breathe to both sides.
• Kick and Breathe Sideways – Kicking with a float, swimmers turn the head to the side to breathe instead of lifting it – the first step to front crawl breathing.
• Noodle Crawl – A noodle under the chest keeps the body high so swimmers can focus on front crawl arms and breathing.
• One Goggle In – Holding the wall, swimmers turn to breathe with one goggle staying in the water – fixes lifting the head forwards.
• Pull Buoy Crawl – Front crawl with a pull buoy between the thighs so swimmers can concentrate on the arm action and breathing timing.
• Side Kick Breathing – Kicking on the side with one arm extended; the face rolls down and back to the side – the easiest way to learn to breathe without lifting.
• Single-Arm Front Crawl – One arm works while the other stays extended in front – isolates the arm action and breathing to the working side.
• Six-Kick Switch – Six kicks on one side, one stroke to roll through to the other side – teaches rotation and breathing without stopping the kick.
• Spy on the Side – Swimmers 'spy' on the teacher walking alongside by turning to breathe – a game that fixes lifting the head forwards.