When we think about swimming, we often picture strong kicks and arm strokes. But the most important skill for a young swimmer to learn is how to breathe.
It's natural for kids to hold their breath when they first put their face in the water. This instinct often stems from fear, but it can escalate into panic, causing them to wear out rapidly. At The Swim Starter, we believe that teaching proper breathing in swimming is one of the most vital steps in a child's journey to becoming a strong, independent swimmer. Good breathing control in swimming is the foundational ability that builds a child's confidence and makes learning every other technique possible.
From underwater exhalation and bilateral breathing to flip-turn and deep diaphragmatic breathing, we will explain the importance of each breathing technique.
Reasons Why Breath Control Matters in Swimming
When your child learns to control their breathing, they unlock new levels of skills and safety in the water. Here's how:
1. Improves Body Position & Efficiency
Proper breathing helps keep your child's body flat and straight in the water. When a child lifts their whole head to get air, their hips and legs sink. This creates drag, making it feel like trying to swim uphill.
By learning to turn their head to the side to take a breath, they stay streamlined. This means all their kicking and pulling energy is used to move forward, making swimming feel much easier.
2. Builds Endurance and Stamina
Panicked, shallow breathing is a quick way to run out of energy. When a child holds their breath or gasps for air, their energy will deplete fast. We teach that calm, steady breathing is like a steady fuel source for the body.
Children can swim for much longer without feeling exhausted once they master exhaling entirely underwater and taking an efficient breath. This is how they progress from swimming a few metres to confidently crossing the pool.
3. Boosts Oxygen Intake for Better Performance
Working muscles need a steady supply of oxygen to function effectively. If a child's breathing is inefficient, their muscles won't get the oxygen they need, which is why they tire out immediately.
Proper breathing in water while swimming delivers a constant supply of oxygen to the arms and legs. This leads to stronger kicks, more powerful pulls, and helps your child feel energetic for their entire lesson.
4. Reduces Stress and Promotes Relaxation
It's normal for a child to feel nervous about putting their face in the water. Their first instinct is often to hold their breath, but this only makes them feel more anxious. That's why we teach children that their breath is their own personal tool for staying composed and in control.
We introduce this concept as "blowing bubbles." The simple act of exhaling slowly and steadily underwater has an immediate calming effect. It gives your child something positive to focus on, shifting their attention from any worries to a fun, manageable task
5. Enhances Stroke Technique
Proper breathing must be coordinated with a child's arm and leg movements because it establishes the pace for the entire stroke.
For example, in swimming freestyle, the breath is timed to happen during an arm pull and the body's natural roll. Mastering this coordination is key to helping your child develop a smooth, powerful, and efficient stroke.
Breathing Techniques for Young Swimmers
Whether your child is just learning to swim or training for competition, there are many breath control techniques they can practice.
At The Swim Starter’s kids’ swimming lessons, we believe in building these competencies one step at a time. We always start with simple, fun exercises for beginners and then introduce more advanced methods as your child's comfort and confidence grow.
1. Rhythmic Breathing
Creating a steady breathing cycle is the foundation for all swim breathing. We teach a simple and consistent pattern of exhaling and inhaling, often as "bubbles out, air in."
Your child will learn to exhale fully underwater by blowing bubbles, usually for a count of three. Then, they simply roll their head to the side to take a quick, relaxed breath. Learning this pattern helps them get the timing right for continuous, comfortable swimming.
2. Bilateral Breathing
We teach children to breathe on both their left and right sides, a skill known as bilateral breathing. When a swimmer only breathes to one side, they can easily go off course. By learning to alternate sides, usually every third stroke, your child will swim much straighter and develop a more balanced, powerful stroke.
3. Breath-Timing Coordination
The goal of breath-timing coordination is to make the breath a seamless part of the arm stroke. We teach children to time their breath to coincide with the perfect moment during their arm pull.
Getting the timing right means their head is out of the water for the shortest possible time. An efficient coordination between their breath and stroke makes their swimming feel much smoother.
4. Underwater Exhalation
A key rule we teach is that the mouth is only for breathing in. All breathing out should happen underwater. Many beginners hold their breath and then try to exhale and inhale quickly at the surface, but there isn't enough time.
The Swim Starter teaches them to blow a steady stream of bubbles through their nose when their face is in the water. Emptying their lungs before they turn to breathe makes the inhale quick and relaxed.
5. Controlled Rhythmic Breathing
Once a child is comfortable with the basic breathing rhythm, we work on making it consistent. This helps build endurance and muscle memory, allowing your child to maintain a steady pace without overthinking it.
6. Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing (Dryland Practice)
An excellent exercise your child can do at home is what we call "belly breathing." Have them lie on their back and place a small, light toy on their stomach. The goal is to make the toy rise and fall with each deep breath. The simple practice teaches them to use their full lung capacity, which helps them take bigger, more efficient breaths in the pool.
7. Flip-Turn Breathing
As your child becomes a more advanced swimmer, they will learn this breathing control technique for turns. To prevent water from going up their nose during a somersault, the trick is to blow a steady stream of air out through the nose during the entire flip. Doing so keeps water out and ensures they have enough air to push off the wall with power.
8. Slow and Controlled Pre-Swim Breathing
It's normal for kids to feel a bit nervous before a swimming lesson or a race. Taking just a few slow, deep breaths before getting into the water helps lower their heart rate. It makes them feel focused, calm, and ready for their session.
Help Your Child Breathe Easy with the Right Swim Programme
Learning to breathe properly in the water takes time, patience, and expert guidance. Our certified instructors specialise in teaching these essential techniques in a fun and encouraging way.
Every step is tailored to your child's age and proficiency level. Our programmes start with playful bubble-blowing games for beginners and gradually build to more detailed coordination drills for more experienced swimmers.
From our Clementi swimming lessons to our Sengkang and Pasir Ris swimming classes—or any of our other pools—our commitment is to build a strong foundation for water safety and confidence in every child.
Ready to empower your child with this essential skill? Contact us today to find the perfect class for their swimming journey.
