blow bubbles

Not many people know this, but the most important skill in freestyle is to be able to exhale freely into the water. Most people instinctively hold their breath when their face is in the water. This will make the stroke much tougher. When you are swimming freestyle all exhalation should be into the water, so when you turn your head to breathe you only need to inhale. This is the secret of breathing in freestyle.Holding your breath adds to feelings of anxiety and makes you more stressed. Instead, develop a new habit of exhaling into the water ? this will relax you, just like breathing techniques in yoga.Start in the shallow end and practise putting your face in the water and simply hum through your mouth or nose to create a long steady stream of bubbles. Feel like you are sighing.As you get used to this you can develop things by crouching or sitting down to sink lower into the water. A buddy can be useful here to give you some support.If you become so relaxed that you start to feel yourself sinking this is great thing ? it shows that you are building a good degree of confidence in the water.Keep working on this skill ? the habit and technique of exhaling into the water is very important.