Breathing technique is the key to swimming fast, swimming relaxed and your buoyancy. It is the single most important technical skill that swimmers must master, and it is the skill that is most often misunderstood, poorly taught and ignored. Below, I explain how to breathe and improve your breath-holding capabilities.

Here are the steps to proper bilateral freestyle breathing.

1. While your right hand is pushing water past your hips and your left hand is extended out front, turn your head to breathe to the right.
2. Keep your left hand extended and take a full breath as your right arm is recovering.
3. As your right arm sweeps past your right shoulder, turn your head back into the water and start the catch on the left side.
4. Hold your breath for two complete strokes: one on the left, one on the right.
5. When your left hand starts the catch on the third stroke, quickly blow all your air and relax your diaphragm.
6. While your left hand is pushing water past your hips and your right hand is extended out front, turn your head to breathe to the left.