Guide·Swimming

How to Breathe While Swimming Freestyle

The thing that exhausts new adult swimmers is not fitness, it is breathing. Get the breathing right and freestyle suddenly feels sustainable. Here is how to actually breathe while swimming front crawl.

HobbyStack EditorialJuly 8, 2026Updated July 13, 20261 min read

Part of the Swimming hobby guideSee the full overview: what it involves, what it costs, and how to start.

Key takeaways

The number one fix: breathe OUT continuously underwater, so you only need to breathe IN when you turn your head. Holding your breath is what leaves you gasping.
Turn your head to the SIDE to breathe, keeping one goggle in the water, do not lift your head up and forward.
Breathe in the trough your head makes as it moves through the water; you do not need to clear the whole surface.
Time the breath with your stroke: turn to breathe as one arm pulls back, then return your face down as it recovers.
Practise breathing drills before full swimming. Bobbing at the wall and one-arm drills fix breathing faster than just swimming harder.

Exhale underwater (the real secret)

The mistake nearly every beginner makes is holding their breath while their face is in the water, then trying to both breathe out and breathe in during the split-second their mouth is clear. That is impossible to do fast enough, so carbon dioxide builds up, panic creeps in, and after one length they are hanging on the wall gasping. The fix is simple but transformative: breathe out slowly and continuously through your nose and mouth the whole time your face is underwater. Then, when you turn to breathe, your lungs are already empty and you only have to breathe in, which is quick. Master this one habit and the breathless, drowning feeling largely disappears.

Turn your head, do not lift it

To breathe in freestyle you rotate your head to the side, in time with your body's natural roll, until your mouth clears the water, then roll it back down. The classic error is lifting the head up and forward to breathe, which sinks your hips and legs, wrecks your body position, and makes swimming much harder. Instead, keep one goggle in the water as you turn, and breathe from the little trough or "bow wave" that forms beside your head as you move forward, you do not need to raise your whole face above the surface. Think of turning your head to rest your cheek on the water, not craning it up for air.

Time it, and drill it

Breathing has to sync with your stroke. As one arm pulls back through the water, rotate to breathe on that side; as that arm recovers over the top, roll your face back down and resume exhaling. Many beginners breathe every two strokes on the same side to start, which is fine; bilateral breathing (every three, alternating sides) comes later. The fastest way to fix breathing is not swimming more lengths but drilling: stand in the shallow end and practise bobbing, breathing out fully underwater and in above it, in a rhythm. Then try one-arm freestyle drills where you can focus on the breath. Fix the breathing on its own and full freestyle gets dramatically easier.

Hum or blow bubbles underwater to force yourself to exhale the whole time your face is down. If you can hear a steady stream of bubbles, you are doing it right, and you will not run out of air. Silence underwater means you are holding your breath, which is the root of the gasping problem.

Common questions

How do you breathe while swimming freestyle?

Breathe out slowly and continuously through your nose and mouth the whole time your face is underwater, then turn your head to the side (in time with your body roll) to breathe in quickly when you need air. The key is that your exhale happens underwater, so the moment your mouth clears you only have to inhale. Lifting your head up instead of turning it to the side is the common mistake to avoid.

Why do I get so out of breath swimming?

Almost always because you are holding your breath underwater instead of exhaling, so carbon dioxide builds up and you feel like you are suffocating even though you have fitness to spare. Fix it by breathing out steadily the whole time your face is down (blow bubbles), so you only need to inhale when you turn to breathe. This single change removes most of the breathless, panicky feeling beginners have.

Should I breathe out through my nose or mouth when swimming?

Either, or both, as long as you are exhaling continuously underwater. Many swimmers breathe out through the nose (which also stops water going up it) and in through the mouth when they turn to breathe, while others exhale through both. The important thing is not which one, but that you are steadily emptying your lungs while your face is down, so the inhale is fast and easy when you turn.

How often should I breathe in freestyle?

Beginners usually start by breathing every two strokes, on one preferred side, which is perfectly fine while you learn. As you get comfortable, many swimmers move to bilateral breathing, every three strokes, alternating sides, which balances your stroke and is useful in open water. Start with whatever keeps you relaxed and not gasping; you can develop the every-three-strokes pattern once the basic timing is natural.

Why do my legs sink when I swim?

Often because you are lifting your head to breathe (which pushes your hips down), or holding your breath (tension), or not keeping your body long and flat. Turning your head to the side to breathe rather than lifting it forward, exhaling steadily, and reaching forward with a long body all lift the legs. A gentle, steady kick from the hips helps too. Body position and breathing are closely linked, so fixing the breath often fixes the sinking legs.

Bottom line

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