Stop Holding Your Breath Underwater

Every beginner knows the moment: your face goes in, you hold your breath as if the water can steal it, and a few seconds later you pop up needing to blow air out and suck air in at once. It feels like the problem is that you are bad at swimming. Usually, the problem is that the breath had no rhythm. I see this in adults and kids alike. They can kick, they can move, and then one rushed breath turns the whole length into a crisis.

Here is the part I want you to remember: a comfortable breath starts before your mouth clears the surface. You take air in when your mouth is above water, then let air out gradually while your face is in. When you come up, you have room for the next breath. We are building a repeatable cycle, not winning an underwater endurance contest.

Why holding it makes the next breath harder

If you save all the air until the last second, your first job at the surface is to exhale. Your second job is to inhale. Meanwhile, your legs may stop, your shoulders tighten, and you lift your head higher than you need to. It is a traffic jam with a pool attached. A steady exhale spreads the work out. You still choose a comfortable moment to surface; you do not wait until you are desperate.

I tell beginners to notice the difference between a soft trail of bubbles and one giant burst right before the face comes up. The giant burst is often the breath-holding habit wearing a costume. It is useful information, not a failure. Once we can see the pattern, we can change it in a smaller, calmer exercise.

Start where your feet and hands are useful

Stand in water where you can comfortably reach the bottom. Keep a hand on the wall. Breathe in with your mouth clear of the surface, lower only as far as you choose, and make a gentle exhale. Come back up, take an ordinary breath, and reset. The very first version might be blowing at the water's surface. Then bubbles with your lips in. Then a brief face dip. The point is to make each step predictable before adding the next one.

Try a few comfortable repetitions, then pause and tell yourself what actually happened. Did air come out for most of the dip? Did you hold it and release everything at the end? Did you try to inhale before your mouth was clear? That little observation is more valuable than doing twenty frantic dips. If you feel rushed, shorten the dip and make the exhale softer. There is no medal for staying down longer.

What about your nose?

On land, many of us breathe through our noses without thinking. In the pool, that autopilot can surprise you. Some beginners bring the face up but start the inhale while the nose is still wet or underwater. Others tense their whole face because they are trying to control every drop of water. I work on where the mouth is, when it clears, and how to make the exhale feel manageable. There is no single dramatic cue that works for every swimmer.

You also do not need to empty your lungs with force. Think of a controlled stream of air, then a normal inhale when you are ready and your mouth is clear. If water repeatedly goes up your nose or you surface coughing, stop the repetition. Return to a shallower, supported version and work with an instructor who can see what is happening.

Then add a kick, not a whole freestyle performance

Once the wall drill feels ordinary, I pair the breathing cycle with a supported kick. Sometimes that means holding the wall and kicking in place; sometimes a noodle is a short-term teaching tool while the swimmer moves a tiny distance. I want the kick to keep its rhythm when the breath changes. If the legs freeze every time the face comes up, we separate the skills again. That is coaching, not going backward.

Next comes a short swim to a reachable wall with plenty of rest. We build distance only while the movement stays controlled. A beginner who can breathe comfortably for a few strokes is learning something much more useful than a beginner who covers a longer distance in panic. The goal is to have enough attention left to notice the wall, the people nearby, and your own body.

Three habits I correct all the time

First, the huge pre-dip gulp. It often encourages a long hold and tight shoulders. Try an ordinary breath instead. Second, blowing everything out in one explosive burst. Make the exhale steadier and shorter if needed. Third, treating every breath as a head-lifting exercise. When you start putting the skill into a stroke, your body position matters; a coach can help you bring your mouth to air without turning the whole swim into a vertical climb.

A useful home thought is simple: air in above water, easy bubbles in water, mouth clear before air in again. The exact timing changes with the swimmer and the skill. A child who is still learning to put lips in the water and an adult practicing freestyle are not doing the same drill, even though the underlying cycle connects them.

A safety note that deserves its own space

Do not practice long breath holds, underwater distance challenges, or hyperventilation before going under. Those practices can be dangerous even for strong swimmers. The American Red Cross, USA Swimming, and the YMCA warn against extended underwater breath holding and hyperventilation. Beginner breath work belongs in a supervised setting within your ability. We are practicing comfortable exhaling, not testing how long anyone can stay under.

What progress actually looks like

One day you notice you no longer need a dramatic countdown before putting your face in. Another day you surface and there is already room for a normal breath. Your kick keeps going. You can stop at the wall without feeling like you escaped something. Those are wins. They may look quiet from the deck, but quiet is exactly the point.

If every breath still feels urgent, let us find the moment where the cycle breaks. In my private lessons, I can watch the bubbles, the timing, the head position, and the kick, then give you one adjustment at a time. You do not have to solve all of swimming in one breath. Explore lessons with Coach Rasha in Los Angeles at coachrasha.com.

Further reading: American Red Cross, USA Swimming, and YMCA joint statement on hypoxic blackout: https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/training-services/scientific-advisory-council/2022%20Hypoxic%20Blackout%20-%20Joint%20Statement%20-%20Red%20Cross%20Y%20USA%20Swimming%2010-31-2022.pdf