Is Bilateral Breathing in Freestyle Still Useful?

Hey swimmers! This is coach Milo.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"Is Bilateral Breathing in Freestyle Still Useful?"

Summary:

Milo explains that while most professional racers breathe to their dominant side, coaches still recommend bilateral breathing in training. The main reason is neck development: if you only ever breathe to one side, that side of your neck becomes more developed than the other over time, which can lead to neck issues and the wasted time of physical therapy. So he advises going into training intending to breathe to both sides. In racing, bilateral breathing still has its uses, particularly in open water or longer events like 500 yards or 400 meters and up, where breathing both ways lets you keep an eye on competitors, glance at the clock for splits, or orient yourself geographically. But for anything from a 50 to a 200, and maybe a 400 long course, he says focus on your dominant side.

Answer:

Here's the deal. Most professional athletes and most racers like to breathe to just one side, their dominant side. But as coaches we recommend that in training you breathe bilaterally, to both sides, and the reason is you want to develop both sides of your neck. As you get older, if you only breathe to one side, one side of your neck gets more developed than the other, and then you start having neck issues. And the worst part about any injury is physical therapy, such a waste of time. So I highly recommend you actively go into training knowing you're going to breathe to both sides. Is it also useful in racing? There are uses for it. If you're swimming open water, or a longer race like 500 yards or 400 meters and up, breathing bilaterally lets you keep an eye on the people around you if you want to race somebody. If you're good enough to glance at the clock, you might see your split for the last 50 or 100, or where you are geographically in an open water race. So yes, in a race there's a use for bilateral breathing, but if you're swimming anything from a 50 to maybe a 200, or even a 400 long course, focus on breathing to your dominant side.