5.3. Why can’t I manage to breathe in freestyle? Should I rotate my body more?

Poor body rotation might be the reason why we’re struggling to take a breath.

A common issue is that the swimmer doesn’t rotate the whole body – meaning all three points: shoulders, hips, and legs. Instead, they stay flat on the stomach and rotate only the head and shoulders.

This triggers a chain of mistakes, the most critical one being a drop in body position. The hips sink down as the swimmer tilts sideways instead of rotating, and the face barely breaks the surface – sometimes only for a split second, or not at all.

Instead, we need to focus on rotating all three points: shoulders, hips, and legs, staying close to the surface and rotating like a skewer. That way, we can extend the time available for breathing as much as we need.

Another issue this causes is increased drag. When the hips sink, the body plows through the water, which of course slows us down.

And lastly, without proper body rotation, we can’t glide on the extended arm and ride the side. That means we have to work harder than necessary.