Coordination and Breathing For Front Crawl

My coordination and breathing for front crawl is not right. I have breathing problems trying to do my front crawl then I get frustrated and it seems to me it will be a long time until I get it right. I have been going for just over 4 months and still cannot get it right. Please help.

The coordination for front crawl can be effected by the breathing and vice-versa. The key is to relax into the stroke and take your time.

As front crawl is an alternating stroke (as one arm pulls, the other recovers and as one leg kicks down, the other moves up), the coordination can be approached a few different ways.

The most common timing cycle is a 6 beat cycle where there are 6 leg kicks to 2 arm pulls. The can vary right down to a 1 beat cycle where there is one leg kick for each arm pull. There is no right or wrong here. Just do whatever comes naturally and stick with it. Trying to change your timing and coordination pattern can often lead to more frustration and wasted energy.

As far as breathing goes, ensure you are trickle breathing and not explosive breathing. In other words breathe out into the water slowly as you are swimming and do not hold your breath. If you breathe out into the water as you swim then turning your head to inhale is that much easier and more comfortable.

Some people find exhaling into the water as they swim an unnatural thing to do and usually hold their breath without knowing they are doing it. Practice standing in the water, submerging and breathing out and practice it several times until you are comfortable with it and have got used to how it feels. Then it will become easier and more natural to breathe out as you swim.


Fitness and stamina play a large part in swimming front crawl. It is a very physical stroke that requires the face to be submerged almost permanently. Practice the stroke in slow motion, as this will help you to relax into your swimming. So many swimmers make the mistake of trying too hard to swim too far too quickly. The result is an exhausted and frustrated swimmer wondering if it is all worth it!

Feel your way through the water, do not fight it and swim in a slow, controlled and relaxed way. Set off with no actual distance goal in mind and instead aim to take your time and relax. You may be surprised at how far you get using half the effort you did before.

My best-selling book 'The Complete Guide to Swimming Front Crawl' contains over 20 separate swimming exercises to help all parts of freestyle, including breathing. You can download it, print out the parts you need and take them to your pool to try out. Click the link below for more information.

Click back to the homepage