How do swimmers breathe when doing the breast stroke?

Question

I know they turn their head to breath with each stroke but I've never understood how they can inhale and exhale so quickly. Especially since the exhalation cannot be passive but must be forced against the water. I took swimming lessons once but could never breathe correctly.

Answer 1

Breathe out while gliding and your head is in the water, and inhale when your head is up after the pull but before the kick.

P.S.-- You have to exhale while your head is in the water.

Answer 2

u breathe in when ur head is above the water in breastorke and exhale while u r under the water  

Answer 3

They do not breathe with every stroke. When there hands are separated, the lift their heads straight up to take a beath. Swimmers turn their heads to the side doing the crawl (freestyle) but lift their heads straight up doing the butterfly and breast stroke.

Answer 4

they go down then come up. kind of like butterfly they just dont bring their whole body out of the water.

Answer 5

It becomes very natural for swimmers to breathe during the breaststroke. When your head/shoulders come out of the water you inhale and when you go under you exhale. Only second to the backstroke it is the easiest to breathe, because you are able to breathe every stroke.  

Answer 6

Everytime I breast stroke I breath.  Kinda like, 'OOOOOH that feels good!  Yeah.  Ooh that's good.  I like it.'  You know.  Stuff like that.

Answer 7

Swimmers don't actually lift their heads. They simply push their bodies up with their arms. At that point, they take a quick breath. Then, after they plunge back in, they exhale while in the water.  

Answer 8

I'm a swimmer, and breaststroke is fun! It's a lot like the way a frog swims. You don't turn your head.

Here's a video of someone doing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqSHBZ7fO...

Hope I helped!

Answer 9

Well, while they do the stroke the momentum from the stroke lifts your head up to breathe