The three stages of mastering breathing technique in swimming: comfortable lungs, comfortable core, and comfortable movement.

No matter the swimming stroke, efficient breathing is essential—backstroke is no exception. In fact, your ability to breathe effectively during swimming directly impacts your overall swimming performance. Of course, each stroke requires slightly different breathing techniques and practice methods. Yet, the key to improving your breathing lies first in truly understanding the mechanics of breathing itself: using logic to guide your practice, refining your technique through sensory feedback, and then distilling these insights into actionable experience. This cyclical process—where sensory awareness gradually gives way to rational mastery—is how you elevate your skills from instinctive to highly refined.

Breathing in swimming happens in two steps: exhaling and inhaling. As long as your exhalation is smooth and controlled, inhaling will occur naturally—no need to force it, or rather, avoid actively trying to inhale. A swimmer’s breathing technique can be improved through three distinct stages, progressing from beginner to advanced: the beginner stage focuses on comfortable lung function, the intermediate stage emphasizes core stability, and the advanced stage centers on seamless, fluid movement.

Lung discomfort arises because breathing becomes more complex—transitioning into exhaling, holding your breath, and then inhaling. Holding your breath doesn’t necessarily mean consciously forcing yourself to pause; often, it results from exhaling incompletely. As stale air builds up over time, the sensation of needing to hold your breath gradually sets in, leading people to mistakenly believe they’re physically exhausted and even feel like they “can’t swim anymore.” In reality, as long as your breathing technique reaches a basic, comfortable level, ensuring your lungs remain at ease, anyone can swim continuously for more than two hours.

1. Lung feels comfortable

The key to comfortable breathing is preventing the buildup of stale air in your lungs. In addition to exhaling thoroughly, make sure to inhale naturally and promptly afterward. Some swimmers, however, tend to take a sudden, forceful breath right as they emerge from the water—while this ensures a complete exhale, the abrupt, explosive nature of the exhalation often leads to water rushing back in during inhalation. That’s why it’s important to exhale slowly and steadily, gradually increasing the force just as you break the surface. As you blow away the water, gently open your mouth to allow a smooth, natural intake of air.

The key to mastering continuous exhalation lies in controlling the speed of your breath—try to maintain a steady pace underwater, noticing how your lungs gradually shrink as you exhale. Pay close attention to the comfort level in your lungs during this process. There are two primary ways to exhale: through your mouth or your nose. If you choose to exhale slowly with your mouth slightly open, or by alternately moving your lips from one side to the other, it’s both fun and an effective way to regulate your breathing speed. On the other hand, if you prefer using your nose, simply breathe out at a natural, effortless pace. Regardless of whether you’re breathing through your mouth or nose, make sure to increase the force of your exhalation just before surfacing—this ensures a thorough release of air and helps clear water from your mouth, preventing any risk of choking.

2. Core comfort

Any sport that requires full-body power relies heavily on core strength. In land-based athletic movements, mastering the technique of generating force hinges on effectively engaging your core—either by directly utilizing core strength or by channeling it from the lower body to the upper body. This creates a powerful synergy between the core and the upper limbs, enabling athletes to harness their entire body’s energy to execute a single, explosive movement. For example: the fluid motion of swinging a racket to hit a badminton shuttlecock, the rotational power behind throwing a discus, the dynamic twist involved in a golf swing, or the explosive combination of a stepping motion followed by a punch in boxing—all depend crucially on a strong, well-coordinated core.

Swimming is no exception—once you master the technique of engaging your core, your overall swim becomes not just a smooth, fluid sequence of external movements, but also an efficient transfer and seamless coordination of internal power. This allows you to reach the ultimate state of effortless, continuous propulsion: maintaining momentum at all times while conserving energy for a performance.

Returning to the topic of breathing, in freestyle swimming, breathing also plays a crucial role in keeping your core comfortably engaged. When swimming freestyle, maintaining a straight body position relies heavily on gently tightening and stabilizing your core—specifically your abdominal muscles. Lightly contracting your abdomen effortlessly helps your body stay balanced in the water, while also enhancing the synergy between your leg kicks and the powerful propulsion generated by pushing against the water.

When breathing, always leave a bit of air in your abdomen to allow it to tighten naturally—no need for deliberate effort. The key difference lies in the sensation: deliberately tightening your abdomen feels more like the "engaged core" you’d experience when tucking in your stomach and lifting your hips, whereas natural tightening mimics the subtle tension just before delivering a punch. The latter approach is far more effective for activating your core strength.

This doesn’t contradict the idea of exhaling fully—on the contrary, as long as you maintain a slight engagement of your core muscles without letting your abdomen collapse during exhalation, it actually prevents your limbs from effectively generating power, much like "drawing in your belly" on land.

3. Comfortable movements

The ultimate mastery of breathing lies in coordinating both exhalation and inhalation not just with the rhythm and pace of your movements, but even with their intensity and direction—sometimes even requiring you to consciously hold your breath to ensure maximum efficiency during anaerobic activities. Take freestyle swimming as an example: underwater, exhale slowly while pushing the water forward and smoothly transitioning your arm through the recovery phase. Pay close attention to how the speed of your exhalation synchronizes with these actions—and with practice, you’ll discover the subtle yet powerful technique of fine-tuning your breathing to enhance your stroke’s effectiveness. For instance, when your arm drives forcefully through the water or makes a quick, explosive sweep, your underwater exhalation should become faster. However, this rapid exhalation must remain smooth and controlled, seamlessly blending into the natural rhythm of your stroke. When executed correctly, this coordinated breathing pattern significantly boosts the overall performance and power of your swim.

It's important to emphasize that, whether swimming breaststroke or freestyle, exhaling with your mouth breaking the surface is sufficient to allow for a natural inhalation. In breaststroke, when breathing, lift your head slightly out of the water—but avoid forcing it upward. Instead, let your head rise naturally as your arms complete their recovery phase. Similarly, in freestyle, rotate your body gently from side to side during breathing, without trying to maximize the angle of your head turn. Just ensure your mouth breaks the surface smoothly and discreetly, seamlessly blending into the arm’s powerful push-and-pull motion through the water.

Swimming breathing techniques—ranging from beginner to advanced levels—can be simply described as "knowing how to exhale," "knowing how to hold your breath," and "knowing how to use your breath." It’s somewhat analogous to skills like "knowing how to earn money," "knowing how to save money," and "knowing how to spend money"—each step gradually increasing in complexity. At the expert level, perfect breathing coordination becomes seamless with the swimmer’s movements, allowing them to control the rhythm of their exhalations to smoothly adjust and optimize their strokes, ultimately maximizing the effectiveness of each technique.