Backstroke Breathing Efficiency Drills for Distance Swimmers

Backstroke offers a unique advantage: your face is always out of the water. But for distance swimmers, breathing can still become inefficient if not controlled properly. Poor breathing habits in backstroke can lead to fatigue, irregular pacing, or oxygen debt, especially over longer distances.

In this article, we’ll cover the importance of breathing efficiency in backstroke and introduce targeted drills designed to help distance swimmers optimize their breathing patterns for sustained performance.

🧠 Why Breathing Efficiency Matters in Backstroke

While backstroke eliminates the need to turn your head to breathe, it still presents challenges:

• Head movement can disrupt body position and alignment

• Poor rhythm can lead to over-breathing or under-breathing

• Uneven breathing patterns can throw off stroke rhythm and efficiency

• Hyperventilation or shallow breathing limits oxygen uptake over long distances

For distance swimmers (200m, 400m, 800m+), mastering rhythmic, efficient, and low-disruption breathing is critical to maintain pace and conserve energy.

🏊‍♂️ 6 Backstroke Breathing Efficiency Drills for Distance Swimmers

1. Head Still Drill

Purpose: Eliminate unnecessary head movement during breathing.

How to Do It:

• Swim backstroke while balancing a small object (e.g., water bottle cap or half-filled cup) on your forehead.

• Focus on keeping your head completely still while maintaining normal breathing.

✅ Benefits: Trains proper head alignment and reduces drag caused by head wobble.

2. Exhale Timing Drill

Purpose: Improve control over exhalation to avoid breath-holding and oxygen deprivation.

How to Do It:

• Swim backstroke while focusing on a slow, continuous exhale through the nose or mouth.

• Time the exhale to begin as one arm enters the water and finish just before the other arm recovers.

✅ Benefits: Encourages deep, steady breathing and prevents shallow gasping.

3. 3-2-1 Breathing Control Drill

Purpose: Build endurance and breath control for long-distance sets.

How to Do It:

• Swim three strokes while breathing naturally, then two strokes while holding breath, then one stroke no breath, and repeat.

• Gradually increase breath-holding intervals over time.

✅ Benefits: Strengthens lungs, builds confidence in oxygen management.

4. Backstroke with Vertical Kicking Intervals

Purpose: Improve lung capacity and breathing rhythm while kicking.

How to Do It:

• Perform vertical dolphin or flutter kicking sets in deep water.

• Breathe every 5–10 seconds, focusing on slow, controlled inhalations.

• Alternate with 25m backstroke swim focusing on smooth, efficient breathing.

✅ Benefits: Builds breath control under fatigue and strengthens core and legs.

5. Hypoxic Pyramid Set

Purpose: Train efficient oxygen use and prepare the body for long intervals.

How to Do It:

• Swim 25m backstroke with the following breathing pattern pyramid:

  • 25m breathe every stroke

  • 25m breathe every 2 strokes

  • 25m every 3 strokes

  • 25m every 4 strokes

  • Then reverse the pattern

✅ Benefits: Builds breath control and enhances endurance under restricted oxygen intake.

6. Distance Swim with Tempo Trainer

Purpose: Sync breathing with consistent stroke rate.

How to Do It:

• Use a tempo trainer or metronome device in your cap.

• Set a consistent beep (e.g., every 1.2 seconds).

• Breathe on alternating arms in rhythm with the beep to establish consistent pacing.

✅ Benefits: Improves pacing, breathing discipline, and stroke control.

💡 Tips for Better Backstroke Breathing During Long Swims

• Breathe rhythmically (inhale-exhale-inhale) to stay relaxed and consistent

• Avoid over-breathing — take natural, moderate breaths every few strokes

• Focus on deep diaphragmatic breathing, not shallow chest breathing

• Minimize head motion — keep the chin still and aligned with the chest

• Pair breathing with core engagement to maintain horizontal position

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🏁 Sample Backstroke Breathing Drill Set for Distance Swimmers

Warm-Up:

2x100 Backstroke @ easy pace, focus on smooth exhalation

Drill Set:

4x25 Head Still Drill

4x25 Exhale Timing Drill

2x50 3-2-1 Breathing Control Drill

Main Set:

4x200 Backstroke @ moderate pace

- Focus on breathing every 2–3 strokes

- Maintain steady exhale and still head

Cool Down:

100 Backstroke with tempo trainer

50 Backstroke arms-only (hands by sides, deep breathing)

📌 Final Thoughts

Backstroke breathing efficiency isn’t just about getting air — it’s about getting the most out of each breath while maintaining your stroke rhythm and body alignment. These drills help distance swimmers stay calm, conserve energy, and hold strong technique through long swims.

By training smarter with targeted breathing drills, you’ll swim backstroke farther, faster, and with more control.