Holding your breath while swimming is important when you are free diving in the sea, when you want to improve your swim speed or for those who like to do handstands and play underwater in the pool. You can typically hold your breath longer if you stay still, keeping your muscles from using additional oxygen. However, this doesn't prepare your body to exert itself as you hold your breath. Moving around while holding your breath is the best way to learn to hold it longer while swimming.
Pedometer
Stopwatch
Starting your breathing training while walking instead of swimming to help prevent shallow-water blackout. This occurs when too much carbon dioxide builds up in your body while underwater, often without warning.
Always have a spotter present when learning to hold your breath longer while swimming. This person can help count your laps, but more importantly, he can watch for signs of shallow-water blackout such as a sudden cessation of movement, sinking or convulsions.
Practice breathing before you hold your breath. Take two minutes to prepare for each breath-holding session. Breathe in for a count of five, then exhale for a count of five, pushing out as much air as possible. Continue for two minutes. The urge to breathe is usually a result of too much carbon dioxide in your system, so breathe out as much as you can before trying to hold your breath.
Take a deep breath in after your two minutes of breathing. Begin to walk, measuring your steps with a pedometer. Swing your arms powerfully and take long steps to engage your muscles; the trick is to hold your breath longer while using your muscles instead of while sitting still.
Exhale when your body tells you that you must, then breathe normally. Note how far you walked. Perform your two minutes of warm-up breathing again, then measure another walk. Repeat for a third time.
Build your breath-holding power while walking for at least one week, comparing the distance you walk each time. The distance should increase slightly every day as your lungs build capacity and your muscles become used to working in an anaerobic environment.
Swim in a pool to practice holding your breath in the water. Do two minutes of breathing, with five seconds in and five seconds out. Take in a deep breath. Swim a lap with your face under water, moving your arms and legs leisurely.
Continue swimming until you must breath. Before lifting your head out of the water, exhale for two or more strokes to empty your lungs. Note how many laps, full and partial, that you swam before needing to breathe.
Repeat the two-minute warmup and underwater laps two more times. After seven days, increase the speed of the laps to exert more energy and use more oxygen. This might decrease the number of laps initially, but continue swimming until you build up to the same number of laps you could do without breathing when swimming leisurely.