Re: Water getting into my nose/sinuses

On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:50:24 +0200, flawius wrote:

Hi :)

I'm learning to swim freestyle (on my own, with the help of TI DVD) and
I've got a major problem with that - hope You can help me. The problem
is water getting into my nose/sinuses so my sinuses are clogged and I
have a running nose :/ The water goes into my nose each time I turn my
head for air (from nose-up to nose-down position in skating drill).

I've searched internet for clues but some of them sound strange and some
are contradictory. I thought this is the right place to ask :)

Oh, I should mention that I don't want to wear nose plugs/clips - I
don't like to be dependent on any additional equipment that is not
absolutely necessary (and I suspect it is possible to swim without nose
plugs/clips, right?;) ).

So the main question is:
1. How to prevent water getting into my nose/sinuses when making turn
for air?

And some more specific questions:

2. Whenever my head is underwater should I steadily bubble out from my
nose (starting just after inhalation when my head goes underwater)? Or
should I hold my breath and exhale only during 'the turn for air'? Some
say 'bubbling from your nose will stop water getting into your nose'
while others say 'close you sinuses but don't blow air'. What is >>>the
right way<<<?

3. I've read that bubbling out from my nose should prevent water from
getting into ma nose even when I'm uspide down.. well, in my case it's
causing additional suction of water into my nose (maybe I'm doing it the
wrong way).

4. Is flooding my sinuses with chlorinated water dangerous? My friend, a
to-be-lifeguard said it isn't, but my other friend, a dentist (they have
pretty good knowledge of sinuses), said it is and that I shouldn't even
try to learn to swim without nose plugs/clips if water gets into my
nose/sinuses... I told her that the water won't go into my nose/sinuses
after I've learned to breath correctly but she said I'm stupid (oh well,
maybe I am;) ).

Thanks for any advice :)

First of all I have coached high school swimming for over 35 years and all
the credentials what go with that. What I am going to say may be a bit
technical but please follow it and perhaps you can follow the logic in it.

As for the Chlorine issue, if you have high residual chlorine the pool
water you will have a high amount of chlorine ions in the air (indoor
pools). In an outdoor pool this is not so much of a factor. The sinus
tissue will become irritated by these chlorine ions. You will notice this
particularly when leaving a warm indoor pool environment and walking out
into the cooler or cold air environment. I don't believe this causes any
long term problems except then the chlorine level is extremely high.

As for the breathing issue, many of the post are valid. One was a little
off the wall. Here is my suggestion on this situation:

Head position-
Most people learning to swim freestyle by trying to swimming with their
head positioned to look at the bottom of the pool and then rotate the head
too far to inhale. Or, try swimming with the face out of the water all
the way and tire out too quickly.

Try this: swim freestyle with your head tilted slight forward where the water
line is on your forehand and not on the top of your head (your eyes should
be looking forward towards the end of the pool). This will cause a slight
wave (bow wave) to be created in front of the head. If you remember from
physics class, the crest of a wave will equal the trough. The trough will
occur about at the chin when you take a breath. Keep the head tilted
when you take the breath. Take your breath by tilting the head slightly
to get the mouth just above the water line. Keep the ear on the opposite
site in the water (breathe right/left ear stays in the water or breathe
left/right ear stays in water).

Tilt the head only enough to inhale through the mouth. If your head is
tilted slightly your nose will be pointed down during the entire inhaling
cycle of the stroke. If you head is not tilted slightly forward your nose
will be pointed either horizontal or up and some water will run down the
nose and cause the problem.

When you exhale, exhale using both your mouth and your nose. Doing this
will help keep the nose clear. Just exhale normally keeping enough air
not to cause stress on getting the next breath.

--Ron
Technical Director
Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association
National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association

.

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