Way back when, I remember making my daughter and her friends chant OGIOGO over and over again at practice. To this day they still imitate me with peals of laughter. The way the acronym rolls off your tongue makes it fun to say, but more importantly, its meaning is worth remembering. This week, we're diving into breathing technique and the concept of one goggle in, one goggle out: OGIOGO.

As you know, head position is largely responsible for your swim posture. Good swim posture is crucial, and yet keeping our heads low in the water is almost always the last thing we focus on while swimming. Why? Because it’s hard. What makes it hard? Breathing. While breathing is automatic, none of us can breathe underwater—making breath control while swimming that much more important.

Field test: From where you're sitting, close your eyes and try to take a breath from just the right half of your mouth and nose. Then try the left. How do your lungs react? Are you short of breath? Do you find yourself subconsciously regulating to keep up with the different airflow?

Your body isn’t designed to breathe from half of your mouth and nose. So why am I asking you to do it with OGIOGO? Keeping half of your face submerged while swimming helps you maintain a low profile in the water, reduces drag, and results in an efficient stroke. It also teaches you to avoid hypoxia (carbon dioxide buildup in the bloodstream), which leads to instant fatigue.

Shout-out to two swimmers on our team who are particularly skilled at swimming with OGIOGO: Tim Hynes and Delaney Smith. Take a glance at their lane during practice to see how it's done.

Again, it’s hard, but if you’re looking to improve your freestyle stroke, I strongly encourage you to take a moment during practice to concentrate on your breathing. If you have questions, my door is open. Please feel free to email me at jbeck@asphaltgreen.org.