MONS Athletics

3-3-3 Bilateral

Breathe every third stroke, so the breathing side alternates on its own — right, left, right. Builds an even stroke and breaks single-side dependence.

The one cue

“Exhale into the water”

The lesson

  1. 01

    Breathe every third stroke

    Count three arm strokes, take a breath, three more, take a breath. Because three is odd, the side alternates on its own — that is what bilateral means.

  2. 02

    Rotate to breathe, don't lift

    Your head turns with your body roll. Lifting it drops your hips.

  3. 03

    One goggle in, one out

    Breathe into the trough beside your head rather than turning your face up to the sky. That's the target, not just avoiding the lift.

  4. 04

    The test

    A steady exhale into the water between breaths. If you find yourself sneaking an extra breath before your weaker side comes round, you've stopped doing the drill.

Watch for

  • Holding breath, then exhaling fast at the surface
  • Lifting the head instead of rotating to breathe
  • Slipping to every second stroke when the weak side comes up