Herk_Man
Contributor
This was a fear of mine as well when I did the no mask swim. Here is what I do to get rid of the problem. On dry land, practice breathing in a two step process. Breath out through your mouth, then shut off the airflow by allowing the back of your tongue to go up against the roof of your mouth. Then purposely release this blockage and breath back in through your mouth. By focusing on making this a two step mouth-only process, you will isolate the nose and prevent an accidental ingestion of water. You can practice this just sitting at your desk at work. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature.
On the eyes open thing, well, that is just going to require time in the water. I would just practice swimming around holding your breath with your eyes open first. Take everything in small steps toward a larger goal.
Good luck!
On the eyes open thing, well, that is just going to require time in the water. I would just practice swimming around holding your breath with your eyes open first. Take everything in small steps toward a larger goal.
Good luck!