Why does Katie Ledecky breathe every stroke?

Katie Ledecky is an American professional swimmer. She is renowned for being the most dominant female swimmer in history. Her journey started in 2012 when she won the Olympic gold at the tender age of 15.

The 25-year-old holds 10 Olympic medals (including six gold medals) and 14 World Championships individual gold medals to her name. She also holds several world records in several events like the 800 and 1500m freestyle. The history-making records have become so common that she has left her competitors far behind.

Katie Ledecky's unique swimming technique

The biggest question that comes up when she swims is not how fast she'll touch the finish line but how far she'll be in front of the second place holder. Her competition is the clock.

For any swimmer, breathing, position, and technique define their performance. Ever wondered how Katie can swim so fast? Well, the answer lies in her swimming technique. Her ultra-clean and defined technique is the predominant reason for her immortality in the sport.

Katie Ledecky follows a unique swimming technique

When you observe Katie swimming, her hips are close to the water's surface and her head faces down toward the bottom of the pool. This, coupled with her kick pattern, minimizes drag and allows Katie to swim so fast.

Katie excels in both short and long-distance freestyle events. Her kick pattern propagates her movement vividly. While everyone treats the 1500m event as a long-distance event, Katie treats it the same as a 200m event. The only difference is that she kicks harder in the 200m event.

She starts with a six-beat kick pattern (three kicks per arm stroke) and then shifts to a two-beat kick pattern (one kick per arm stroke). This helps her conserve energy for the remaining laps. This kick pattern goes in perfect coordination with her stroke as she tilts her head right to breathe after every stroke. However, she can leverage her kicks in shorter races to boost her speed.

Why does Katie breathe every stroke?

Katie's stroke mechanics are almost similar in 200m and 1500m events. She uses a short left stroke followed by a long right one while breathing on her right side after every stroke. Many swimmers breathe on both sides after every stroke but breathing on one side helps Katie in proper breath control and does not disturb her body posture to a certain extent. This also helps her get a steady oxygen flow.

Even while breathing, she keeps her head aligned with her spine as much as possible. This minimizes any break in propelling forward that could cost her a fraction of a second. So when she breathes, her head stays connected to her shoulders.

Apart from her technique, Katie focuses on her training sessions as well. She focuses on both endurance and strength training, which helps her excel in the sport.

Moreover, her work ethic, focus, and dedication to keeping the clock as her sole competition are exemplary. This makes Katie Ledecky the greatest swimmer in short- and long-distance events.