Does breathing every other stroke slow you down?

In general I'd so no, but it might vary from person to person depending on your swim technique.  I can breathe every other stroke, every third, or somewhere inbetween, and my times are about the same.  My friend who I swam with several years ago always took a breath every other stroke, and he was very fast (he'd been to the olympic trials, so he was a decent swimmer).

I guess you breathe as often as you need to... 

I recently started breathing every second stroke and it is much more comfortable for me to swim that way. My next obstacle is learning to breath on both sides (right or left). For me it is more about consistency rather than speed.

 In my last race, I would have preferred a more consistent stroke during the swim than a speedy one. I did too much backstroking trying to catch my breath trying to stick to my normal pool stroke, which I could never get into that rhythm.

Don't forget the reason that you are swimming.  It's not to only swim, but to incorporate it into a Triathlon.  That means the key is to stay aerobic.  Even if it slightly slows you down to breath every stroke (same side breathing = stroke for me) it's better than going a bit faster and going anaerobic.

There is a theory (not so sure I buy into it), but it's espoused by Coach KP and (I think) gordo, or at least subscribed to, that breathing every stroke is actually more of an energy drain because you are getting more 02 and thus might go a little harder, whereas bilateral breathing forces you to slow down.  I'm just the messenger

I learned from day one, when I couldn't go more than 25m without panting to breath bilaterally every third stroke.

Recently, I've begun swimming faster sets of 50's and 100's.  Toward the end of these intervals, I need more air and have go to a 3,2,3,2,3,2 or 3,3,2,3,3,2 or 3,2,2,3,2,2 sequence.  However, when going long, like in 1,500m races, its back to bilaterally every third.  That's my happy place.

So, I keep it every third on anything less than "T-pace" and get more gulps of air when needed while pushing the pace on faster intervals.

One-arm drills helped me realize that I was really raising my head and sinking my hips while taking left side breaths.  Since, I've been focused on keeping the body level and head down throughout my stroke sequence.

So am I totally insane breathing every 6 strokes (3 with each arm)? I am relatively new to swimming and totally self-taught (though I've read some books and watched some videos), and coming off of two years of injury/surgery, but I was once a decent runner, and have gotten a lot of that fitness back. (I can run several 7 minute miles without opening my mouth, i.e., without breathing hard.)

My biggest limiter in the swim right now is not air, but technique and strength. I'm not really panting after I swim; I'm just tired.  I do occasionally work on bilateral breathing (so, every 5 or 7 strokes), but mostly it's every 6.  Am I doing something awful by learning to swim this way?  Will I feel compelled to breath more frequently once I can actually swim faster?  (Maybe a bit like opening one's mouth to run 6 minute miles?)

Breathing every stroke only slows you down if you're swimming all out for 50 or 100 yards in a swim meet.  In OWS you should breathe whenever you need air .

In sprint triathlons I breathe every stroke (all on one side) since I can't swim fast and hold my breath any longer than that.  In my last (well, my only) 70.3 I swam with a 2-2-3-2-2 pattern, which I find helps me swim straighter, still gives me enough air, and I don't have to sight often (which saves energy) .  In this weekend's oly I'll start with the 2-2-3-2-2 pattern and go with it for as long as I can, then change to every stroke if I need to.

Brian

In short: yes breathing every stroke will slow you down.

I try to breath every 5 strokes or more (working on this constantly).

I agree that most WC swimmers use 2 breaths while swimming as they have perfect form for one.  Also, bilateral in races is used more for help in sighting and being aware of you surroundings. 

All I know is, when I have tried bilateral breathing and can make it work, I swim faster than when breathing every 2 strokes.  Probably 2 minutes per mile faster.  The problem is I have not mastered it yet.  Now if I do a breath every 4 strokes I feel like I am flying but can do that for maybe 50 yards max at a fast pace.  Like others have mentioned, you might be able to make 4 or 5 strokes while swimming but you will pay big time on the bike and run. 

I really don't know why you would consistantly swim with anything other than 2 or 3 strokes.  Anything more is considered Hyperponic (spelling) breathing and at my masters swims that is a drill set and we hardly ever do it.