swallowing water

Question
Hello.
I am an adult who just learned how to swim last year.  I would like to be proficient at swimming so I can start competing in triathlons, but am having a hard time getting past something.  I swallow water while swimming! It's frustrating because I'm not even aware I'm doing it at the time but I always end up with a belly full of water and have to stop several times.  Because of this,I don't end up swimming many laps.  Can you offer any tips to help me break this habit and move on to becoming a better swimmer?
Thank you.

Answer
Hello Kim.  To be honest I would have to ask which strokes you are tring to use? If you are using the Crawl or also names the front stroke you may need to practice breating on the side of the pool until which point you become aware of where your chin is in relation to the waterline.  You want to just bring your head to the side enough to get a clean breath of air (no water).  If you are doing the breast stroke you want to be sure that you are not pulling your arms all the way to your waist because you will bob out of the water a lot and creat a splash which can easily go into your mouth.  Instead with the breast stroke try pulling just until you  reach your shoulders and then when your arms are at your shoulders take your breath.  I hope this helps.
Kate