Breath holding is neededPosted on Aug 27, 2010 under Breath holding, Breathing in sports, Inspiration/Exhalation, Skill execution, breathing |
I’m sure you keep reading or hearing the recommendation that you should breath normally during and in preparation for execution of a skill. Also, that you should never hold your breath during execution of an exercise or sports skill.
If you have been reading my blogs for any length of time, you’ll know that I disagree strongly with these recommendations. In reality, it is just the opposite from what is being recommended: you must hold your breath during execution of an exercise or skill.
The reasons for this are many and they are not based on opinion but on research. It has been proven that athletes hold their breath on the exertion phase of an exercise and for good reasons.
In execution of a sports skill, athletes inhale prior to beginning the skill (preparatory phase) and hold their breath throughout the execution (power phase). Exhalation takes place in the follow-through. Sometimes exhalation is forceful while at other times it is at a normal rate.
Breath holding is natural and the body will automatically do this if you do not superimpose a different breathing pattern. Simply watch someone getting ready to lift a heavy object. They will take a relatively deep breath and then hold it as they execute the lift.
The breath holding allows you to create greater force, helps to stabilize the trunk and as a result, creates greater accuracy in the execution. Not holding your breath decreases stability, decreases accuracy and the amount of force that you can generate.
With this in mind, why do we continually hear that you should exhale on the exertion? Do these people like to maintain this myth, or do they remain ignorant of the science behind it?
For more information on this topic, read Build a Better Athlete
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Dangerous recommendations IPosted on Sep 12, 2009 under Breath holding, Breathing in sports, breathing |
Do not hold your breath. This statement keeps appearing regularly in newspapers and magazines. When describing exercise execution 9 times out of 10 you will read that you should not hold your breath during execution, especially during the exertion phase.
But is it warranted? The answer is yes if you have heart or circulatory system problems. In such cases only very light weights should be used and breathing should be regular so that there are no interruptions in blood flow. If you are an athlete or a healthy individual, the answer is no.
Athletes and healthy people should always hold their breath on the exertion. It is necessary for four major reasons: 1) it allows you to create greater force, 2) it stabilizes the body especially the trunk, 3) it allows you to create greater accuracy and 4) it helps to protect the spine against excessive outside forces.
It should also be noted that breath holding during the exertion phase is a natural response by the body. If you do not do any thinking about it, it will happen automatically in an effort to allow you to do the exercise safely and well. It is not a learned skill although it may have to be if you forced yourself to do otherwise.
When will the medical profession, coaching profession , and teaching profession he caught up to what has been a well known and established fact for many years? For more information on breathing during execution of a sports skills see Build a Better Athlete
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