Are You Waiting to Exhale? Breathing Techniques 101

If you’re looking to increase your speed and power, don’t overlook the importance of proper breathing.

Beginner’s in the martial arts tend to hold their breath when executing any sequence. It’s like trying to chew gum and rub your belly at the same time. It just takes a lot of concentration until you get it down.

After a while, breathing properly becomes second nature.

However, this habit has the potential – if not corrected early on – to haunt you for years to come. Next time you work out, pay attention to how you’re breathing. The earlier you start internalizing the proper method, the less you have to think about it in your training. You just do it.

Everyone knows that inhaling creates energy and exhaling burns it. However, not everyone knows how to properly breath for training and self-defense.

So what is the proper way to breath?

One should inhale through the nose before making a strike then exhale through the mouth when striking … blocking … kicking. Whatever. The trick is to release the air in your lungs in spurts, according to the delivery of your strikes.

Release the air through your teeth so that your jaw is more protected if your opponent throws a counter strike. Remember to exhale when receiving a blow of any kind. This will definetly help save you from getting the wind knocked out of you (not a good thing to have a happen!).

Like a motor, you take air in then expell it out to create power. When done right, the delivery of power can be the difference between a four cylindar, stalling out or that of a HEMI.

Which would you rather have?

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