“Inhale Confidence, Exhale Excellence: Breathing Techniques for Athletes”
"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, vibration, and breathe." - Nikola Tesla
Did you know that breathing can be a powerful tool towards enhancing athletic performance? Everyone is born with this ability, and your brain does it automatically for you. Sounds simple, yet proper training and practice is needed to unlock the full potential of your breath.
In this blog we will dive into the benefits of adequate diaphragmatic breathing and other breathing exercises for athletes. Your ability to breathe is unique in that you can control it. Consciously, you have the power to alternate breathing patterns.
👩🔬 The Science Behind Breathing
When we are stressed, we release a cocktail of stress chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol. This is why our bodies natural response to stress is slowing down. Our bodies need to:
Regulate breathing
Regulate heart beats
Neutralize released adrenaline and cortisol
Eliminate excess CO2 (carbon dioxide)
Learning to control your breathing then, is a great step to help your body deal with these processes. The more you slow down into a gentler pattern, the calmer you get. Just pay attention to the next time you’re feeling super calm and confident. Your breathing should be nice and gentle.
🏀 Breathing for Performance
According to Dion von Moltke, a professional car racing athlete, breathing is a key component of an athlete’s health and their performance. Proper breathing has the following benefits for athletes:
More muscular endurance
Increased ability to control heart rate
Increased muscle recovery over time.
If you are the type of athlete that gets anxious or nervous before a game, it’d be beneficial to incorporate breathing exercises into your training routine. Breathing can help you deal with competition anxiety, refocus, and gain confidence. In addition, as previously discussed in methods to enhance recovery by Andrew Huberman, breathing can help you recover faster after a workout.
😮💨 Diaphragmatic Breathing
We are born belly breathers (diaphragmatic breathers), but stress makes most of us breath with our chest.
The benefit of deep diaphragmatic breathing is that it slows down your nervous system by bringing nitric oxide (NO), which dilates blood vessels and allows more oxygen inside. It also helps to expel high levels of CO2 when stressed, which helps neutralize the sensation of anxiousness.
Diaphragmatic breathing decreases the work of breathing by slowing breath rate, using less energy, and decreasing oxygen demand. To engage into diaphragmatic breathing follow these simple steps:
Lie on your back. Bend your knees and support your head.
Place one hand on your chest and one below your rib cage close to your lower abs.
Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves, raising your hand. You want the hand on your chest to remain as still as possible.
Tighten your stomach muscles as you exhale through pursed lips.
🚨 Remember: Breath with your belly, not your chest.
👨🔧 Breathing Techniques
For Competition
Competition anxiety is normal and something every athlete goes through. When put into perspective, anxiety isn’t good or bad. It can serve as fuel for increased focus and getting into the zone, or backfire and take over your abilities. It is important for athletes to manage these emotions as they can totally change the outcome of the game.
One interesting concept I learnt in The Inner Game of Tennis is that to still the mind, one must learn to put it somewhere. It cannot be just let go, it must be focused and kept in the here and now. The greatest lapses of concentration occur when we allow our mind to project on the future or past.
This is why a great source of focus is your breath. The rhythm of breathing absorbs the mind, and slowing down your breathing helps you to center.
The following breathing technique can help calm your nerves and get you in the zone for a competitive event.
Box Breath
Great technique for anxiety called box breathing or 4-4-4-4 breathing. It has four equal parts inhale, hold, exhale, and hold.
Breathe in for 4 seconds
Hold the inhale for 4 seconds
Exhale for 4 seconds
Hold the exhale for 4 seconds.
Repeat the cycle until you feel an improvement. If you are nervous before or during a competitive event, use this technique. Focus on your breath for a moment, slow down, and then get yourself back into the game.
For Recovery
Breathing can help you recover faster after a workout. In the article, Science of Breath Work: Breathing for Athletes, the author mentions that when you complete a training session, you need to switch your body from energy expenditure (sympathetic) to energy production (parasympathetic). Practicing regular breathing exercises helps the nervous system recover after intense and exhaustive sessions, and achieve the desired energy production state.
4-7-8 breathing
What is 4-7-8 breathing? This technique is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. It switches your mind from a “fight or flight” mode to a “rest and digest” mode. Post-exercise, this type of breathing can help increase recovery, lower cortisol levels, and increase the antioxidant defence status.
Start by sitting up in a comfortable, straight position.
Place the tip of our tongue on the ridge of your gums, behind your upper front teeth.
Slowly inhale through your nose for a count of 4. Expand your diaphragm.
Hold your breath for a count of 7.
Keep your tongue in place, slightly open your mouth, and exhale for a count of 8.
Repeat 4 times.
💡 Conclusion
During a competition, our minds might lose focus and our emotions might want to take over our bodies, but breathing is our anchor to the present. Practice daily conscious breathing and incorporate the techniques mentioned above into your training schedule. You’ll notice the difference, live with less worries, and enjoy the here and now. In a deep full breath, inhale confidence, exhale excellence.
Works Cited
Science of Breath Work: Breathing for Athletes
Seneca College (2023). Sports Journalism EAC 955.