Breathing between rounds.

***battlefields*** · Posted On: 11/30/2012 12:32am

Wasn't sure if I should put this here, or the health forum. It is more a fighting question than a health question, but I understand if it has to be moved.

Last night I was filming the training of one of my gyms fighters and noticed that the trainer, at the end of every round, violently and forcefully expelled breath twice in succession, before slowing his breathing right down.

The guy being trained attempted the same thing, but did it four or five times, and was still breathing heavily afterwards. He then complained about being light headed

The trainer was joined by the head instructor in explaining that two violent exhales "got the **** off the chest" and THEN you slow the breathing down, that the light headedness he had was too much oxygen. It made sense.

I've seen it done by many fighters, although it is something I never really paid attention to, assuming it was just a refocussing sort of thing.

Whether it is through meditation training, breathing training, good cardio or just good ole mind over matter, I can get my breathing under control in about 30- 40 seconds of going hard out, but I've never used the double hard exhalation tactic encouraged by these two trainers. I will, however, use it in the future.

Obviously between rounds calming the breathing as much as possible is a necessity, what are some of the methods you use to bring your breathing under control in the brief time between rounds?

**Grey_Southpaw** · Posted On: 12/14/2012 7:55pm

Our coach has us fill up our lungs, then take one or two sharp intakes of breath (to really stretch out) this volume of air is then held for a few seconds and released. We do this until our breathing is controlled (or very close to it) and then resume normal breathing. This seems to work pretty well, but I don't know the reasoning behind it.

If I'm winded in the ring, I usually attempt to disengage and perform the old "in through the nose, out through the mouth" routine. Harry Arroyo showed me that, and it really improved my gas tank.