Breathing is a powerful tool for combat athletes. Here are five breathing techniques that will improve your performance and recovery as a fighter.
Hyperventilation is rapid or deep breathing which is often the result of panic and anxiety. If performed voluntarily, it can be a useful tool for a combat athlete. Hyperventilation elevates your heart rate, constricts your blood vessels and triggers the sympathetic nervous system, also known as "fight or flight".
It causes the release of adrenaline and cortisol in the body and can boost alertness and focus. If you experience the often feared "adrenaline dump" during competition, performing this breathing method immediately before your fight could get you ready for battle. As part of your warm-up, it can raise your heart rate and alertness and help prevent feeling overwhelmed during the fight.
One hyperventilation protocol that has risen to fame over the recent years is the Wim Hof Breathing Method. It consists of cycles of hyperventilation followed by breath holds and has shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and improve immune function.
Breath hold training improves the body's ability to tolerate elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. CO2 is a byproduct of the aerobic energy system when the body uses oxygen to produce ATP, the body's energy currency.
Elevated CO2 levels commonly trigger an increased respiratory rate but regular breath hold training can give you better control over your breathing as CO2 levels rise.
Breath holds can also improve your anaerobic fitness as they condition your body to tolerate higher levels of blood lactate. Lactate is a byproduct of glycolysis or the anaerobic energy production from blood glucose and glycogen stored in the muscles and liver. A higher lactate threshold means better performance and recovery at high training intensities.
If you want to dive into this a little bit more, I recommend the book "The Oxygen Advantage" by Patrick McKeown who starts people off by measuring their BOLT score to test their CO2 tolerance and their ability to tolerate breath holds. He is also a big fan of the Buteyko Breathing Method and nasal breathing.
Nasal breathing has many benefits for your health, performance and recovery. As you breathe in through your nose, the air is naturally filtered by your nose hairs. A full breath taken through the nose will typically be much slower than if it was taken through the mouth, so nasal breathing slows down your respiratory rate.
As we breathe in through the nose, the air is humidified and nitric oxide is added in the sinuses. Nitric oxide has many powerful effects in the body. It kills pathogens, dilates blood vessels and improves the health of the endothelial cells along the blood vessels. This results in better blood flow and improved oxygen delivery. It has also shown to improve immune function.
Nasal breathing during sleep commonly results in better sleep quality and recovery, lower blood pressure, lower resting heart rate, a higher heart rate variability and a significantly lower risk of sleep apnoea.
At this point, I also have an anecdotal experience to share. A few months ago, I had the suspicion that I was breathing through my mouth at night, so I decided to tape my mouth shut for 30 nights.
Now, I'm not recommending this for any of you, please always talk to you doctor first - but after taping my mouth I felt more rested upon waking, my mouth was no longer dry in the morning, I was less thirsty and thanks to my Garmin and Whoop I could observe a lower resting heart rate and a higher heart rate variability during my sleep.
There are even some people that claim that nasal breathing will improve your dental health and facial structure. If you want to learn more about this, I recommend you check out the book "Breath" by James Nestor as well as "The Oxygen Advantage" by Patrick McKeown.
The Physiological Sigh is a breathing technique popularised by Dr. Jack Feldman and Dr. Andrew Huberman. It incorporates deep nasal and diaphragmatic inhales and extended exhales to offload CO2 and activate the parasympathetic nervous system also known as "rest and digest".
Take a deep breath through your nose and a second short inhale to fully expand the lungs and alveoli. Follow with an extended exhale through your mouth as if you were breathing out "through a straw". This breathing technique will lower your heart rate, elevate your heart rate variability and induce a state of relaxation.
Box breathing is a popular breathing technique that slows down your respiration, lowers your heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels and activates your parasympathetic nervous system. It reduces anxiety and anger and induces relaxation and comfort. It is a timed breathing pattern that focuses on nasal inhales and deep diaphragmatic or "belly breathing".
Here's the protocol: sit or lie down, breath in through your nose for four seconds, then hold your breath for four seconds, breath out slowly through your mouth for four seconds, now hold your breath for another four seconds and repeat. The four phases of the breathing cycle are often illustrated as a square or box with four equal sides, hence the name "box breathing".
Not only will this technique put your body in a restful state, it can also help calm the mind. Counting your breaths for minutes on end can help eliminate overthinking, for example when you're trying to fall asleep.
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