Power Breathing

The Charger Breath

Here are your first instructions, your key Lesson in the Power Breathing technique. This first exercise is called the Charger Breath. Become very familiar with it, use it often every day, for it is the foundation of the system.

1. Do all breathing exercises sitting down, the first few days of practice. Use a comfortable chair, preferably straight-back so that your spine is nice and straight at all times during the exercise. Your feet should be flat on the floor, hands resting in lap or on knees. Head straight, facing frontally. Clothes should be loose (or none) and all belts, buttons or zippers about the abdomen should be loosened for maximum comfort and abdominal expansion.

The list goes on on steps and breathing excersises and tips.

I know it sounds weird...Breathing tips?

But it actually works.

Breathing lessons for survival

I'm surprised you're not aware that when warriors are in battle, it is traditional to expell breath as you thrust or swing with your sword/axe/polearm/whatever.

This isn't to increase the power, it's to moderate your breathing in order to ensure your muscles take in a proper amount of oxygen in order to keep working - even medieval anatomists knew this, what with the dark arts that they practiced.

It's possible that as you expell oxygen, your lungs deflate and allow for a smoother slash.

I'm not too sure about the supernatural potential of this.

[edit on 4-11-2007 by Throbber]

reply to post by Throbber


i dont think its supernatural, but it helps to know anything that can help you breath. did you try the techniques?

reply to post by zakd619


It's not often that i get to engage in a sword duel and remember everything i know other than that to flow through the sword (this is particular to swords, of course - sword vs. anything else is rather tricky, i find).

Actually, to be honest the only weapons i'm familiar with on how to use efficiently are knives and short blades - i find larger weapons rather cumbersome.

There must be rogue blood in me or something.

EDIT: + shorter weapons are lighter, and i'm not really made for carrying that kind of weight around with me.

Basically, it's not my style to try anything other than slicing your arm off or cutting your vital points in a fight, which bodes ill for me if using practice weapons.

As for the breathing techniques, i don't think the ones you allude to have anything to do with combat, which denies any purpose for me learning them really.

If your psychology is okay, then your breathing should be okay.



[edit on 4-11-2007 by Throbber]

reply to post by Throbber



Ya i have display swords at home. when you use them if you dont regulate your breathing your not as smooth or swift. Also i find my shorter blades are easier because since they are lighter it doesnt affect your breathing.

reply to post by zakd619


Ah... okay...

Why did you post this, by the way?

Isn't this something you're supposed to research by yourself?

EDIT: Anyway, even with short blades it helps to regulate your breathing, although it's to keep your muscles light rather than becoming tired, in which case if you're in a fight with a short blade and you start getting sluggish against a person with a larger weapon, you won't have the energy to duck/jump/sidestep/parry under his sword arts.

I'm real good at expending loads of energy at once, which ultimately means i'm the kind of fighter who will do anything to win, if i feel it's nessecary to win.



I guess you could say i'm a natural - when i started philosophizing over the potential aspects of fighting with blades i came to the conclusion that we're actually making up for our lack of claws or predatory power due to our lifestyles - as such i'd prefer to use two short blades over one long one.

Essentially, it'd work on most opponents without any real thought put into it, and for the more skilled ones i can start acting all cunning.

But like i said, it doesn't make me a good practice partner.

[edit on 4-11-2007 by Throbber]

reply to post by Throbber


no but i figured since there is a survival section i would post it. It makes sense actuallt since it helps with breathing and all.

Those breathing techniques remind me of the Norse berserkers, which you have probably heard of. Even though you are using different techniques than them, it is achieving similar results.

It could definately be of assistance in survival situations where you are in physical stress/pain trying to make a fire by friction, or having to quickly put a shelter together. I often use a mild form of berserking for completing labourous, monotonous tasks like stacking large amounts of firewood or moving a big pile of soil. I basically just focus my mind and start getting a bit rowdy/just doing stuff with brute strength without thinking.. just sort of trance/tune out and do the work.

In fighting what you want to try and train away (remove) are two or three of the normal reflexes.

1. Tunnel vision
2. Loss of fine motor control due to adrenaline (and other hormones) during the fight or flight response.
3. You also need to train out the 'blink reflex' when hit in the face, (and the urge to turn away from punches.)

The aim of breath control or breathing practice is to mediate these.

The best way is underwater breath-holding training. Notice the surfers in Hawaii dive to the bottom and get a basketball sized rock and try to carry it through the sandy bottom for distance then surface and repeat. This is the best possible breath training. Edit: Oh, also check out the type of rapid breathing they do in Kundalini yoga (one sect does it better).

The essential part of breath training is NOT trying to get in more oxygen, though deep diving experts will do different techniques to 'load the blood' and you can do this. BUT the key is eliminating Carbon Dioxide from the lungs.

To do this breath out sharply, either through the nose or tight lips. This will cause the CO2 that is left in the bottom of your lungs to possibly be circulated out.

When punching try it normal breathing. Then try it by breathing out forcefully through the nose as you impact the bag. This tightens the intracostals similar to a sneeze. It also tightens the other abdominals and allows better energy transfer from the legs and hips. (otherwise your torso flexes, losing power).

HTH.


[edit on 5-11-2007 by Badge01]

This is a great breathing exercise. I've been looking into different exercises over the past few weeks in preparation for my smoke cessation and this one so far seems to work the best for fighting cravings. As for training, it does help put more force into your hits/lifts when you incorporate this style of breathing. I'm sure there are anatomical explanations for this, but I think there is also a psychological effect. I mean, when you breath like this you cant help but feel like some kind of badass animal ready to pounce. As for sustained concentration workouts (speedbag, footbag, etc.) I've found that pursed-lip breathing (3 secs in/6 out) helps immensely. I think that it shifts your concentration to your breathing and allows your body to work on its own, at least thats what it feels like for me.

Originally posted by Badge01
The essential part of breath training is NOT trying to get in more oxygen, though deep diving experts will do different techniques to 'load the blood' and you can do this. BUT the key is eliminating Carbon Dioxide from the lungs.

To do this breath out sharply, either through the nose or tight lips. This will cause the CO2 that is left in the bottom of your lungs to possibly be circulated out.

Why would you want to get rid of CO2? It's the CO2 that triggers the breathing reflex, not O2. Eliminate CO2 and your breathing goes to pot. CO2 is an acid. As the amount of CO2 increases and O2 decreases in your blood, the pH drops. This then triggers your diaphragm to contract and inhale.

Large breaths in increase the amount of O2 which both fuels the muscles and increases the amount of buffer to counter the acidotic effects of anaerobic respiration (which increases during short bursts of activity).

The breathing exercises you describe are the same as those used by COPD patients who have dramatically reduced tolerence to high CO2 levels in their blood. Essentially it encourages CO2 expulsion. This is useful for them as they have reversed respiratory drive, but not too good fo the rest of us.

reply to post by PaddyInf


Good points, but we're talking lungs versus blood stream.

Breathing out sharply may clear out latent CO2 in the lungs.

Certainly breathing pure oxygen allows for longer breath holding, but we're not talking about that, are we?

So again, it's not how much 'air' you can breathe in especially, but that breathing out more completely may purge the lungs of CO2 in the bottom of the lungs.

For example, I get better 'oxygen' when I breath out sharply and fully on a climb on my bike, emptying my lungs.

When you do that, the rib cage and the intercostals and diaphragm naturally then expands and your lungs fill without trying.

Conversely, if I try to 'breath -in- more' on a climb, it doesn't help me and actually seems to slow down my recovery.

Make sense?

PS. Certainly what you said about blood holds true as far as the CO2 level in the blood triggering the diaphragm. But what happens when you breathe pure oxygen? You can hold your breath longer. I'm not sure of what would happen if one were to try and exercise (like on a treadmill) breathing pure O2.


[edit on 6-11-2007 by Badge01]

OK, your question brought me to this site:

www.pponline.co.uk...

It talks about the advantages, if any, of breathing pure oxygen on performance. According to calculations it might raise the hemoglobin saturation by about 3%. Blood is normally almost completely saturated with oxygen breathing normal room air at sea level. (note that it's often the release rate of the hemoglobin that's important, not how much it can carry. It's how much can it deliver to the tissues.).

Training improves many things in the body, and among them is thought to be circulation, lactate levels, perfusion and other aspects. It's thought that exercise may improve the numbers of capillaries in the muscle. So it's often how fast can one deliver nutrients and remove limiting harmful byproducts, not on how deeply we can breathe, or how much oxygen content is in the air.

Make sense?

The more breath, Ki, you have circulating in your system, the more aware you are of your body. It oxygenates, turns on, more of your cells. This allows your nervous system to remain in tune with what the body is actually doing. Breathe deep, start the breath with your lower abdomen first. When your stomach expands forward to its limit, activate your diaphragm to finish the rest of the breath. Breathe slow and keep the flow constant and strong. Now, go do some martial arts.. fun fun fun.

reply to post by depth om


Have you seen Rickson's stomach roiling exercises? Do you know why he does those?

He tenses and releases the internal abdominals.

Note at about 1:43 into it, the BoF, then at about 2:00 on the roiling.



Though people talk about Qi, I wonder how many understand it beyond the buzz words.

2 cents.

Are you saying I'm ill-informed? I've study qi-gong, chi-kung, whatever you want to call it... that doesn't mean anything though, I know, but I know this, Ki, chi, qi, is manipulation of oxygenated tissues, and the processes you use to accomplish such oxygenation. Does my logic above not make sense? One thing I've noticed about Rickson in the ring, is that he can get very angry! I've seen his anger get the best of him... TKO.