"You need to breathe!"

[Fall of Titan]

Hi there,

I've been training in TKD for over a year now, and one feedback I've often received is that I need to breathe. I feel like, naturally, I must be breathing. But I also know I'm generally a tense person. Plus, I'm focused on all the little details when practicing poomsae or drilling kicks, such as proper hand/foot placement, proper sequence, etc.

When we take a breather during class, I feel I can breathe properly by taking deep belly breaths and letting it out slowly. However, since I'm not breathing properly while performing techniques, I'm probably losing out on power and maybe speed.

So...can someone offer advice on 1) how to focus on breathing during techniques without losing focus on technical details and 2) how to breathe properly during techniques to maximize power/speed?

Thanks!

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Choose a form that you know well enough that you don't have to focus on. Don't worry about your technique with it, and spend that time focusing on your breathing.

Also add in set points in your forms/drills to check your breathing (ie: if you're drilling sidekicks, after every 5 kicks ask yourself, "did I breathe on the last one?" and on the next kick focus on breathing above anything else). If it's a small enough class, ask your partner/instructor to yell at you whenever he/she notices you're not breathing.

It's a process, and something tough to get down. I've seen people practicing for over 5 years who still forget to breathe while striking, especially when sparring.

 

[Dirty Dog]

So...can someone offer advice on 1) how to focus on breathing during techniques without losing focus on technical details

Breathing properly IS one of the technical details. So you focus on it just like any other detail.

and 2) how to breathe properly during techniques to maximize power/speed?

Timing. Whenever you strike or block, that movement should be accompanied by a forceful exhalation. Like a quiet kiap. That helps with power generation. Inhale during the chamber, exhale during the strike.

 

[SahBumNimRush]

As Dirty Dog stated previously, breathing is part of the technique.

There can be a lot of nuance to it, depending on how far off your natural breathe pattern is. Does the core expand evenly/symmetrically in speed and strength during inspiration? Some schools cue this by focusing on your center of gravity (tandien; approximately 3 finger widths below your belly button).

Upon exhalation, your throat should be relaxed, as not to restrict the air coming out of your lungs. Tension should be placed at the center of gravity, just as you would with a kihap/kiai. Concerted contraction of the core, stabilizes the trunk, forces the breath out quickly and feeds your technical efficiency, through better trunk stabilization (therefore better joint centration at the ball and socket joints of the limbs).

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

taking deep belly breaths and letting it out slowly.

When you move in fast speed (such as throw 4 punches within 1 second), you don't have time to do full inhale and full exhale. You need to have a proper management with how much air that you still have in your lung, and how much partial air that you can inhale.

You need to train "section breath" method.

- Full inhale, full exhale.
- 1/2 inhale, 1/2 inhale, 1/2 exhale, 1/2 exhale.
- 1/3 inhale, 1/3 inhale, 1/3 inhale, 1/3 exhale, 1/3 exhale, 1/3 exhale,
- ...
- 1/8 inhale, 1/8 inhale, ... 1/8 exhale, 1/8 exhale, ...

For example, you can throw 3 punches by exhale 1/3 during each punch. You then follow with 2 soft blocks by inhale 1/2 during each block.

Actually, all the joggers use the "section breath" by

- run 2 step, inhale 1/2, run 2 steps, inhale 1/2.
- run 2 step, exhale 1/2, run 2 steps, exhale 1/2.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Step 1: Breath normally
Step 2: Follow the general rule: Breath out when striking.
Step 3: Relax
Step 4 Strike on every other exhale make sure your strikes are relaxed and not tense. It doesn't have to be hard or fast strikes. Start off with light relaxed strikes. Let your breathing determine the speed of your punch.
Step 5: Jump up from a squat position 5 times. As you jump up breath out. As you land breath in so that you can get oxygen to use when you jump. Try to keep your breathing flowing and smooth as much as possible.

Longer relaxed exhales will allow you to throw slower strikes. Shorter faster exhales will allow you to throw quicker strikes. Either way, you want your breathing to be relaxed. Breathing should not make your tired. If it does then it means you are forcing a breathing patter or your movement is not synced with your breathing. Exercises like this will help to train your breathing and it will make you more aware of when you are holding your breath. If you are holding your breath, then your breathing isn't flowing. Once you get better with this you can start adding speed along with other movements

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

When you move in fast speed (such as throw 4 punches within 1 second), you don't have time to do full inhale and full exhale. You need to have a proper management with how much air that you still have in your lung, and how much partial air that you can inhale.

You need to train "section breath" method.

- Full inhale, full exhale.
- 1/2 inhale, 1/2 inhale, 1/2 exhale, 1/2 exhale.
- 1/3 inhale, 1/3 inhale, 1/3 inhale, 1/3 exhale, 1/3 exhale, 1/3 exhale,
- ...
- 1/8 inhale, 1/8 inhale, ... 1/8 exhale, 1/8 exhale, ...

For example, you can throw 4 punches (such as righ jab, left hook, right uppercut, left overhaed) by exhale 1/4 during each punch. You then follow with 2 soft blocks by inhale 1/2 during each block.

I liked this, until I realized that when sparring partners did this, their breathing become a sort of telegraphing. People breath heavily, and if you know that exhales are happening every punch, it lets you know when the punches are about to happen. And the pace that they're planning to go.

 

[windwalker099]

 

[skribs]

Kiyhap on the techniques you're supposed to kiyhap. Sharply exhale on the techniques you don't kiyhap. If you focus on breathing out, you'll naturally breathe in.

 

[skribs]

I liked this, until I realized that when sparring partners did this, their breathing become a sort of telegraphing. People breath heavily, and if you know that exhales are happening every punch, it lets you know when the punches are about to happen. And the pace that they're planning to go.

Ideally the exhale will be when the punch is already moving, if not at its apex.

You can also use this to your advantage. I've done kiyhaps that get my opponents messed up so I can hit them with the real technique a split second later.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Ideally the exhale will be when the punch is already moving, if not at its apex.

You can also use this to your advantage. I've done kiyhaps that get my opponents messed up so I can hit them with the real technique a split second later.

Yes, but if you speed up your breathing because you're throwing multiple fast punches, it can be a tell.
And like any tell, there are ways to turn it into a feint. My experience has been people are a lot worse at using their breath as a feint then other tells though.

 

[Flying Crane]

Or just breathe. no rhythm to it, no sharp exhales on strikes. Just breathe. Let your body do the work and don’t force it.

Just breathe.

 

[skribs]

Yes, but if you speed up your breathing because you're throwing multiple fast punches, it can be a tell.
And like any tell, there are ways to turn it into a feint. My experience has been people are a lot worse at using their breath as a feint then other tells though.

You're right, more often I use my breath as a weapon...

 

[Earl Weiss]

You're right, more often I use my breath as a weapon...

Doe this require loading the weapon with ammunition like Garlic?

 

[Earl Weiss]

Breathing for TKD s really no different than most athletic activities. (Certain Power lifts being a notable exception) Exhale with the exertion. In order to coordinate the exhale with the exertion as noted in posts above you control the exhale. I explain it to kids that it is like blowing out the candles on a Birthday cake. So, if there are a series of rapid movements there may be a single exhale "Pulsed" to coordinate with the series of exertion. Also, for a longer exertion the exhale may be longer than shorter exertions. For example a jumping kick should have an exhalation that starts with the exertion portion of the jump and continues thru the exertion portion of the kick or kicks.

 

[wab25]

Choose a form that you know well enough that you don't have to focus on. Don't worry about your technique with it, and spend that time focusing on your breathing.

Just wanted to reiterate this point. Too many people think that they have learned the kata/form once they have it memorized. They then start looking for the next one and get bored doing the same old routines....

One of the uses of kata/forms is to do exactly what Monkey talks about. Pick something you need to work on (breathing in this case) and do the kata/forms you do not have to think about... instead of thinking about what move comes next... focus on the thing you are working on, like breathing.

There are so many things to focus on... power generation, speed, expansion and contraction, unified body movement, balance, posture, hip movement, foot work.... Your kata/form should look a little different depending on what you are focusing on.

Once you have memorized the kata/form, so that you do not have to think about what comes next... that is not the end of your study of that kata/form... it is now time to start studying it. You can study what is in the kata/form, to learn the points contained in the kata/form. You can also use the kata/form as a test bed to work on just about anything you need to work on. Both approaches can provide plenty of depth to your study.