New here with some Q's

[serafino]

Hi everyone,
My real name is Serafino. I am not really new to the sport but I am new to organized groups and forums and meeting other people that enjoy free diving as well. I am almost 16 and I was wondering if there is anyone else here that also is around my age. Also I have asthma which I was wondering if anyone else here has had to tackle this problem. My static record is 4:00 flat. Is that considered below average? I have never really been able to talk with other free divers before so I have no clue. My record goes up ever so slightly every time I practice static apnea. I also do a low O2 level tolerance exercise and a high CO2 level tolerance exercise 3-4 times a week. What else should I do to compensate for my astma? So thanks for any answers to my questions.
Serafino

[cody909]

I was wondering if there is anyone else here that also is around my age

I am 15 also

My static record is 4:00 flat. Is that considered below average?

My static is 3:01 flat and i was very proud of my self, Knowing that i have never done it that long before and i dont have asthma ahaha and im worst :]]

If you ask me your fine.

I am also new, I pole spear.

I see your from california?
I am also, Southern Cali.

Welcome to the forums, As i have gotten a solid answer for every question i have asked

- Cody

[serafino]

Thanks for the answers. I appreciate it. My dad lives in LA and I visit frequently maybe I'll dive down there with you sometime.

[cody909]

Yeah, Just msg me for my # and hit it up some time.
Im about 1 hour from beach not to bad
And looking to get/learn better freediving
You hunt?

[..Sam..]

4:00 is fantastic if you have asthma, I've got a friend that freedives with me who has asthma too. It has been no problem for him. His asthma has actually got better the longer his been diving.

Good stuff guys, keep up the good work.

[cody909]

I dunno how you guys do it, I have a simple breathing technique that gets me to 3:01 barley i start contracting (Body starts moving all over place) @ about 2:40

What i do is relax for about 5 min slow down HR then i exhale all my air then take a hudge breath.

I know there is so much more you can do to improve your times but any advice or how you do it?

It seems that no one on here wants to tell you how to hold it longer :/
They just tell me to take the classes that i cant afford... Haha


-Cody

[serafino]

For me its all in the breath up and mental techniques for relaxing. For relaxing I do the normal starting with my toes to relieve any tension and working my way up to my head. Then when I'm done I just let my mind take me where ever it wants. I think around 1 min 30 is when I am almost asleep. So I stop just thinking about whatever and imagine my heart beating. Then I make that imaginary heart beat really slowly. I think from what I can feel is that this actually slows my heart rate way down. This sounds stupid but have you heard of those monks that send core blood to their extremities and steam wet blankets only using their body heat? Well I try to do the exact opposite. I am trying to take blood away from my extremities and send it to my brain and heart. Then when I'm really fighting holding it and would normally start contractions I say the alphabet and for every letter come up with someone's name that I know. Then it just becomes too much and I have to breathe.

BTW I have spearfished before, I just don't have the gear here in California.

[Jonta]

Hi I just turned 16 and have been traning dry about 2 times a week for a while. My static pb is currently 4:17(was a while since i did a max). Im also doing some walking apnea. My pb there is 2:32 and i think i got around 130-140m but that is if i rember right. My static traning is simply 5 min to get relaxed then a hold until the contractions start then 3min rest then another hold now 30 sek of contractions and so on until im takning 1:30 of contractions then a max. Yesturday i dived for the first time. I had a hard time staying realaxed under water and i dident take any contractions under water. The depth was around 4m(that was the bottom) and my dive times was all under 1:00 and most arond 30-40sek. I was pretty dicipointed about this since i can walk for over 2min easily. But i guess i just have to become comfortabel in water. Any tips on that? I have asthma too but it is a very small asthma. I just take medicin if i whould run or anything that whould push my body to my limit. I havent experienced any problems whit my asthma yet when it comes too freediving. Excuse my bad enlish please

[arej]

I'm the same - my record is 3:00 but generally 2:00 to 2:30 and can't really increase it. Is it just a case of practicing lots?

[serafino]

@ Jonta I had the same problem when I first started a few years ago. I was way too tense underwater. What helped me though is I just kept practicing the key is to completely relax and just feel like you are "free". I love the sensation in the water where I am just swimming lazily around without a care in the world. Before I relaxed I could only stay down about 1:30 even though I could walk much longer while holding my breath.

[salibandy]

The shortcoming of time underwater is almost always a lack of relaxation.

Anyhow, you can't simply corelate your land times to time at depth. It doesn't work like that.

For asthma, you try devices like PowerBreathe or PowerLung. Both work in the same way by helping you build your lung muscles.