Hi
Is there anyone else here whose ears are so tight that they have to use this technique? I've come to the conclusion that this is the only one that's going to work for me - Valsalva is impossible even head-up, and even Frenzel using the tongue causes my ears to stick up after a few dives. Thankfully I came across a post by Eric F in
http://forums.deeperblue.net/freediving-training-techniques/31796-inverted-equalization-success.html where he talks about the tightness of his own ears and how the Frenzel-with-yawn is much more efficient than the standard one (because the tubes are opening before pressurisiation). This makes sense, and also I assume my ears are sticking up because they're getting inflamed from having to force air up them - opening them first should irritate them less, is that right?
After some practice, I think I can do the Frenzel-with-yawn on dry land OK, as the "rush" into my ears sounds fuller and once I managed to hold the tubes open so the air came straight back out again without me having to swallow. But it seems to fall to pieces in the water. Partly this is just lack of "real-world" practice, I know, but has anyone got any tips on how to make sure I'm doing it right, and perfect the technique? At the moment I'm lowering my jaw so there is actually a gap between my teeth (though my lips stay closed) to try to get as much of a yawn-like motion as possible. But it's difficult to get the jaw as low as possible whilst also having the tongue in the right position.
Cheers, Bryan
April 28th, 2008
