Question Dry Land techniques for a surfer

[danielhughes4746]

Hello,

Ive been trying to increase my ability to hold my breath. I have an app for o2 and co2 tables. Are these important and if so is it just a case of repetition and consistency? What time scales are realistic to see improvements?

I was using the app for 2 weeks and just seemed to hit a wall.

Recently, Ive been apnea walking - I might have made that up but here is what I do.

After completing a run I dial in 5.2 kph speed and exhale all air out and see how far I can walk. I usually do 5-6 rounds of this.

Is there any other exercises you can recommend? I don't plan to do any water work as I don't have a safe way to try that. That's something for the future.

 

[danielhughes4746]

Can anyone recommend dry land techiques I can use to improve my breath hold?

 

[J Campbell]

Long breath holds come with experience and relaxation. I don't do tables, just do a series of breath holds 6-8, with 2 or 3 minutes rest in between. Do deep relaxed breathing between holds (not hyperventilation). Slow controlled inhale and relaxed exhale. Inhale fairly deep but not so deep that it's a strain - use "belly" breathing, first fill from your belly for your lower lungs, then continue to expand your upper chest to finish off your upper lungs. For exhale just let the elasticity of your torso naturally squeeze the air out and then finish off with a little squeeze of your abdomen - again just enough to get most of the air out without straining. Your first breath hold of a series will probably be shorter, they will get easier and longer after 2 or 3 holds. Do them 2 or 3 times a week. After awhile they won't be "scary" anymore. Then you can relax more and push through. Most healthy adults can lean to hold thier breath for 3 minutes if they relax and practice. A few will find this easy - others may find it very difficult but not impossible.

 

[danielhughes4746]

Long breath holds come with experience and relaxation. I don't do tables, just do a series of breath holds 6-8, with 2 or 3 minutes rest in between. Do deep relaxed breathing between holds (not hyperventilation). Slow controlled inhale and relaxed exhale. Inhale fairly deep but not so deep that it's a strain - use "belly" breathing, first fill from your belly for your lower lungs, then continue to expand your upper chest to finish off your upper lungs. For exhale just let the elasticity of your torso naturally squeeze the air out and then finish off with a little squeeze of your abdomen - again just enough to get most of the air out without straining. Your first breath hold of a series will probably be shorter, they will get easier and longer after 2 or 3 holds. Do them 2 or 3 times a week. After awhile they won't be "scary" anymore. Then you can relax more and push through. Most healthy adults can lean to hold thier breath for 3 minutes if they relax and practice. A few will find this easy - others may find it very difficult but not impossible.

OK so just the practice of holding the breath is useful for improving the breath hold. Simple answer and logical! Ill start adding that to the rota. Ive got 6 months to prepare for a certain challenge and wanted to getup to 6 minutes in a relaxing environment and then maybe 1.5 or 2 minutes under duress if that's possible. Typically when you get annhilated by a big set of waves you will already be breathing fairly heavily

 

[J Campbell]

"Typically when you get annihilated by a big set of waves you will already be breathing fairly heavily".
Yes. But you will also be un-rested. There is nothing remotely similar (other than both are done in water) between what a freediver experiences vs. what a surfer experiences when being held under. A surfer has not had the advantage of a relaxed breath-up. His metabolism is racing and he already has some lactic acid and CO2 buildup.
I'm not a surfer and have never been held under more than 5 or 10 seconds when playing in rough surf. But my guess is that what you need to work on most is the mental aspects of keeping yourself calm under such a situation. I guess if you really can keep calm and also gulp a big lungful just before going under then you may be able to stay down for 1 - 1.5 minutes. It will take a lot of stamina.
There is a documentary film called "Blackfish" about the plight of Orcas being kept in captivity. There is a sequence where an orca grabs a trainer by the foot and holds him under water. The trainer has not much time to relax. The orca surfaces after about a minute and the trainer gets a quick breather before being dragged down again for another minute or so. The trainer eventually is released and survives. But you can imagine the panic of not knowing if/when he would ever surface again. But watching the video you can tell the diver must have nerves of steel, he doesn't scream or kick or thrash - just goes along for the ride. And at the surface while the orca is still holding his foot he still is calm - even petting the orca. It's this type of calmness that you need develope.
As for your goal of a 6 minute breath hold - that would put you in rare company.
Here is a link to an informal poll of how long people say they can hold their breath. Only 13% of people claim even 5 minutes.

http://spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=114567&page=5

 

[j-s]

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