F#@KING FRENZEL

[Peter Smith]

Hi guys,
I had the great pleasure of doing my first Freediving training a couple of weeks ago with Emma Farrell at Go Freediving (highly recommended) and, yep you guessed it, I struggled to equalise, at least head down.

Feet first I could reach 10m, although not every time, but head first I could go no lower than 3-4m before the pain kicked in.

I've been told that, as the Frenzel is more efficient, if I can crack it I should be ok equalising, even head down, but i've come to the conclusion that i'm some type of moron because I simply don't understand it.

I follow the instructions to the letter, I can close my epiglottis, I can make my soft palate neutral but I just don't understand what I need to be doing with my tongue. If I put my tongue in the 'T' position the back of my tongue touches the roof of my mouth so there is no air to force anywhere. Is my tongue too chubby for Frenzel?!?!?

I've watched hours of videos, but as the bit I need to see is done with a closed mouth it's a bit pointless.
I'm pulling my hair out, any help gratefully received.

Pete

 

[SubSub]

Don't over analyze! It's enough just to keep you gob shut, pinch your nose and blow (carefully)! As long as all respiratory openings are shut you should be able to pop your ears. When in water, try to do it even before you go under the serface of the water and then constantly on the way down.

 

[Jellythings]

Ok, I'll try this but I know how it can be... It took me over a year to "get it" for myself and now I love the Frenzel. I will name my next pet Frenzel. My tongue is... hmmmmmmm let's see, the "circumference" of the entire front portion of my tongue is in complete sealed contact around the perimeter of my upper palate and teeth.
The "bottom center" of that front portion of tongue is being "pulled down a bit" to form a "pocket" in the center of my upper palate.
The rear of this "pocket" I have formed is open to the throat down all the way to the slammed door on the epiglottis, the back of my tongue stays clear and pretty much does nothing but sort of "brace things in general" maybe.
Picture this "pocket" made on the upper palate as a tiny little diaphragm air pump. Center of the front of the tongue goes down and air enters that chamber. Press up towards the upper palate with the center of the tongue and air is forced back into your tubes. Around the upper palate and teeth is the sealed diaphragm of the pump. The open area to the throat is the "air valve."
I practiced by closing one nostril and "pumping" air with the tongue. I simply made funny sounds until I understood it.
Your chest should remain perfectly still and you'll feel and hear little bitty "puff, puff, puffs" of air each time you "pump" your tongue. That is actually harder to do than the Frenzel maneuver with the both nostrils closed (lack of back pressure) so it is great practice and gets your tongue in fabulous shape.
I "seem" to have enough air in my big mouth when I descend to get me where I want to go. I may be "sneaking" a bit of air into my mouth from my throat or lungs during descent to "keep the pump primed" but I don't really know??? I'll have to really pay attention to that next time out.

 

[Jellythings]

Sub Sub is totally right too. You can literally do it with a mouth full of air and your cheek muscles while your tongue just goes on vacation all around your head. Keep at it because once it happens for you you will be in paradise.

 

[Jo_duiker]

I've been doing Frenzel since I was a kid without even knowing it, so it's hard to explain what I'm doing. But I want to give it a go. (And also, if I could hold my breath as easily as I can do Frenzel, I guess I'd be a professional freediver. But I'm still dealing with way too early contractions etc. and I'm still going to only -15m because of that, lol...)

If you can close the epiglottis, you should be able to do the rest too.
So, what do I do with my tongue?

One method is not to think about it (too much) and try to do frenzel without pinching your nose. That means air will be leaving your nose, yes. You "snif", which means: little sips of air come out. And very important: concentrate on letting the air come from your mouth/throat and NOT from your lungs directly (you should NOT breathe out from your lungs directly) - also concentrate on relaxing your stomach the entire time.
(Ok, maybe this does involve some thinking).
If you can snif out air through your nose like that, next step would be to pinch your nose and do it again and hopefully make your ears "pop"...

Another method for your tongue is: (nose pinched!) try to speak out "ing" or the letter "k" with your epiglottis closed. That - kind of - should push air towards your ears.

Or you could combine both methods and try that.

You know it when you are doing Frenzel when you have a combination of these things...
- you can equalize with your mouth open
- you can equalize quite a few times in 5 seconds (like 10 times or so)
- when you equalize, you do NOT have to use your stomach muscles: they are totally relaxed
- your adam's apple moves when equalizing
- and of course, the main goal: you hear/feel your ears pop.

Hope it helps...

 

[Jellythings]

Thanks, Jo! That was awesome. I never tried it with my mouth hanging open but it totally works!!