Jaw yank (?) equalisation method and evolutionary background edit: "BTO / hands free"

[jago25_98]

I don't know what this equalisation method is called. I call it the jaw yank. You push your lower jaw forwards, down and out and that's enough for some people to open ear canals to equalise.

Some people can't do this. Why? I think I just found out.

It turns out that that there's a theory from some breakaway orthodontic dentists that went as far as to rename themselves as orthotropics. A bit of a body dysmorphic cult called mewing has been following after this but the science behind the bro-science seems solid enough.

Basically the theory goes that nearly everyone has lost definition in our faces due to a softer diet. It's so common that we don't even recognise this abnormality as abnormal. The point for diving is that this also affects the ear canals. It would also mean that ancient divers might have barely needed to equalise.

The upshot is this:
Potentially improve your equalisation ability by chewing harder food, improving shallowing technique and tongue posture.

Search 'mewing' and 'othotropics' for more.

No one's really made a proper link here between the 2. I'm doing that right now. I wasn't able to use this technique reliably below 5m before. I'm now training to bring my jaw forward, though my progress will be limited by my age. It's worth a shot.

 

[Kodama]

Hands Free equalizing or BTV is very well documented and practiced by many freedivers these days.

There are two muscles connected to the eustachian tube. The tensor veli palatini and levator veli palatini. They are also connected to the soft palate.

Exaggerated yawning may be one way to ‘activate ‘ them.
However it is also possible to learn to control them true practice! It was believed that only people with a natural disposition could master this technique but today we know that this is not true and that BTV is achievable by most of us who are willing to put in the work and practice.
I am myself someone who was hardly able to properly use Frenzel but eventually learned to equalize hands free.
It is not easy but certainly possible.

Regarding your statement about people who barely have to equalize in the days of yore that sounds like a bit of mumbo jumbo. If you have any scientific references please share them with us and I will happily reconsider.

However I do believe that practicing tongue movement and swallowing can aid with hands free equalizing. It makes sense since you are training the muscles you need to manipulate the opening of the eustachian tube.

One of the major keys to learning BTV is soft palette control.

 

[jago25_98]

Thanks! I didn't know it's called BTV. What does the acronym stand for? Now I can get more info and hopefully improve this. Amazing I didn't hear of this before.

How much are you able to use this technique? I remember it was a bit slow. I'm hoping to improve that.

Yes, the thing about ancient divers might not needing equalisation is pure speculation. Write a paper while the opportunity's there and get it on the CV.

 

[Kodama]

BTV means Beance Tubaire Volontaire or VTO Voluntarily Tube Opening. Often referred to as ‘hands free ‘ but the for mentioned terms are more accurate.

If you master the technique you can use it continuously during each dive and it can be just as fast as any other technique.
Practice makes you more proficient.

Hands Free Equalization for the Beginner and the Curious

In this entry, I write about the hands free equalization or the BTV manoeuvre that is rarely taught to students. I share what I have learned about this manoeuvre over the past year of reading up, d…

therapystop.wordpress.com

One side note:
The article mentioned Federico Mana saying BTV can not be learned by practicing.
As someone who has trained with him I can assure you that he changed his mind since 2011 when he wrote the book.
On his website you can even take a e-learning course to practice BTV.

As Zuccari recently said. It’s the Holy Grail of freediving.....