Breathing for water sports
Needless to say if you Handboard, bodysurf ,surf or partake in any sort of water sport you are going to find yourself under the water at some point. Depending on the size of the wave surf or roughness of the river it depends on the amount of time you are going to spend under. Knowing certain breathing practices keeping on top of a routine can significantly lower the risk in your adventures and in most cases significantly improve your performance. It should be an essential part of any water mans routine, and especially us Body surfers As they say fail to prepare and prepare to fail its a good motto to live by.
There is very little less scary than being held under being twisted around in every direction not knowing which way is up. Panic starts to set in! I am sure every water man has some experience with this. NOT FUN! It is even more important for bodysurfers and Handboarder/Handplaners to practice breathing exercisers because as with the nature of the sport we tend to spend more time under the water than most other water sports. The chances of getting a good beating when you are dropping in late on a wedge bomb is that much higher than on stand-up. not to mention there is less chance you are going to be able to kick out or over the section. So as a bodysurfer we tend to cop it on the head a lot more. This is I'm sure you will agree part of the fun. Getting hammered for me is part of the allure. However you have to know how to be able to deal with the beating or it could be your last. You wouldn't step into an UFC Octagon without at least the basics on martial arts and mother nature can be a lot more violent and destructive than any UFC Fighter.
The following are some tips from Various sources and Professionals. There are tips on how to improve your Breathing and fitness simply through your Diaphragm control there are also tips from the pros on how to better deal with being held under. What to do and what not to do. Simple procedures that could end up saving your life.
Don't find yourself in this position before you start to think about how long you can really hold your breath for.
Image courtesy of Mark tipple underwater project
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