Sports Performance

Start breathing to improve your performance.

Do you struggle with your breathing during sports and exercise?

Whether you are a keen sports person and play sports at a high level or you like to exercise as a passtime how you breathe during sports will have a huge impact on your performance and how much you enjoy taking part.

Many people suffer with issues such as exercise induced asthma and breathlessness or feeling stressed by their breathing during sports.

Most athletes will tell you that it is their breathing that holds them back when performing – “My breathing lets me down before my legs go” is a common complaint I have hard from footballers.

Breathing in Sports

“My breathing lets me down before my legs go”

This makes sense as many athletes, despite being highly trained and committed to their chosen sport have not been coached and guided in the principles of efficient breathing when exercising.

Whether you run, cycle, play football or take part in any other sport, learning to breathe better and more efficiently can transform your experience when taking part.

Backed by Personal Experience

I love sports, football, running, cycling

I know this from personal experience. For years I struggled with my breathing during football matches and also when running and cycling. I would experience a coughing fit after all of my runs, especially during the winter or in the evenings. Although I was dedicated and trained hard, running was stressful to me and not as enjoyable as it should have been. For years I didn’t know that there was another way of experiencing my breathing during sports.

Breathing in a wrong way

I had never made the connection that what in fact was the problem was that I was breathing too much, too hard, pushing my breathing into hyperventilation during running especially when I was always breathing through my mouth when I exercised.

Transformational Experience

How breathing techniques helped me

Learning the Buteyko Breathing technique initially and then training as an Oxygen Advantage Coach transformed my experience when running. What was once stressful was now like a meditation. It took practice but very soon I was able to run comfortably with my mouth closed and even set personal bests for my 5km Park Runs while doing so.

Long distance cycling is another passion of mine and cycling up mountains became a fun experience rather than a torturous effort. The key is to train your body to have more control over your breathing while exercising.

Buteyko Breathing Training

Oxygen Advantage Coaching

The Science of Breathing

The Oxygen Advantage Breathing Programme that I provide looks at the science behind correct breathing when exercising and how you can improve oxygenation of the muscles and organs when performing through the breath.

How does the Sports Breathing Programme Work?

How you breathe day to day and in your sleep directly affects your breathing during sports and exercise.

It is impossible to have poor breathing habits and patterns as you go about your daily life and day to day activities and then expect to switch on ideal breathing habits when playing sports or exercising.

As part of the Sports Breathing Programme you will learn what healthy breathing patterns and habits are.

You will have a step by step programme to follow with specific exercises that guide you with establishing optimum breathing during exercises, competition or workouts.

A step by step approach to optimising your breathing.

Sports Breathing Programme

The science behind healthy breathing and practical exercises.

#1

Nose Breathing

The Importance of Nose Breathing as the habitual way of breathing. The science behind what healthy breathing is. How you breathe outside of performing or exercising directly affects how you breathe during performance. Guidance is given on how to decongest your nose naturally to allow for nasal breathing as a habit.

#2

Breathing when at Rest

Functional Breathing when at rest. Establishing light, gentle breathing through the nose as the habitual way of breathing. This is called the Breathe Light to Breathe Right aspect of the Programme.

#3

Breathing Habits

Re-training the breathing habits so that you have more control and efficiency in breathing during exercise. This is achieved by practising specific exercises that allow for greater oxygen carrying capacity during sports. There are elements such as breath holding techniques and weaving high intensity exercise with your mouth closed into your training. Encouraging true deep, diaphragmatic breathing is focused on here also.

#4

Breathing for Sleep

Ideal Breathing For Sleep and Recovery: As a sportsperson the quality, depth and restorative nature of your sleep is vital so that you can perform at your best. We will look at how you can learn to breathe efficiently and healthily during your sleep so you can reap the full benefits out of your training.

#5

High Altitude Training

Simulation of High Altitude Training. This is one of the most exciting elements of the Sports Breathing Programme, especially for those athletes who wish to reach peak performance. You do not have to go to the mountain to reap the benefits of high altitude training. With specific training and carefully created breathing exercises you can increase your performance potential by creating the conditions of High Altitude Training through your breath.

#6

Calming Breathing

Breathing exercises to allow you to function at your best by calming the mind and your nervous system. Being in the “Zone” that many athletes talk about always involves a clear, calm focus of what you wish to achieve in your performance. You can help yourself to enter that calm, focused state by using specific breathing exercises that also have a positive, knock on effect to your mindset when performing.

Trusted by Gaelic Football and Hurling Players

I have worked with elite athletes here in Ireland in the area if Gaelic Football and Hurling and have personally seen how changing their breathing habits has transformed their performance. I have also worked with many who run as a pastime and want to be able to breathe well when doing so.

Whatever level of sports you perform at learning to breathe well when performing is vital to reaching your full potential.

For some their full potential will be performing at the highest level with mastery over their breathing while for others it may be to simply enjoy your daily run or exercise routine more than ever before.

Free Clarity Call

Free call to talk about your needs for 20 minutes. No charge and no commitment! Just a conversation about breathing.