"Breathe Trevo. You must learn how to breathe"

Professor Britto has said this to me on numerous occasions and last night the penny really dropped after spending another night underperforming (I will not scape goat my sore chest)

And you know what...when I roll...I have 0 thought for my breathing. There must be a connection. This might be the key for me.

Rickson Gracie: When you control your breath you can actually control yourself mentally and physically - you can really understand your fears and your emotional stress.

So lets look at Breathing for Jiu Jitsu in a little more detail...

{courtesy of the jiujitsubrotherhood.com}

I found this article to have a few hidden gems...

The pace of your breathing is closely linked to your mental state. The mind is at its clearest when breathing is calm and rhythmic. In contrast, it is very, very difficult to think clearly when your breathing is ragged and heavy.

An effective way of controlling your breathing is to use the rate of your opponent’s breathing to pace yours. When in a static grappling position (e.g. side mount), try to listen to your opponent’s breathing – if it is at a harder and faster pace than yours, chances are he is using a lot more energy than you, and subsequently he will tire more quickly.

At the same time, if you are breathing harder and faster than your opponent, you will probably tire sooner than him. In this case, it is best to slow your breathing down. This will naturally calm your mind and allow you to think clearly. It will also reduce the overall level of muscular tension in your body. These two effects in combination will allow you to remember your techniques and perform them fluidly.

Also, try to avoid inhaling before having completed a full exhalation.  Ideally, empty your lungs completely, and pausing for a second before taking a deep breath to the bottom of your lungs, allowing your abdomen and rib cage to expand. By doing this, you re-balance the ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood.

An efficient way of doing this is by adopting percussive breathing, which involves normal inhalations followed by several short, sharp exhalations. These exhalations are the result of rythmic diaphragmatic contractions. Many who have sparred with the great Rickson Gracie report having heard him make the ‘tss…tss….tss’ exhalations that are the hallmark of percussive breathing.*

Unconscious holding of the breath is another habit which should be avoided. Man is the only mammal who does this. It causes unnecessary tension in the body and quickly results in chronic fatigue.

Before a match, you may want to try hyperventilating for a minute or two. This will hyper-oxygenate your blood and allow you to perform at your maximum capacity for a short while longer than usual. If you begin to feel light-headed at any time while attempting to hyperventilate stop immediately.

* You will also hear Prof Britto doing the tss…tss….tss’ exhalations this during his fight at the Sub Expo Watch video

...Interesting that man is the only mammal who holds their breath unconciously.

So in reading the above It lead me to look deeper at breathing patterns..Autogenic and Concious Breathing...

Autogenic Breathing
In a nutshell, autogenic breathing is a controlled breathing that is done in cycles. The most basic is done all to a count of four. Breath in through the nose for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, exhale through your mouth for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four and then restart the cycle.

I picked that up from a law enforcement website that dealt with breathing in high stress situations.

Pranayama Breathing/ Yoga Breathing
Also referred to as percussive or concious breathing (Rickson Gracie). This is more something you do off the mat and not just before a fight. More meditative.
Check the video below to learn more about the benefits of this technique and how to approach it.

Does this mean I should be looking at starting Yoga? I never thought I would be one of 'those guys' ;) But if it helps my BJJ then I'm willing to try.

Next...find out what Prof Alvaro Romano thinks about breathing...

Prof Alvaro Romano (Ginastica Natural) : Breathing is very important in your life. If you don't eat one day, it's ok. If you don't sleep one day, it's ok. But if you don't breathe one minute, you'll die. When you control your breathing, you can control your mind and body. The meditation is control for your breathing. People say to stop your mind when you meditate, but don't stop your mind, focus on your breathing. Pay attention to kids or people who don't have stress; they breathe from their abs. You practice your breathing every day. Relax and pay attention to your breathing.

I had the opportunity to have a seminar where we were introduced to this style of strength and agility training. If you have not yet been introduced to Ginastica Natural please do some research as it is very beneficial to your Jiu Jitsu. Notice the movements Prof Romano is going through are similar to the motions Rickson does.

So what does this all mean

It is obvious that there are deep connections between breathing better and performing better. I am going to begin to focus more on my breathing patterns and my opponents and continue to explore how I can make corrections that will allow me to hopefully perform better.  All I think about is how I can get better. Studying breathing at home and perhaps try to do some meditative exercises.

If you are a member of TBJJ you will have watched one of our Purple belts - Chris. He is amazing on the mat but 1 thing I noticed is his breathing. He always is breathing loudly through his nose and mouth. And his rolling is truly amazing. Could breathing be one of his keys. I must ask.

I honestly feel that without asking Jorge directly what I have to do to level up - he has given me the answer. Breathe Trevo. Breathe.

• Brazilian 'Training' terms (2009-11-23)