Evidence suggests that employing certain breathing techniques can help athletes improve performance by building up endurance. Breathing techniques are also used to reduce anxiety and stress levels during competition. Athletes are commonly taught to breath from their diaphragms rather than from their chest, because it is the only way to get air into the lower third of the lungs. Some two-thirds of your blood supply passes through there, the Viewzone website explains, so diaphragmatic breathing will increase the efficiency of your lungs and enhance your ability to metabolize oxygen --- crucial to performance and endurance in any sport.
Track
Some of the top trainers in the world teach their star athletes specific breathing techniques. Bill Dellinger, a legendary athlete and coach at the University of Oregon, tells Viewzone that a 100-meter sprinter might just take one breath and go. But for those running longer distances, the best breathing technique is to breath in for a four-count and out for a four-count. If you run faster, you may switch to a three-count or a two-count. Brazilian coach Luiz de Oliveira schooled his runners in a breath-holding technique designed to drive up the lactic acid in their bodies to prepare them for the most demanding race conditions. This helps de Oliveira's runners to hold their form even when they become fatigued.
Swimming
Swimmers usually try to inhale every three or four strokes. Training exercises that keep a swimmer underwater and holding her breath for as long as possible are used to build endurance. Called hypoxic training, this enables you to maximize your oxygen consumption from each breath. A frequently used hypoxic exercise is to swim freestyle and breath every six stokes, then every seven strokes, then eight and so on.
Tennis
United States Tennis Association coach Nick Saviano compares tennis matches, which can last five hours, to basketball. "You're not only working hard physically," he tells Viewzone, "but you require fine motor skills." Breathing techniques are used to recover quickly between shots. You should take deep breaths that are even and easy. You should concentrate on one object while you breath. This will bring your heart rate down and enable you play with maximum coordination. That's why you see so many tennis players looking at their rackets between points --- they are focusing on their strings while they breathe. Saviano advises players to forcefully blow air out when they make contact with the ball, which relaxes muscles and produces more power. That's why you hear some players grunt when they swing --- it's a technique borrowed from karate and used to release explosive energy.
Stress
In addition to using breathing techniques for endurance and power, athletes use them to help cope with anxiety and tension. The Peak Performance website compares competing with muscles tight from anxiety to driving a car with the handbrake on. A number of studies, including some using biofeedback technology, have been conducted on athletes who were taught breathing techniques to enable them to better cope with the anxiety and tension of competition. Peak Performance cites data showing that athletes can use such techniques to decrease their heart rates and/or oxygen consumption, which will make them calmer and more likely to compete successfully.
