Perpetual Students of the Games

[Preacher]

I wanted to do a thread that would really get into some serious football insights.  I know there are many players and ex-players on this site.  For those who love to learn, this thread hopefully would provide some players insights. Hopefully players might share some tips and trick that will help us all develop some more.  At 36 I love learning about the game.  I still trying new stuff each year.  There are only a couple rules.

1.  All new topics or questions should be written in bold. e.g.  Breathing when you attacking
2.  Be respectful to everyone's opinion.

Breathing when attacking

Does a 100m sprinter breathe the same as a striker in high attack?  I ask this question because a weakness in my game is holding my breath when making that final move the attacking 3rd.  Sometimes bad breathing technique is mistaken for lack of fitness and it may cause other things in strikers like lack of composure, decreased vision, anxious play etc.  Everyone should know how to breathe right?  Leh meh hear allyuh.

[asylumseeker]

Seriously ... you're saying whenever you run into ... say, the penalty area ... you hold your breath?

[Bourbon]

Sounds dumb at first eh..buh i must admit.....when i was like 11 and ting.....i used to practice running doing that.....holding my breath. My theory was that if i could get my body accustomed to working with less oxygen than it accustomed to in practice.......that in application it would be able to perform at a certain level longer. Dunno how accurate it might be to those pro's in the know.

[MEP]

breathing is the first step towards achieving your ideal performance level....if you're holding your breath it means that your body is tight and tense and not under control whereas if you breathing out you're moving to a more relaxed state. So if you're an attacker you'd make your best decisions when relaxed.

[acb]

funny thing - not really related to football, but a couple years ago when I was going skydiving for the first time - the instructor told everyone the most important thing was to remember to breathe - kinda sounded dumb at first, but alot of people said afterwards that many of them were just so excited or caught up in the freefalling that they almost "forgot" to breathe.

I guess the same can happen in football because I feel as though if you're ever playing in any game where the result matters, there's always going to be some butterflies - and it's only when you take a deep breath and consciously regulate your breathing that you start feeling relaxed.

[fishs]

 Funny thing not related to football but ah does tell the first timer girls to breathe through dey nostrils whilst they.....  because gasping could do long term damage.

[Preacher]

It seems that many people hold their breath during tense and defining moments, whether it be playing our watching.  I would play striker or midfield.  And I realize a stark difference in vision regardless of fitness.  In the middle, regardless of the pace I was always more clinical but up top even when there was success the vision seemed narrower with blurred edges.  In thinking about it, it's almost like when you're about to pass out of cause you don't. Instead you hurry the shot or pass before you regain breathing.  In the end you feel more exerted than you should be. I believe even with accelerated heart rate and anticipate, if a player can effectively control his/her breathing in the clinch it makes a better player.