Theme of the Week: Breathing

Much is made of breath work in parts of the martial arts community.  Breathe a certain way and you’ll gain more power.  Exhale at the proper moment and a punch won’t feel quite as nasty on impact.  Maintain a certain rhythm of breath and you’ll be able to remain calm in the face of force.  Focus on your breath and you’ll take one step closer to enlightenment.

How much of it is true?  How much of it has any relevance on what we do at the Academy?  Let’s take a week (hardly enough time to do more than scratch the surface of any of these questions) and investigate.

Today we did two simple drills: exhale when you strike and take a deep inhale/exhale after completing a drill.  Did it have any effect?  Best to try it yourself and see what you think.

Check the whiteboard for feedback.