Page 43 - Fully Equipped Playbook

BREATHING
Upon purchasing The Fully Equipped Playbook, you made a conscious decision to take your physical and mental training to the next level. Think of proper breathing techniques as a way to boost both!
HOW TO BREATHE CORRECTLY Breathe deeply, steadily, slowly and quietly.
DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING OR BELLY BREATHING: This type of breathing exercise will help strengthen your diaphragm, an important muscle that helps you breathe. It’s the type of breathing done during meditation (as well as other times), and has a number of health benefits. Many of these will affect you directly as an athlete including; reduced stress, improved core muscle stability, lower chance of injury or wearing out muscles, and an improved ability to tolerate strenuous exercise.
GIVE IT A TRY: Sit or lie flat comfortably and relax your shoulders. Put one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen and breathe in slowly through your nose. The air travels through your nostrils and into your abdomen, causing your stomach to move out against your hand. The hand on your chest should remain relatively still. Tighten your stomach muscles letting them fall inward as you exhale through pursed lips (think drinking from a straw), and again try and keep your upper chest as still as possible. Repeat several times. Doctors recommend practicing this exercise 5 to 10 minutes several times a day. Practice makes perfect!
Diaphragmatic breathing has become a regular practice for me, but there are other ways I have incorporated breathing into game situations. At times when I need to slow the game or my mind down, I hold my inhale. It can be something simple like 3 seconds or longer, your preference. I did this on deck, between innings on the bench, in the outfield etc.
To take it one step further I would have a preferred breathing count, or different counts for different moments in a game. While on defense, I’d usually do a 3 second inhale, hold for 1-2 seconds and exhale for 3. There is more time to slow your breathing while on this side of the ball.
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