Individual Athletes
Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to breathe as we discussed in our first blog. Maybe a better way to say it would be to say there is an optimal way to breathe. One that primarily utilizes the full capacity of our diaphragm muscle. One that allows you to better support your posture and core, one that allows you to take in a higher level of oxygen at a lower level of effort and one that decreases the amount of stress and strain on your body that poor breathing inevitably places on it. There are a lot of good reasons to understand and work toward good diaphragm breathing!
As a physical therapist, I have always felt it is important for my clients to understand why they are doing something. I don’t want anyone to just blindly follow what I tell them because I don’t think that leads to following through with doing a program. If you understand WHY you are doing something, not only do I think you are more likely to do it, but a successful outcome is also more likely to occur.