Breathing for BJJ Article by Bjorn Friedreich

[OpenMatRadio]

Check out this article written by Bjorn on our site. We don't mean to spam and would post the entire thing here but it's a bit long for a forum. There's also a video. We'd love to hear what you think. Especially those of you (Denny!) that are into yoga.

http://www.openmatradio.com/2012/04/...big-of-a-deal/

[David Rosado]

Nah bro, I don't consider it spam if it's actually helpful. I enjoy the podcasts and the articles. I'm on my way to check that article out.

[GMathewsMMA]

Good stuff. I'm always up for learning something new. Thanks for the post!

[Nosaj]

Great timing on this article! In the last couple years at the peak of my mountain biking and running I could go forever and handle any terrain becuase my breathing was under control. I was breathing mostly in/out through my nose even while powering my singlespeed up some crazy hill. As I got back into grappling I started messing around with my little brother last year and even though he was in much better shape being fresh out of the marines I did very well because I could control my breathing so well.

Now I just started 10thp and getting real training and with not running or riding this year my breathing control is gone! Part of it is Im learning and thinking too much, another part is getting used to a mouth guard and most of it is Im out of practice on breathing control. Im getting gased fast and over heated. After my performance last night I knew I had to start pacticing my breathing more while grappling and start running/riding again.

[DENNY PROKOPOS]

Check out this article written by Bjorn on our site. We don't mean to spam and would post the entire thing here but it's a bit long for a forum. There's also a video. We'd love to hear what you think. Especially those of you (Denny!) that are into yoga.

http://www.openmatradio.com/2012/04/...big-of-a-deal/

I think that Bjorn wrote a good article on breathing for fighting and also touching on the emotional side and how breathing helps with that.

cool quote
"Your body is moving on his own by instinct and is doing the exact right movements in the right moment. Sometimes it even feels that your body is creating a movement just out of an inner knowledge.

I know this sounds crazy if you never have experienced that kind of stuff but it is really true. If you lead your physical actions with your breath it can drive you into a state where things happen automatically and you don´t have to think about. It´s like a „Fighting Trance“

Personally I strive for this goal. I want always or as much as I can work in this state and being able to do things which I don´t even understand on an intellectual level but that´s a personal decision I understand if someone likes a more scientific approach to Jiu Jitsu.

[DENNY PROKOPOS]

If you think about it breathing is one of the most important physical actions our body makes, since it connects us to consciousness. The first thing we do in life is breath and the last thing we do is breath. Jiu Jitsu is all about the breath, that's what the choke is based on. That is one more reason why JIU JITSU IS SO POWERFUL as an art. In a weird way you learn about consciousness and breathing through choking and being choked lol.

[OpenMatRadio]

Excellent reply Denny. Thanks for dropping some knowledge. The mind-body connection really is amazing and often overlooked. I know when I tried yoga for the first time I almost panicked in one of the constriction poses because I couldn't control my breath. As natural as breathing is, it's something that we can improve on.