Posted by MA on August 07, 2002 at 10:16:54:
In Reply to: 85% of the problem solved! posted by Doug on August 06, 2002 at 20:20:58:
I had a recent breathing "aha" when I was swimming. When I got certified for scuba diving a couple of decades ago, the hardest part was the underwater swim....I couldn't hold my breath long enough. A week ago we were at the pool messing around, and for some reason it occured to me to take a deep breath for underwater swimming, just like I would to play horn or tuba. As they say, Voila! (or I've seen it "walla" recently...) Suddenly I could swim almost twice as far underwater as I used to be able to, just by using a different technique of taking a breath.
What I do when I need a fast, deep breath, is open my throat is if to yawn, and pop out my lower abdomen. The air rushes in very quickly. I learned some of this from a clinic with Sam Pilafian a few years ago, and some from a horn camp, where one of the instructors had me feel his tummy after he breathed in.... he was a little guy, and his tummy stuck out like a basketball when he was full of air. I can almost do that now, as much as he could. We little people have to use every technique we can come up with.
Mary "munchkin" Ann