Discovered this morning that I wasn’t breathing and almost holding my breath during my swing today when I was doing a workout. My trainer was explaining to me how important it is in the golf swing, I must admitt it has opened my eyes a bit as it was something I never really thought about or noticed during the swing. How aware was everyone to this?

I have never thought about it either.
Is the suggestion breath in on backswing and out during downswing??

I have never thought about it either.
Is the suggestion breath in on backswing and out during downswing??

yep thats it, a smooth breathing pattern, In on the backswing and out on the downswing into impact.

That’s the old way of getting at your fellow competitor – ask them whether they breeth in or out during a swing!

My yoga teaching sister is trying to get me to deliberately slow down my breathing and heart rate as part of my set up to get a more consistent “mojo”. Either that or she thinks she’s in my will.

Close your eyes and take some deep breaths by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth before hitting your ball at address, it takes all your tension away(which is a swing killer). Then just focus on where you want the ball to go still feeling relaxed and swing and you will be amazed at the results…..

inhale as you take the club and exhale as your coming down would make sense from a relaxed point of view

never given it much though

‘tis a bit like holding in a bit of bowel pressure this one.. hold it in on backswing/ let it go on downswing, or let it go on backswing for that extra oomph in the downswing..being sure of course to not hit fat and draw some mud..

hahah u8ergolfer

this is a non issue to me.

The only positive is it could distract your conscious mind like a clear key.

The swing lasts less than a second, no way is how you’re brathing going to affect the shot.

To prove it, think of the best shot you ever hit. Now tell me whether you were breathing in or out or holding your breath when you hit it.

Exactly

Prepare to be relaxed and tension free.

Exhale before you begin your swing.

Inhale after your finish.

Using a clear key you end up doing all that breathing on auto as a part of the whole. To breath in or out before a shot to start a routine is a trigger action which can have the reverse effect of relaxing….ie I am now breathing in to relax to hit a shot builds tension in itself.

Just remember to breath at some point and you will make the next hole.

Prepare to be relaxed and tension free.

Exhale before you begin your swing.

Inhale after your finish.

Watching (and listening ) Tom Tomasello Austalian videos serie, we can clearly hear him doing this before any shot. Good to relax and and to “engage” the swing procedure . Generally advised in many skill games and sports.
Thanks Spike;

TT in that video series (both of them) breaths and even talks about breathing as an unnamed clear key.

He used it that way though I am pretty sure Dr Mumford had not quite got the verbalized clear keys sorted out yet and TT had only just learned of them from him.

I think so, too, Phil and Guru,

When doing “Kata”....martial arts forms…we would exhale firmly before starting the flow of motion. The breathing would no longer be conscious during the actual pattern.

I find that when I inhale my muscles (whats left of them) expand with a bit of tension. Yet, when I exhale all is relaxed and more supple. I like it because it feels physically and mentally cleansing.

There was a Moe Norman youtube post earlier on this site. On some of his shots you could clearly see him firmly exhaling before he hit.

We have to ask Carey, but I think I remember someone saying there is a balance of something or other (medically speaking) in the body when breathing correctly?

I think the main thing is to keep breathing, and don’t think about it.

Discovered this morning that I wasn’t breathing

Just remember to breath at some point and you will make the next hole.

I think the main thing is to keep breathing,

Good Advice, I try to breathe a lot.

Interesting thread. Hard to know where to start. Jestset hit one major item with the breathing to dismiss tension. We recommend that as the last thing in pre-shot before starting your clear key, since it will relieve tension. Tension is physiological and needs a physiological release.

Guru got it right as far as I can see (twice). TT and I talked about it, but agreed that it was not really a clear key substitute. That pre-shot breathing function is where it helps most. And Guru was right that the discussion occurred in the early stages of developing the entire process.

Breathing is a normal instinctive function. If you try to use breathing as an artificial aid in a motion, what will happen generally is an over-extension of whatever you are trying to do. (We have satisfactorily demonstrated that if you “grunt at impact,” which is really a sharp exhale, or when you swing your club, you are trying to swing too hard, affecting balance, timing, pace, and rhythm.

If you hold your breath and then exhale in any motion, that motion will become forced. (Try it, it you want to “spit” farther, just suck in a deep breath and hold it, till you let go the spitting function suddenly).That is quite opposite of what the natural design is – which is to allow whatever normal pace and rhythm is for each one of us.

Things like lifting that require extra energy output will find you holding your breath without even thinking about that part. So it you believe you can get away with overswinging, then add that breathing function (said with tongue in cheek).

Ask any pro and they will tell you that swinging at 80% is a lot better than going full tilt. (In fact, if you think 80% what you will likely get is 100, instead of the 120 you’ve been trying to produce.

Thought of one other thing. If you are suddenly frightened, you will “catch” your breath. Perhaps that is an analogy that fits the terror that wanders into shot-making for some, and maybe all on occasion. Think about that one and ask yourself why you would want to grab a breath before swinging. Hope it’s not a terror-stricken deal.

Breathing a natural thing with it’s own rhythm for you and me. Leave it alone. Let it be what it is. Quit thinking about it and simply use your clear key and it will normalize.

Cheers

hahah u8ergolfer

this is a non issue to me.

The only positive is it could distract your conscious mind like a clear key.

The swing lasts less than a second, no way is how you’re brathing going to affect the shot.

To prove it, think of the best shot you ever hit. Now tell me whether you were breathing in or out or holding your breath when you hit it.

Exactly

Agreed and quite frankly I don’t need another thing to think about during my swing.
I think i hold my breath during the swing because it is such a short period of time. As i try doing a breath in and out in less than a second now it almost feels like it crates tension not the opposite.