Breathing & Jiujitsu

Why breathing is key  for Jiu jitsu for a lifetime — My methods 

Over my many years in the grappling game, I’ve seen many players gas out, panic in bad positions, and/or feel exhaustion after a few tough rolls. 

I certainly felt this way when I first started; at that phase, I had no idea of the importance of breath regulation and control. 

Like many in the game, I thought the fix was to do more cardio—but it’s not!

What’s lacking isn’t endurance per se, it’s a sign of mis-managing your vital energy and needing better breathing technique. 

In jiujitsu, everything comes back to the center:

Control your posture

Control your breath

…and the rest is easier

Running out of breath during jiujitsu is an indication of “muscling”, that is, trying to impose your will on your opponent via strength. All beginners do this, but aside from acquiring actual BJJ skills and techniques over time, you can additionally improve your breathing, now. 

One of the biggest problems in the general population (not specific to jiujitsu) is shallow, upper chest breathing, also known as panic breathing, a cause of fast-fatigue, muscle tension, poor thinking, and increased risk of injury. 

Proper breathing uses the lower lobes of the lungs and diaphragm. 

When you engage the lower lobes of the lungs, you remain calm and efficient. You do t tire as easily, and minimize unnecessary muscular tension. 

When I used to roll with Rickson, Royce, and Royler Gracie, I observed that they all had a particular manner of breathing; their secret? Nasal, lower-line breathing. The lungs are divided into upper and lower lobes. The upper lobes activate the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) while the lower lobes activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is calm. Inhaling through the nose, and drawing breath down to the lower lungs supports a calm thinking process under duress and is a key to jiujitsu for a lifetime. 

It’s important to note that you should inhale through the nose —always—and avoid mouth breathing. The skin lining the nasal passages produce nitric oxide, which dilates the blood vessels, increasing system oxygenation. 

It is very common in general society that a person’s breath is all caught up in the upper chest—this is the cause of many health problems. 

A good way to teach yourself how to engage the lower lungs and diaphragm is to lie down on your back and place a weighted object—like a book—just below the navel, and then inhale through the nose and watch the object on the lower belly rise, then exhale through the mouth and consciously lower the object with the belly sinking down—be sure to avoid the upper chest rising during this exercise. Just make a slow breathing—don’t count. 

Once you become proficient at this exercise, go to the next level and place on the lower abdomen and the other hand on the upper chest—and breath—you will again have the lower hand rising and falling with the abdomen and breath, with no movement of the upper hand on the chest. 

Then, transfer from lying, to sitting. 

Then, transfer from sitting to standing, and from standing still to steady walking. 

Many people have been chronic mouth-and-upper-chest breathers for decades, so you may have to relearn breathing that better serves you. 

You may do alright breathing while lying or sitting, yet struggle with standing and walking, so take it easy. 

Once you are able to walk, using nasal inhalation, you’ll begin to apply it while doing something strenuous.

Once you’re on the mats, you’ll want to match to movement, using what’s called “anatomical matched breathing.”

In a nutshell, when you open and extend, you’ll inhale, and when you bend and flex, you’ll exhale. 

One thing to avoid at all costs, is holding the breath, which is very common in beginners. 

One way to train yourself is to buy my video title Breathing Control Workout, which demonstrates many exercises, amounting to a seminar on integrated breathing. 

I will also be presenting a dedicated breathing session one of the days of my upcoming training camp in Port Townsend 4-8 May. If you wish to attend for the day, reach out. 

When breathing on the mat, as we said, during effortful actions, like bridging, elbow-escaping, passing the guard, you’ll want to use short, quick breaths. 

Never hold the breath, it spikes the heart rate and causes early gassing out. 

When you’re in bad positions, accept the pressure, but do your best to shift to your side, and return to steady, lower lobe breathing to keep the mind calm and think clearly and use your wits. 

Another awesome drill to learn to habitually nasal breathe, is to take a sip of water and keep it in your mouth while training or exercising, to enforce the nasal-only inhalations. Or, you can place a bit of tape to keep the lips closed and encourage nasal inhalations. 

The first thing you’ll notice, if you try the above, is how calm the mind stays, and how smooth and relaxed you’ll roll; you’ll really learn how to work within your breath capacity. 

I have many more tips on how to improve your breathing on the mats, and I’ll share them with you at my upcoming camp in Port Townsend — I hope to see you there!

In Strength & Health!

Steve