July 2014 KARATE BREATHING by guest author Sensei Ryan Hodgkinson

This month’s Striking Post is brought to you by Sensei Ryan Hodginson. Sensei Ryan is a San Dan Black Belt in Kei Shin Kan, and, a Sho Dan Black Belt in Goju-ryu. Sensei Ryan’s trains and teaches out of Washington, DC. Sensei Ryan has practiced karate for 20 years, and is Sensei Isaac Espinoza’s son. 

Karate Breathing

The dwarf Gimili from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings said it best while struggling to keep up with his fellow adventurers: “Keep breathing. That’s the key. Breathe!” Seems simple enough, after all breathing is essential to life, yet breathing is one of the first skills a new student to karate must learn and one that advanced practitioners must continually strive to master.

In an attempt to make their punches more powerful, beginning karate students will often tense their shoulders and arms, causing them to hold their breath, which in turn limits their hip rotation, resulting in a weaker punch. The excitement of sparring and the fear of being hit can also cause a student to hold his or her breath, depleting the blood of oxygen and leaving even the best-trained athlete exhausted and eventually gasping for breath.

Knowing that we need to keep breathing isn’t all there is to it. We need to know how to breathe. Karate students are taught to breathe in through their noses and out through their mouths. Breathing in through the nose slows down the inhalation and reduces the chances of hyperventilation while breathing out through the mouth allows for full, complete exhalations with the added benefit of engaging the abdominal muscles. Additionally, through rigorous examination of the kata, students will quickly come to understand the concept of breathing tempo. This concept is initially taught during the Heian katas as students learn to exhale slowly while executing a kensei followed by a fast exhalation during the oi-zuki.

Beyond learning to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth and tempo breathing, karate students must understand how they breathe and how their breath can affect the activities they undertake. We will begin by looking at the difference between relaxed breathing and forceful breathing. Then we will look at the two different types of forceful breathing and the benefits of each.

Relaxed or passive breathing is how we breathe while being sedentary. The diaphragm unconsciously contracts to increase the volume of the thoracic cavity, which allows the lungs to inflate. The diaphragm then relaxes and the natural recoil of the tissues that were stretched during inhalation push back against the lungs, expelling air. Forceful breathing, on the other hand, is how we breathe while practicing karate. During forceful breathing many other muscles of respiration (any muscle that increases or decreases the volume of the thoracic cavity) are recruited in addition to the diaphragm. This can be done in two ways: abdominal breathing and thoracic breathing.

During abdominal breathing the diaphragm actively drops down against the abdominal cavity thus increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity. This allows for a much greater intake of oxygen compared to relaxed breathing. The muscles of the abdominal wall (rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominus) then push back up into the thoracic cavity expelling air from the lungs. You can practice this type of breathing by placing your hand on your abdomen, inhale deeply through your nose and press your abdomen into your hand without raising your chest then exhale completely through your mouth and draw your abdomen away from your hand.

Thoracic breathing also allows for a greater oxygen intake than relaxed breathing, but not as much as abdominal breathing. The advantage of thoracic breathing is that it allows for the muscles of the abdominal wall that stabilize our lumbar spines and protect our internal organs to remain engaged during both inhalation and exhalation. During thoracic breathing, the diaphragm actively elevates the lower six ribs of the ribcage at the sternocostal and costospinal joints (joints where our ribs meet our sternum and spine). In addition to the diaphragm the respiratory muscles external intercostals, scalenes, pectoralis minor, levatores costarum and the serratus posterior superior aid in inhalation while the internal intercostals, subcostales and serratus posterior inferior aid in exhalation.

To practice this type of breathing, first place your hands to either side of your lower ribcage then draw your abdominal muscles in (pull your navel towards your spine). Keep your abdominal muscles drawn in and your shoulders down as you inhale through your nose into your hands expanding your ribs outward. Completely exhale out of your mouth, tightening your abdomen even more and pull your ribs away from your hands.

Through diligent, mindful practice, students of karate will come to an understanding of when each type of forceful breathing technique is appropriate and how to immediately adjust their breathing to match their circumstances. For example, deep, rhythmic abdominal breathing can help calm the mind during mokuso and recover stamina during kumite, while the abdominal engagement that is allowed for with thoracic breathing can help protect and support the spine when holding deep stances for extended periods of time or performing grappling drills. Regardless of how you employ either breathing technique, remember one thing: keep breathing!

Ryan Hodgkinson
San Dan Kei Shin Kan

Muscolino, Josehp E. Kenesiology: The Skeletal System and Muscle Function 2nd Edition. St. Louis: Elsevier, Mosby, 2006. Print.

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US Branch of Japan Keishinkan Karate