Charlie and Others, what are yall’s thoughts on breathing for the 40? I’m talking about the Valsalva Maneuver. Could there be a possibility that this could slow down the athlete in the long run by thinking too much?
this is why you have practice.
From your experience, does the Valsalva technique help any? Joe D. claims that he has taken off as much as .03-.11 using this technique.
it worked for me, not only for the 40 but 60.
How did you use the technique?
inhale on set, hold, then slowly exhale over 10-20m. joe d method is to hard, i use mike gough.
I’ve been thinking about using his method. Why do you think he recommends an exaggerated “hissing” noise? I really don’t think there is any time to think about tightening your abs or slowly letting your breath out in while running the 40.
its easy, just practice over short distances 10-20yds.
Most people do it naturally anyway. Take a breath in at the start and sprint. Most of the time (most people I have seen at least) will breath out under pressure and slowly.
simple enough…
this is too much for me:
Once you’ve set up in your 3-point stance and you’re bringing your off hand to your hip, take a HUGE breath in.
As you fire out of your stance, perform the Valsalva maneuver. Basically, you will forcefully “exhale” without letting any of your air out.
Hold your breath through the first 10 yards. At approximately the 10-yard mark, exhale a little of your air. (Make the exhale short & quick.)
At about the 20-25-yard line, exhale a little of your air again. (Again, make it short & quick.)
At about the 30-35-yard line, perform a “relaxed” exhalation of the rest of your air. This final exhalation should take you through the finish. You should be “out of air” at about the 41-42-yard line.
You must practice this technique to get it down. The biggest mistake that athletes make is they release all of their air too soon. For example, if you run out of air during your final exhalation at the 35-yard line, you will be slower (as well as light-headed). The 2 keys to this technique are:
Take a big enough breathe at the start so you have enough air to get you through the race.
Time your exhalations properly. (I suggest you practice this by performing tempo runs at first. When you put it all together, it’s a great feeling!)
Ya, I always take a breath in at the start. I agree that it is a natural technique anyway. I usually just let all my air out at the last 10yds. Are you supposed to notice your abdominals tightening?
No and stop thinking :). If you want to focus on something, try perhaps the arms as other stuff tends to over complicate the process.
Certainly you want to take in a breath and hold before the start but you need to experiment with it to be sure the valsalva doesn’t lead to tightness creeping in. You would probably be able to maintain a slow exhale right through the 40y
Does the valsalva technique work well in a 100m?
i think the way joe defranco teaches this tech requires too much thinking; mike gough has a more simple way of teaching this tech.
Charlie teaches it. I assume for a reason. Again though, most people are going to do it naturally, so I hardly see it as something you “use.” Maybe practice a little while you’re doing starts or speed change drills, but we’re talking a very small portion of the race.
It tends to be natural in the 100m to have three breaths and the expiration slowly under pressure helps IMO