Breathing During Kata

Lupin1 · Black Belt

Ok. I'm still a beginner (5th kyu) and so I know there's a right way to breathe while doing kata, I'm just not sure what it is. My instrutor tells us that breathing is something we don't usually start focusing on until black belt and for right now we should just practice the moves. Which *was* fine with me-- until I moved to 7,500 ft.

I'm going back home for Christmas and will go to classes at my old school for a few weeks while I'm there and so I'm starting to get really serious about practicing because I'm really determined to go back better than I was when I left. I don't want any backsliding. So I've noticed that the "whatever" style of breathing that was fine for me at sea level doesn't quite cut it up here. By the 2nd or third time I run through a kata I'm huffing and puffing and need to rest. Yes, I'm a bit out of shape, but I'm also very sure it has a lot to do with the altitude as I'm not this bad at sea level.

So I've been trying a breathing technique where I pretty much purse my lips and breathe out quickly on every technique in the kata (like short "blowing out a candle" breath). It's improving the strength of my techniques and forcing me to breathe after every technique, but I'm not sure it's right. It's there a correct way of doing this?

evergrey · Brown Belt

In through the nose, out through the mouth, and hwen you breathe out, project from your gut, not your throat! As you throw a strike, breathe out so that it finishes on the full extension of your strike. Breathe in as you back and prepare to extend the next strike.

At least, that's what I'm told. I don't tend to breathe much at all in the middle of a kata, which isn't going to go so well for me long term, haha!
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BDPulver · Green Belt

Its actually a bit complicated without showing you in person. there's different breathing techniques for every aspect of Karate. but all are the same it depends on what what is doing.

Meditation is when you concenttrate on the technique of the breathe. In through your nose done to your stomach area and slow exale through your mouth.

Kata's are a little different. Depending on the kata depends on how you should breath. Take kusanku and sanchin. Two unique katas but different ways of breathing due to the moves.

We always worked on breathing drills for as long as I can remember and this was before I became shodan.

But one great way to help with breathing is running or bike riding. Try to concentrate on breathing through your nose and out your mouth even when you need to breath heavy try to steady it so its always the same.

sensei8 · KF Sensei

brickshooter · Green Belt

sensei8 · KF Sensei

It's so easy to tell when a student or anybody for that fact has been holding their breath during Kata...when finished with said kata....they're breathing becomes deep/labored! Hard to disguise that when the body needs air. I tend to mark low when I see this because proper breathing is so important.

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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

I always felt like I breathed well during forms, but afterwards, I am tired, and tend to breath heavier and more quickly. I recover, and then go to the next form.
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todome · Orange Belt

Try to make a six-pack. Do it holding your breath and you'll feel the pressure build up. That's exactly what you don't want. Do it letting the abs push air out of your lungs and you'll find its not only faster but allows for a stronger finish.

That's only part of the story.

Although its fundamental to the art, breathing really is an advanced topic because the role it plays doesn't really make sense until a lot of other things fall into place. Stance, for example, because the role breathing plays in connecting a solid stance to the torso creating a total body technique can't really be felt until you've got a glimmer of a proper stance in the first place and that takes years to develop.

Kime in particular is effected by breathing. There's a tendency of students to get puffy with their breathing because that pressure I mentioned at the top makes it feel like they're stronger but since doing so introduces isometric contraction precisely where it isn't needed it's actually reducing power almost exponentially.

Breath out with the gut and try to keep the resulting flow of air unrestricted. It should feel like your rib cage is getting in on the act as well but don't concentrate on that as much since using the abs will bring the intercostals into play naturally.

There's a saying that receiving a black belt just means you're finally ready to start learning karate. It's true, and breathing is one aspect of that. For now, don't sweat the details and, of course, don't hold your breath.
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Soheir · Orange Belt

Maybe you should find some video from youtube, where is performed the kata you're practicing and take an example of the one that seems right.
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sojobo · Green Belt

As with most things in Japanese/Okinawan Budo, there is more to breathing than meets the eye (or simple asphyxiation for that matter).

In both karate, jujutsu and kenjutsu etc., the importance of correct breathing or "Kokyu" is key, but how it is trained varies from school to school.

Some styles have breathing kata, whereas others incorporate it into their training as a natural byproduct of the kata/techniques timing.

In my group, we train a paired kata with the principles of Ma-ai (distance), Kiai (focus) and Kokyu (breathing) but in this case, it implies correct timing to optimize technique.

Sojobo
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