By Ronen Katz
SFG II, SFB
Man can survive weeks without solid food, days without water, but only mere minutes without air. Ancient traditions knew the importance of breathing. Breathing technique drills were a necessary component for guarding both one’s health as well as developing on mental and spiritual levels. Breathing drills are also essential for success as a StrongFirst practitioner, and here is why.
Breathing Drills Increase Force Production
In the years during which I lived in Japan, Masutatsu Oyama – the founder of Kyokushin karate – used to begin and end his lessons with a special breathing exercise. The instruction was to start with the inhalation breath at tanden (three fingers beneath the navel) – the area that is considered the center of force in the world of martial arts. The ratio between inhalation and exhalation was 1:2 (in other words, if the inhalation lasted four seconds, the exhalation lasted eight seconds). 