Breathing For Karate - More To This Than Meets The Eye

Now that I'm thinking about my breathing, I've noticed two things: Firstly, nobody has ever given me any detailed instruction on it and secondly, it seems a pretty hard thing to do correctly. The second point may explain the first - breathing techniques are not for beginners. The act of inhaling and exhaling does much more than just supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide, although in Western culture you would never know it. Eastern cultures believe that energy - the energy of the universe or Ki - is tied up with breathing. I don't understand this, but I do feel that correct breathing can intensify your power and I wonder if I was training in the East, if I would know so little about it from my Sensai. Correct breathing can help you store energy for the most powerful moves at which point to generate this power, you must give back the energy as a loud exhalation or Kiai. Most people more experienced than me still breath mostly through biological need - quick breaths at best, timed to their movements with little thought to their energy, however those much more advanced can generate additional power through correct breathing. Perhaps this is beyond the grasp of beginners busy with replicating form, but I feel it is a shame this is not more openly taught.

Breathing For Karate

Breathing is important in karate - beyond the fact that you'll collapse if you don't do it, how you breath improves your performance and makes you feel better while you're performing. I'm referring mostly to kata and basic training. Despite being well practiced in the art of breathing for everyday life, it's really hard to do correctly during kata. The rules are simple:

Slow moves - breath in through your nose and out through our mouth
Fast moves - breath in and out through your mouth

Despite the simplicity, I forget to breath during the fast bits of my kata. Breath holding holds you back! Unfortunately, by the time I've learned the moves, worked out how to get from move to the next with power and speed, I have no brain left for breathing. So I break it down into segments with appropriately planned breathing, but it still breaks down when I string all the bits together. Still practice makes perfect. I'm looking forward to the day when I can breath properly throughout the kata in a way that adds my performance.