Is breathing a specific way important or overkill?

M

Mustardeer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Does one need to work a lot on his breathing to achieve pro level?
Or just breathe naturally? When I inhale my chest moves slightly. Any body movement can make you miss the shot we know that. But I've never heard a pro talk about breathing and I hung out with a bunch of them. I think breathing is a minor factor or a non-factor but I could be wrong. I think snipers hold their breath before pulling the trigger not sure. Thoughts?
 
Niels talks about breathing here but only about staying calm, focused and getting good oxygen to his brain. Not about holding breath or exhaling in any special way during a stroke.


https://youtu.be/eralilXdNoQ


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Definitely breathing matters but it need a lot of practice to be effective help. It should be part of routine. Then it wont bother focusing to other aspects of game.

I know I should try to learn breathing routine to handle better pressure. I am just too lazy lately. :sorry:
 
Mustardeer said:
Does one need to work a lot on his breathing to achieve pro level?
Or just breathe naturally? When I inhale my chest moves slightly. Any body movement can make you miss the shot we know that. But I've never heard a pro talk about breathing and I hung out with a bunch of them. I think breathing is a minor factor or a non-factor but I could be wrong. I think snipers hold their breath before pulling the trigger not sure. Thoughts?
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It depends. I think pros continue to breathe naturally without realizing it. The problems really start when you get nervous and stop breathing. Taking deep breaths while playing is definitely important.

One thing I find really interesting is the tournaments which have heart rate monitors on the players. Some players it never waivers and others spike when they are facing tough shot or situation. I would like to know more about how certain players stay on such an even keel no matter what the situation.

Mark Wilson talks about snipers and holding your breath while pulling the trigger. I have found some success exhaling as I stroke.

Been thinking about this more lately. Will be interested in hearing what others say.
 
Snipers are trained how to breathe, and when to pull the trigger when using special trigger technique involved in breathing technique.. What to lean more, join the U.S. Marines and go to Scout Sniper School. Eye opening experence, even if you do not make the grade to pass.
 
I don't think there is a way anyone has to breathe, but it's helpful to avoid taking shallow breaths when nervous. I like to do two things:

1) When nervous I take a few deep breaths and release.
2) During my preshot routine when I address the ball just before getting in stance I take a deep breath and release.

I feel that number 2 really helps me relax before shooting. It also minimizes my need for taking deep breaths when I'm down on the shot which helps avoid moving too much. So I don't hold my breath, but I can breath shallow because I just took a big breath already.
 
Here is the way that works for me. I usually take two warmup strokes. Inhale on the fore stroke, exhale on the backstroke, inhale on the fore stroke, exhale on the final backstroke. When the air is out of your lungs there is a short pause before the next inhale. During that pause is also my stroke pause. Thats when I begin looking at the object ball shotline and smoothe transitioning into my fore stroke. This all happens rapidly but with practice it can be worked into your routine.
 
There is no one agreed upon method for breathing when shooting a rifle.

What is indisputable to a sniper is you take the shot when the opportunity presents itself, regardless of what your lungs are doing.
 
Don't know about snipers, but I've done a little precision shooting here and there.

In precision-type shooting, generally you're taught to take a breath, then let it about half-way out and hold that, while smoothly pressing the trigger until it breaks. With some practice, I usually break the trigger within a fraction (a half?) of a second of holding my breath.

Personally, I've found that by using the above breathing trick while shooting longer table shots can increase my accuracy, all other things being equal. I'm guessing part of it has to do with eliminating involuntary movement, but I also think that once you get into the habit of it, your mind learns to sharpen its focus as I begin holding my breath. Very similar to how my mind feels right before the trigger breaks, as my eye is focused on the target and the tiny movements of the reticle right before I send one downrange. On a pool table, I find that my eye sees the tiny imperfections in the cue ball, where the tip is going to hit it exactly, where that will send the CB and where exactly the CB will hit the OB. If I do it right. Sometimes, as we all know, it's just not your night.
 
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Not for me. I never think of my breathing pattern However, I also don’t get anxious on the table.

Re the comparison to shooting. I can throw a fastball down the middle in baseball, sink a 12 footer on a snooker table, pretty good at darts.

However Im a C minus at best on the Rifle range. As an officer in the Canadian Army I didn’t carry a rifle and that was no loss to anyone. Anyways, shooting a rifle just seems a different beast, at least to me. No eyesight or nerve issues. Just lousy at it.
 
megatron69 said:
In precision-type shooting, generally you're taught to take a breath, then let it about half-way out and hold that, while smoothly pressing the trigger until it breaks.
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That makes sense. Yeah I don't get nervous anymore, I meant when I'm sitting in a chair and I take a breath my head moves. If my head is moving it's affecting the shot. Try this, somebody, hold your breath, pay attention to where your head is at, now take a breath. Did your head move?
 
megatron69 said:
Don't know about snipers, but I've done a little precision shooting here and there.

In precision-type shooting, generally you're taught to take a breath, then let it about half-way out and hold that, while smoothly pressing the trigger until it breaks. With some practice, I usually break the trigger within a fraction (a half?) of a second of holding my breath.

Personally, I've found that by using the above breathing trick while shooting longer table shots can increase my accuracy, all other things being equal. I'm guessing part of it has to do with eliminating involuntary movement, but I also think that once you get into the habit of it, your mind learns to sharpen its focus as I begin holding my breath. Very similar to how my mind feels right before the trigger breaks, as my eye is focused on the target and the tiny movements of the reticle right before I send one downrange. On a pool table, I find that my eye sees the tiny imperfections in the cue ball, where the tip is going to hit it exactly, where that will send the CB and where exactly the CB will hit the OB. If I do it right. Sometimes, as we all know, it's just not your night.
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My dad was a competition NRA bullseye pistol shooter. He taught me exactly how you outlined it. Take a breath, let out half, press the trigger. I kinda do it playing pool. Breathing is very important imo.
 
In bullseye pistol or precision rifle it is very important. Incorporating a breathing pattern into your PSR could only help. By how much? That would be interesting subject matter for Dr. Dave. Maybe Scott Lee and Randy G. could work it into their teachings with eye pattern. Intake on set, with a hold at pause and release at finish. Something like that.

A scientific analysis of top pro's might be most insightful.
 
When I'm getting out of whack and I'm not playing well, I try and reset everything in my routine, the old "getting back to basics".... part of that is for me to concentrate on my breathing. Trying to inhale on the back stroke, and to let my breath out slowly as I shoot.

Normally I try not to think about my breathing (or any other mechanical part) while I'm shooting, as it distracts... but when I need to reset, I try and check off all the little things for a shot or two, and that includes the "breathing out as I shoot" part of it.
 
I have been told that asking your opponent about the breathing during the shot is a sneaky shark. Therefore I don’t consciously try to regulate my breathing.

I find myself pursing my lips and blowing when I am focusing on a tough shot. This is during the thinking while standing. Once I get down on the shot breathing is on auto pilot.
 
I simply breath in and out while playing.
Just like any time else.
Why complicate things by thinking about breathing?
Is there a certain way to walk around the table too?
Should one walk clockwise or counterclockwise?
Keep it simple.
The game is as complicated as we make it.
 
Never realized (until I videoed myself playing) that I had developed the odd habit of constantly (unconsciously) whisper-whistling melodies under my breath while practicing (must be my musical background/history). Others may try to control/integrate breathing techniques as a playing aid, but I find this embarrassing habit has made me self-conscious, and could be a possible distraction if it turns out I am doing it in public/while competing (?), though in reality so few rooms are likely quiet enough these days for anyone else to notice.
 
Breathing

I use breathing to regulate emotional temperature. It can calm you or raise you up if you are feeling too flat footed for any reason. I compete my best with just a little tension.

On to breathing while actually acting, it varies quite a bit depending on what you are doing. An across the course shooter that may be shooting twelve hundred yards without a rest wears a jacket that tightly constricts them, straps to the gun with a sling that locks gun and shooter together, and the shooter controls not only their breathing but in many cases their heartbeat! Yes, it is possible to gain some control over that "involuntary" muscle. Some are documented to stop their heart while breaking a shot.

I have competed at benchrest where five shots into a quarter inch center to center at 100 yards is known as a "big ugly". At a big event you just lost any chance of a very high finish in most cases. I have competed speed shooting pistols too. Set local records, won my share. Shot long range pistol and slow fire both pretty well but not in formal competitions. Raced circle track. Drag raced, where you need to release the car a split second before the green so that the green and the car moving are simultaneous. A few other things too. Playing football, waiting for the snap, do you hold your breath? Waiting on the pitch playing ball?

Some things can benefit from holding your breath at the proper moment. However, that is the catch for most of us. I break a shot in pool when everything feels right. I always take a few practice strokes, sometimes more until the shot feels right.

There is the catch with stopping breathing. There is absolutely nothing worse than running out of oxygen and I think we have all been there. I have tried many different breathing techniques during competition and I have found that a handful of slightly deeper than normal breaths before time to act, then breathing in slow not quite full depth breaths while acting works best for me. Doing things any other way I can run out of oxygen. Running out of oxygen and recovering may take a minute or two. Even getting up and back down on a shot is not likely to give time to properly oxygenate again.

We shoot in a constricted position as things are. Trying to hold our breath is a mistake for most of us I believe. If someone is trained to do this like an across the course shooter, then taking that training to pool might help a little. I think I, and most, benefit from breathing naturally before getting down on a shot or by breathing slightly deeper for a handful of breaths. We aren't trying to flood our system with oxygen either. Then gentle breaths while on the shot. These can be slightly shallow.

Works for me, as always, other's mileage may vary!

Hu
 
jimmyco said:
There is no one agreed upon method for breathing when shooting a rifle.

What is indisputable to a sniper is you take the shot when the opportunity presents itself, regardless of what your lungs are doing.
Click to expand...

But if you taking a very long shot 200 yards or more, and little movement will cause a miss. Soo Sniper area train to be perfectly still, breat a certain way, and then do all sorts of correction for tempeture, wind, humidity. Long range shooting is very very precise.
 
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