Breathtraining is key for physical recovery but also for mental as well emotional recovery. Recovery is becoming increasingly important for elite football players and it should because it is the springboard to sustainable high performance. 

 

Breathtraining impacts many things such as sleep, heart rate variability (HRV), focus as well as recovery. Incorporating breathtraining after Games, at one or all of these areas below, can make a significant difference over the course of a season with respect to recovery levels measured via HRV. HRV is essentially a recovery score and takes into account the physical, mental and emotional recovery state. The faster HRV can return to baseline after Games and remain high througout the season the better probability of improved performance and less injuries. 

 

 

5 minute recovery breathtraining to check how fast players recover. After games HRV scores are likely to be below 30 which for most players are significantly below their baseline. By breathing in for 4 seconds, out for 6 seconds HRV (recovery) via the nose only is one protocol that can be used. It is the slightly longer exhale than the inhale that is important which stimulates the vagus nerve and increases HRV. HRV can easily be measured with various biometric devices such as the Oura ring, Whoop or Elite HRV. Also, by slowing down the respiratory rate from 12 rounds/minute to 6 rounds/minute via the nose an increase of about 20% in breathing efficiency can be achieved. (It assumes that the tidal volume,ie the inhale volume, does not increase disproportionately). [1] 

 

5-10 minutes breathtraining to slow down and make the breathing lighter. By slowing down the respiratory rate and breathing more light will stimulate the vagus nerve as well as increase HRV. By doing breathe light before sleep makes it easier to asleep faster and to obtain good sleep quality. It is especially important if the Game was played at night and in hot weather because the heart rate will be more elevated than usual at sleep time. 

 

Starting the day similar to the end of the day is good for the vagus nerve and the autonomic nervous system. The sleep quality can be measured easily with an Oura ring and HRV levels will give a very good estimation of recovery levels. There are also various breathing tests that can be done without biometric devices that will give the player and staff an indication of recovery levels. 

 

The day after a Game a longer breathtraining session can be done standalone or it can be combined with the normal active recovery session. During active recovery breathing should be nose on the inhale and nose on the exhale. If a player starts breathing through the mouth the intensity is too high which in turn causes too much carbon dioxide to be expelled from the blood. Adequate amounts of carbon dioxide levels in the blood is important because it acts as a catalyst for the hemoglobin to release oxygen to the muscle cells and the brain.  

 

 

1.The Breathing Cure by Patrick McKeown page 21