Purpose:
To teach you the effect of breathing on body tension when climbing
Where: on the floor
This is a floor based drill
When: any time
This drill can be conducted at any point you wish; it only takes a few minutes
The Drill:
Lie flat on your back with the palms of your hands pressed against the floor
- Raise your legs around a foot/30cm from the floor and hold them in the air
- Take a deep breath and notice how difficult it is to keep your legs in the same position
- Now breath out, as much as you can, and notice the difference in keeping your legs where they are
- Take another deep breath and see if this eases your ability to maintain your legs in the air
- Repeat for 6 breaths in/out
Variation: if you find this too difficult, use only one leg at a time
The Outcome: How do you know when it’s working?
This drill should demonstrate how filling the body with air allows you to maintain body tension, thus allowing you to be able to better reach the next hold.
Remember though that reaching the hold is only half the battle. We need to relax into positions to preserve energy resources. Breathe in to reach, breathe out to relax