Speed Breathing

No, I don't mean breathing as fast as you can... What I mean is breathing for speed. Lots of martial arts instructors teach their students to exhale when performing a technique. They have good reasons for doing this: It focuses energy, tightens the abdominal muscles, and keeps beginners from holding their breath! I agree that for beginners it's a good lesson because forgetting to breath is a VERY bad thing. Once students gets past that, though, I encourage them to keep their breathing as steady as possible. Here's why:

First of all, breathing fast is not the best way to be in for the long haul. I've taught distance runners and they're usually quick to understand that the best way to keep going is to control one's breathing. If they were to try to exhale every time a foot hit the ground, they'd not last very long. Learning to control your breathing and separate the act of breathing from the act of kicking or punching actually gives you more control of your kicking and punching. This is where speed breathing comes into play...

Repetative drills are a part of just about every martial arts class. The instructor calls out a number and the student responds with a technique. The goals of the student are (or at least should be) first to perform the technique as flawlessly as possbile, then to be as fast as possible. How fast the student is is also a function of breathing. If teh student has to inhale in order to be ready to exhale when the technique is executed, then the student will be slower. Here's the process:

1) Hear the count
2) Inhale and hold
3) Execute the technique and exhale

If the student separates breathing from technique execution then he/she will be faster. Sure, it's not going to turn someone who is slow into someone who is not, but it's a way for each individual to be as fast as they can.

Breathing can also be used to telegraph techniques in sparring. If you know your partner won't thrown a technique without first inhaling, then you wait for an exhale and attack. Speed breathing not only makes you faster during drills, but can also improve your sparring...

10 Skills You Need to Succeed at Almost Anything

What does it take to succeed? A positive attitude? Well, sure, but that’s hardly enough. The Law of Attraction? The Secret? These ideas might act as spurs to action, but without the action itself, they don’t do much.

Success, however it’s defined, takes action, and taking good and appropriate action takes skills. Some of these skills (not enough, though) are taught in school (not well enough, either), others are taught on the job, and still others we learn from general life experience.

Below is a list of general skills that will help anyone get ahead in practically any field, from running a company to running a gardening club. Of course, there are skills specific to each field as well – but my concern here is with the skills that translate across disciplines, the ones that can be learned by anyone in any position.

1. Public Speaking
The ability to speak clearly, persuasively, and forcefully in front of an audience – whether an audience of 1 or of thousands – is one of the most important skills anyone can develop. People who are effective speakers come across as more comfortable with themselves, more confident, and more attractive to be around. Being able to speak effectively means you can sell anything – products, of course, but also ideas, ideologies, worldviews. And yourself – which means more opportunities for career advancement, bigger clients, or business funding.

Read the entire article here.