holding my breath while racing. how to fix it?

[Kane Mcguire]

i hold my breath sometimes when racing and then have to stop because cant get breath back. absolutely stuffed! anyone else have this problem and how did they overcome it?  when i was the u.s.a watching the pros, lots of them had "breathe" written on their crossbar pads. so it must be common.

[sudman]

It's very common in most sports, I had went I was kid racing mx what I did to over come it was to start puffing(in out, not to fast) sitting on the start gate and keep it going till end of the race I still do today some 35years later.

[allan hughes]

go faster into the corner
scare the f##k out of yourself
and your heart will takeover

[Ktm181]

i hold my breath sometimes when racing and then have to stop because cant get breath back. absolutely stuffed! anyone else have this problem and how did they overcome it?  when i was the u.s.a watching the pros, lots of them had "breathe" written on their crossbar pads. so it must be common.

I MUST be part on your pre-start ritual, it must be part of you're visualisation technique, it must be part of your practise riding, you TELL yourself to BREATH, REGULARLY, when you ride, you'd be amazed how many people tense up and dont, breath on various sections of track, scream at yourself if you have to. BREATH. BREATH. eventually you WILL relax and breath. Various relaxation technique helps as well. I still do laps of my favourite mx tracks(Dargle,Jilliby,Bilpin,Katoomba,Amaroo..depends on the night!) at night in my head and along with that i visualise the breathing part, i'm 52 and sleep like a baby for 8 hours!

Happy trails,
Kt.

[jerry]

And I thought I was the only one with this problem........... J

[Freakshow]

I just talk to myself and the flaggies as i go round... ohhh yer and shoot at other compeditors.  

works for me problem now fixed.  Just got to work on the riding skillz now

[John Orchard]

It was always a problem for me, the experts say that the brain has nore computing performance if it doesn't have to think about breathing as well. plus it cuts out a lot of muscles working while you save your ass.

When training hard, it wasn't for after 15 min that I could get into a constant breathing pattern; I would be out of breath until I would breath properly.

On my roadrace bike I start concentrating on a deep breathing pattern and it soon becomes automatic during a race..... until I have an out-of-the-seat experience  :-)

[John Orchard]

I think you'd have to be careful of the opposite happening also; too much air and hyperventilating.

[Curly3]

What Freaky said, talk to yourself like you're giving a running commentary.
It was something I never noticed 30 years ago, but I rode Speedway, if you were good you could do a whole race on one breath, pretty much.
Over the last 2 years I've done the 25 lap race at Nepean and found that I had to remind myself to breath and to relax on the straights, cramping up is my big problem.

[Taka 100]

i went to see a hypnotherapist and he had me before an event sitting in a place that i was comfortable with and conciously breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth,deep breaths ,  close your eyes and think that you are riding on a track you really love and relax until you are so relaxed that colours come in and out of your mind , nice and calm relax  think that your just cruising around then open your eyes get on that sucker click 2nd gear drop the and hammer full tap the rest just wing it .

[dkupf]

I used to have a note on the inside of my hand protectors telling me to breathe.If you want get a pit board with breath on it and every time you come over the table-top in Yeppoon I'll wave it at you Darcy.

[mudguard]

Some years ago I decided to get a fav song in my head at the start line, just to settle the nerves, then sing it as I rode around the track. Firstly it gets you breathing, and secondly no one can hear you. Probably why I'm not at the pointy end of the field, might need to change my choice of music.  

[Kane Mcguire]

excellent. some good ideas to try.

[brent j]

As silly as this sounds I yell instructions to my self.

"Get on the gas NOW, don't touch the brakes it's wasting time, Now, BRAKE hard, turn, go that  way, get over there in that line, don't coast, get on the gas or on the brakes etc etc.

Some of the other guys on the track think it's funny but it does make me breath and concentrate on my riding.

Doesn't make me any faster though....................

[VMX247]

It's very common in most sports

Interesting read..
http://www.westcoastmastersaussi.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95:breathing-technique&catid=35:coaching&Itemid=58