Thread: Best way for boxer to breathe?

I have been told before that it is best for boxers to breathe in and out through the nose keeping the mouth shut and biting down on the mouthpiece and also to practice this when doing conditioning work like road work and sprints ect. However i have always found this difficult.
Should i try and force myself to breath using only my nose? I know my running times and boxing performance would suffer greatly in the begining but would i benefit in the long run? I know that a boxer getting caught with his jaw hanging open could be disasterous.

Originally Posted by cocobeware

I have been told before that it is best for boxers to breathe in and out through the nose keeping the mouth shut and biting down on the mouthpiece and also to practice this when doing conditioning work like road work and sprints ect. However i have always found this difficult.
Should i try and force myself to breath using only my nose? I know my running times and boxing performance would suffer greatly in the begining but would i benefit in the long run? I know that a boxer getting caught with his jaw hanging open could be disasterous.

ya bro you can break your jaw that way...What I do is get the breathe right nasal strips, they help open your nostrils and increase your air intake through your nose.

I sometimes skip rope with a mouthpiece in, as well as do bag work, focusing on proper breathing.

you can find ways to exhale with a clenched jaw...almost like breathing through your teeth. I used a double tray mouthpiece that had the air channel and felt really restricted, so I switched to a mouth guard that just goes up top...I'm sure the impact absorbtion is less but it's easier to breathe and talk. May even want to get a dentist fitted mouth guard if you got the money.

Thanks for the reply i will work on this.

I tried to go for a run today only breathing through my nose but only lasted about half a mile then went back to in through the mouth out throught the nose.

When i'm on the heavy bag it's either a sssh! sound through clenched teeth or a sort of bark but i have to open my mouth to do this.I have been paying more attention latley and notice a lot of boxers make this shouting/barking sound when they punch so i am presuming they must be opening their mouth aswell.

Originally Posted by cocobeware

I tried to go for a run today only breathing through my nose but only lasted about half a mile then went back to in through the mouth out throught the nose.

When i'm on the heavy bag it's either a sssh! sound through clenched teeth or a sort of bark but i have to open my mouth to do this.I have been paying more attention latley and notice a lot of boxers make this shouting/barking sound when they punch so i am presuming they must be opening their mouth aswell.

For the 1st try to breath IN from nose & OUT from mouth..
For the 2nd you don't have to open your mouth a lot.. Try to do it with a small mouth op & inside your from your teeths.. The sssh is a way to explode your air in the end of your punch..
That's my opinion..!!!

The "seash" sound should be more then just a sound. Exhale as hard as you can as you punch. Your core will tense up and (in my experience) add some thud to your punches.

It also helps to give your breathing some rhythm, which will make a world of difference.

NEVER unclinch your jaw!! Its a hard hard hard habit to break and most fighters unclinch but if you get caught right it makes it easier to get KOed and break your jaw.

And breath when you punch, it will help you keep oxygen in your blood and will help u hit harder, the harder you grunt the harder you hit and the faster you take your breaths the faster you punch.