Specifically how DO we "relax"?

[HerbM]

I've found that taking deep slow breaths and relaxing my facial muscles especially my forehead seems to work best for me. That and focusing on letting my elbows rest on my ribs and letting my shoulders drop while still maintaing good posture.

I think those are really useful 'tricks' and it is good that you mention them.

Thanks for reminding me about the elbows and just letting the shoulders and arms hang -- relaxing the neck, setting the shoulder girdle down on the ribs and thus resting it all on the spine down to the ground.

The face trick is a good one and I am going to try that next class.

Many times if we relax (or tense) one part of our body then other parts will follow suit. If we grimace our face or clench our jaw, then this tension can spread.

We have excellent control of our facial muscles, much better comparatively than most other parts of our body so relaxing this can lead to more relaxation, or at worst won't encourage more tension.

Long slow breaths are generally the best way to relax and the best way to get oxygenated so that works well.

This is what I originally learned as Tai Chi Breathing and what Systema generally recommends -- counting breaths for equal long inhale and exhale.

Sometimes I get as high as 15-30 seconds each way resulting in 1-2 breaths per minute, but that is an extreme case. I don't go this slow for combat but it can be used sometimes for steady sustained effort or for preparing for effort while resting.


[FYI:
There is a type of breathing known as burst breathing where rapid snorts are used, exhaling through the mouth, to aid rapid recovery of breath, but this is usually only for a few seconds, never for very long.

Box breathing is another methods where you inhale for X seconds, hold for X, exhale for X, hold for X, e.g., each leg of the box might be 6 seconds. This is mostly used for training and to calm oneself BEFORE combat or competition begins.]

[HerbM]

I did the facial relaxation today during boxing practice -- it definitely seemed to help. Easier to relax and easier to keep going with good form.

I also tried to get a good jazz rhythm going in my head -- music in the gym was competing so I gave up and used that but didn't really like the rhythm for this purpose.

[southpawed]

i've got a question i've been meaning to ask related to this topic. i'm looking for insight.

anyway, before my first bout i felt absolutely no jitters or butterflies. I'm very aware of the feeling, but it just felt like another sparring session to me. It was a different story when the bell rang though and he ran at me. I tensed up, forgot to breathe, and just tried to match his frenetic pace. I was gassed by the end of the second lol.

Anyways, my question being, do you guys think it is actually a negative thing for one to not have nerves before a bout? My thoughts after the bout was that pre-fight nerves are the bodies way of prepping you up for a scrap. So not having them before a fight could mean a rude awakening on your body when the bell rings and blows are exchanged? But at the same time if you let the nerves smolder, they'll drain you mentally and physically.

So what do you guys say about pre fight jitters? A bad thing? A necessary thing?

[El Kabong]

So what do you guys say about pre fight jitters? A bad thing? A necessary thing?

Depends on the fighter. Different people deal with things in different ways. Person A could absolutely love and seek out the butterflies in the stomach while person B might have his plans totally shot to hell by that kind of pressure. And also if Person A doesn't get nervous he may not go out there with a sense of urgency and may fight "flat" while Person B needs that calm to think and utilize his game plan.

A little advice for you, whatever works for you, do it until someone stops it

[Andre]

Smile within, it helps your brain tune in so you can enjoy yourself more.

[God.in.my.corner]

When I shadowbox, I have a playlist on my Ipod that's all classical music.