The secrets of freediving techniques for spearfishing

The secrets of freediving techniques for spearfishing

The spearfishing apnea is a decidedly dynamic one: here too the lung capacity and the freediving resistance These are fundamental characteristics, but they do not constitute the ultimate meaning of immersion, which is aimed at an activity that is itself very expensive.

Le breathing techniques are however central to the spearfisherman's experience and are an integral part of the training of every freediver. Their purpose, in fact, is to increase the safety of the dive and improve breath holding times, allowing the fisherman to reach greater depths and refine the fishing techniques.

Freediving techniques in spearfishing

Dive into a means being able to rely only on the oxygen stored in the body, i.e. in the lungs, blood and tissues. During the dive, the oxygen supplies gradually decrease, making room for carbon dioxide, which accumulates in the blood and stimulates the resumption of breathing through diaphragmatic contractions.

The human body does not tolerate too high levels of CO2 (hypercapnia) or too low quantities of oxygen (hypoxia): breathing, essentially, is based on maintaining this balance.

La lung capacity, however, can be trained. Many spearfishermen, for example, despite having discrete apnea times, do not know how to perform a complete exhalation and completely empty their lungs, while others are unable to fill them to the maximum, sacrificing precious useful space.

While it is true that the purpose of spearfishing is not lung performance, it is equally true that relaxation techniques and breathing exercises are not disciplines intended exclusively for pure freedivers. On the contrary, they are an important part of the baggage of every spearfisherman, first of all because they allow you to relax and develop a increased awareness of itself, significantly increasing the level of general diving safety.

Le freediving techniques, in this sense, they are a tool that allows you to make the most of your lung capacity and expand it, but above all they are an essential reminder that helps manage breathing at all stages of the dive, and under any circumstances.

Freediving Resistance: The Preparation

During apnea you go through two very distinct phases: the first, also called "easy-going phase” is that of well-being, which is interrupted when the partial pressure of CO2 reaches approximately 46 mmHg. Here begins the phase of suffering, during which the physiological mechanisms that lead to the interruption of the apnea are triggered (air hunger, diaphragmatic contractions, etc.).

The emergence of the second phase, of course, is very subjective: knowing breathing techniques also helps you recognize your limits, and therefore understand when it's time to stop a breath-hold and how far you can safely push yourself.

Underwater freediving exercises are also a fundamental support when it comes to preparation for the dive, which proceeds according to a scheme like this:

• reaching the relaxation, through slow, normal breathing;
• diaphragmatic breathing: in this phase, you need to breathe deeply but not forcedly, so as not to waste energy with too intense muscular work, and using only the diaphragm. The exhalation times must be at least double the inhalation times;
• complete breathing: just before diving, the chest is also involved, to perform complete and deep breathing acts. In this phase, exhalations are especially crucial, as they are those that allow you to eliminate all the stale air accumulated in the lungs (and therefore to take in more new air).

In the case of spearfishing, thelast inhalation It should be deeper than freediving in a pool, and should also involve the shoulders and collarbones.

The advice of the experts is not to do more than 4 or 5 complete breaths before diving. The important thing is to maintain the right relaxation (muscular and mental) and Don't hyperventilate. Ever.

Spearfishing and freediving endurance: recovery times

La first breath at the end of the dive, ideally, it should fill just under half of your lungs. You can start hyperventilating to recover from the next breath. This hyperventilation, however, must be very limited in duration, especially if the idea is to get back into the water as soon as possible.

For those who do underwater fishing recovery times are a determining factor, and are generally faster than in other disciplines that take place in apnea.

Apnea techniques and breathing exercises, as you can easily imagine, also help to reduce recovery times. While keeping in mind the basic rule (recovery must last at least double the immersion), with the right training, surface sessions can become “longer” and more spendable, allowing you to recover more quickly and effectively and to better prepare for the next dive.

Exercises to improve resistance in apnea

There are exercises, almost always borrowed from Yoga, which allow you to train your apnea times even “dry”. Let's see a couple of very simple and effective practices recommended by the freediving world champion Alexey Molchanov.

Exercise #1: Molchanov's Square Breathing

The first exercise comes directly from a Yoga breathing practice, but is slightly modified for the needs of freedivers: the starting point is the classic square breathing, which consists of inhaling, holding the breath, exhaling and stopping again (with empty lungs) for regular intervals of time.

In Molchanov's version, the regularity of the respiratory phases is completely lost: here the aim is not to relax, but to train the lungs. It is therefore necessary to focus on theincrease the duration of the breathing cycle, particularly lengthening the time of the first apnea (the one following inspiration).

There is also the possibility of working on the timing of exhalation and breath-holding with empty lungs, but as Molchanov suggests this depends a lot on the level of confidence of each person: for a spearfisherman it should not be difficult to quickly reach one-minute cycles.

For beginners, the cycle can last just 30 seconds (5 seconds of inhalation, 15 of pause, 5 or 10 of exhalation and the remaining pause). When carrying out this exercise, it is essential that the apnea phases are dedicated to concentrating on relaxation and release of any muscle tension.

Exercise #2: Lung capacity training

There are also some exercises that help to develop lung capacity, which can be very effective at all ages. According to Molchanov, performing these practices consistently can lead to a 10% increase in lung capacity in just two months.

Un simple but very useful exercise It consists of inhaling as slowly as possible, almost with the mouth closed, until the lungs are filled (without forcing), and exhaling until empty your lungs.

During this practice one should not concentrate on the duration, but on the quality of breathing, trying to involve the back of the lungs in the inspiration.

Exercises for pre-apnea relaxation: the Buteyko method

As for relaxation, one of the best known exercises is the so-called Buteyko method, developed by the Russian physician and pathophysiologist Konstantin Buteyko for the treatment of patients suffering from asthma. This method, the validity of which has been confirmed by several studies, was also used by its inventor to treat states ofanxiety.

The Buteyko method was born from a discovery by the Russian doctor, who observed that asthmatic patients breathed better in high mountains, where the oxygen concentration in the air was less. Buteyko then came to the conclusion that the greater the amount of CO2 in the blood, the easier it is for oxygen to be released from the hemoglobin to which it is bound to enter the tissues.

His breathing technique, therefore, does not focus on taking in more air, but on the ability to remain in apnea with the completely empty lungs.

The relaxation exercise involves inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, trying to eliminate all the air from the lungs, and holding the breath for at least 10-20 seconds, then inhale without forcing and start the cycle again.

Apnea and meditation techniques

Many athletes associate relaxation exercises with some meditation practices borrowed from Eastern disciplines, which generally involve breathing calmly and consciously while concentrating on certain parts of the body: a very useful practice borrowed from Yoga Nidra (Sleep Yoga), for example, consists of lying on the ground (remaining still) and following the so-called “Rotation of consciousness".

By following the voice of the guide (which can also be an app), the consciousness moves from one part of the body to another: start from the individual fingers of the right hand, go up the arm and down again to the toes, involving the front part of the right side. Once you reach the sole of the foot, go back up focusing on the dorsal part of the right side. Then repeat on the left, always following the guide's instructions.

The positions and patterns to follow during meditation can vary from one practice to another: there are dozens of them, and they are declined in various schools and traditions, so it is quite certain that with a little experimentation you can succeed in finding one. effective technique suited to your needs.

In addition to contributing greatly to the muscular and mental relaxation necessary for freediving, the practice of meditation helps develop an awareness that extends to the more peripheral districts of your body, and which can be very useful in improving the practice of other exercises, starting with those for training lung capacity.