As coaches and players, we are always looking for the next piece of equipment or technique to improve our performance. Not often do we think about a simple fact of life, breathing! Yes, it is a fact that if we do not breathe, we die. Yet in competition, we often wonder why the game gets quick, we don't see the ball as well and our movements are not fluid and effortless. We do know that softball is a game of relaxed skills and it only makes sense if we can help ourselves to relax, reduce anxiety and tension, we should all be able to perform with much greater success. A simple solution to these gremlins that can get in our way and hinder our performance is by controlling our breathing!

I have borrowed these guidelines from a good friend of mine and a clinical and sports psychologist on our staff, Dr. Scott Goldman. I have seen the results and can tell you that it is worth the effort to be aware of your breathing and learning the correct way to help you relax and enjoy positive results in our game. When life is at its most chaotic, return to the first living act you performed, just breathe!

• Breathe in through your nose. It moistens and warms the air
• Breathe out through your mouth through pursed lips
• Breathe with your diaphragm
• Practice belly breathing not rib cage breathing
• 5 count in; 5 count out
• Make it slow, long and exaggerated
• Focus solely on the breath
• Study the sensations of the breath, the way the air tickles your nostrils, the way the breath rolls over your tongue

Until next month,

Coach Candrea