National Carry AcademyBreath Right Before Shooting
June 30, 2016
Every day, people experience stressful and challenging activities. Wanting to shoot your gun accurately is one of those activities as it is very difficult: trying to relax, having focus, calming yourself, reducing body movement and not jerk when you are aligning your sight, especially in the “heat of the battle.” Anxiety and excitement is at higher levels and everyone doesn’t have smooth, minimal, non-intermittent body movements. Of course, we tend to press the trigger of the gun to the rear when using our guns. I frequently see this kind of situation with students, when teaching handgun classes. Sometimes, I also experience this myself during shooting. The brain is going 110 miles per hour, full of excitement and nervousness as we try to givei our best and get bulls eye hits. For many of us, it’s very difficult to relax, as well as being free from anticipation when shooting. Everyone knows that proper breathing and focusing or meditating practices has been a part of yoga in the Eastern wellness culture for centuries, but this is very different in Western culture. In reality, these unique approaches will not be the panacea for us to consider for us to relax and have focus, and to help us with the accuracy of our shooting, right? The more calm, still and relaxed we are means the more accurate we are.. I find this technique very interesting, it works for me, and it’s free.That is why I want to share it with you.
I remember one night,years ago before a shooting match I was too nervous to fall asleep. I kept thinking about the event next day so I was browsing on my computer. I found a technique on one of the medical websites known as the “4-7-8” breathing technique. According to the details from the website, this will help you to relax and fall asleep quicker. Dr. Andrew Weil discussed the effects of breathing on many activities of our lives. Other people don’t like him, calling him a pseudoscience, unconventional alternative-medicine doctor, snake-oil salesman and even saying he did not practice helpful medicine. Though I do not agree with several of his ideas, I understand and accept what he says about the benefits of the proper breathing technique. It surely helped me to have focus and get relaxed. According to him, “By simply focusing your attention on your breathing, and without doing anything to change it, you can move in the direction of relaxation. Too much attention on upsetting thoughts may cause anxiety, guilt and unhappiness.” “Get in the habit of shifting your awareness to your breathing whenever you find yourself dwelling on stressful situations,” he added. His article about the technique was “The Art and Science of Breathing.”
The breathing control.
One of the fundamentals of accurate shooting is breathing control. Many people overlook and neglect this basic, unlike the trigger control, sight alignment, proper grip and many more. Just like any other carry technique, breathing control techniques need practice, being positive and removing negativity and stress, as well as being committed to getting the best results. This breathing technique really helped me, not just with relaxing and controlling my heart rate for shooting, but also for my life. I learned how to relax my body and mind. This breathing technique also helps me to fall asleep quicker than usual. I can say that the long term benefits are well worth with some effort, not just for my shooting but also for my long term health.
4-7-8 Breathing Technique
You can do this breathing technique in just 3 easy steps. It will only take a little time, no equipment is required, it’s free and you can do this anywhere like in the range, before class, in live-fire shooting or even before you go to sleep. Here are the steps for the simple deep breathing technique:
- First, you need to close your mouth and take a deep breath through your nose quietly for 4 seconds.
- Second, hold your breath for about 7 seconds.
- And last, exhale out slowly, completely, deeply and of course audibly. Do this through your mouth for 8 seconds. Making a whoosing noise will help you exhale more carbon dioxide. The deep breathing will increase the oxygen flow to your brain and organs, permits more carbon dioxide emission.
According to some medical researchers, this combination of numbers and time is like a chemical effect on your brain and slow your heart rate to relax yourself. This technique is often used in yoga meditation. At first, I was not very convinced, but it sure changed after trying all the suggested breathing shooting approaches, respiratory pause and others. In the first place I had difficulty falling asleep at night, even after trying different methods like various pillows, melatonin, relaxation exercises, medications and a lot more. For me this simple technique works. I tried the technique with 3 or 4 sets of 4-7-8. For others, they do more while for some between 2 to 3 before it works. You need to determine the exact number of sets that will work best for you. One of the students told me that she is using this technique at night, and she can never get beyond 2 sets, then she quickly falls asleep. We mention this breathing technique to our students when we are discussing breathing control fundamentals in the handgun skills class. One tim ein class, a lady in her late sixties exhaled too long and did not breathe in and she almost passed out. So you must breathe after exhaling and follow the steps.
Basic Principle
The main idea of this breathing technique is that it forces you to focus and slows the rate of your heart. The human body has a built-in stress reliever, proper deep breathing positively affects our heart and other body parts. It reduces your stress level and with other good effects. This is based on several studies. When you are stressed and anxious to get the perfect bulls eye hit, the adrenaline rapidly flows through your veins, your heart beats increase and your breathing becomes quick, shallow and will contribute to more body movement and stress. Everybody wants to have an accurate shot. When it comes to shooting, everyone wants to minimize the body movement. You need to stop your hand from shaking, move fingers other than your trigger finger and any other body movement.
In order for you to hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale for eight, especially when your breath is shallow and short under stress, your body is forced to naturally slow your heart rate, that is why this technique really works. Holding your breath and slowly exhaling for eight seconds, gives your body a chain reaction. In my opinion, it feels like going from a quick race to a slow one and then a calming stroll through the park. For this non-medical doctor, oxygen inhalation activates the sympathetic nervous system, exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system for calming response, I understand everything about that. Proper breathing like this technique will surely calm your body.
In an interview with several medical researchers, the National Public Radio highlighted the power of proper breathing, Dr. Mladen Golubic of the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine is included. Dr. Golubic discussed proper breathing to lessen the level of stress and enhance the brain activity and function positively. According to him, in order to create a positive change that helps improve conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure, breathing exercises will be a big help. He also said that breathing exercises will improve the lung function through “stretching” airway tissue, inducing the release of a “proactive chemical,” known for maintaining the airway integrity and the oxygen saturation. During the interview, Esther Sternberg from the National Institute of Mental Health suggested, deep breathing also helps the body to shift out of sympathetic nervous system control and into parasympathetic mode. In terms of general well-being and biochemical balance, a healthier, relaxed and a much calmer state. The curbing of stress hormones in the body preserves the bodily immune function and keeps blood pressure and heart rate in check, while it reduces the heart rate. Deep breathing practices for relaxation, play a vital role when it comes to gene expression related to inflammation, cellular metabolism and of course, oxidative stress. In conclusion, the longer a person can practice proper deep breathing, means the more good benefits for any particular state and gene activity. There’s a relationship here with the breath control in shooting.
Those people who are stressed or even anxious are e chronically under-breathing, why? Stressed people breathe shortly and shallowly, or even unconsciously hold their breath. Through extending your inhale with a count of four, you are surely forcing yourself to accept more oxygen, and allowing the oxygen to affect your bloodstream, alertness, reflexes and of course, your reactions. Holding your breath for seven seconds, then exhaling for eight seconds, you are now emitting carbon dioxide from your lungs.
This breathing technique will effectively help you slow your heart rate, increase oxygen in your blood steam and act like a mild sedative to help you relax your body. In result, it will quickly relax your heart, mind and overall nervous system, why? It’s because you are controlling the breath, as well as your oxygen intake, unlike continuing for shorter breathing with shallow gasps of air. You might want to try it.
For those who will practice this technique for the first time, it’s possible that you want to quickly take in another breath, or even speed up your counting. On the other hand, if you discipline yourself and continue to practice this technique, stick to the process and stop from attempting to resume regular breathing, you will surely “feel your rate rate to slow down, your mind will turn to be calmer and quieter, most of all your whole body will be physically relax. It works for me, big help with my accuracy. I don’t usually remember getting past the second set of 4, 7 and 8.
Summary
In conclusion, this easy breathing technique works not just for me, but also for others, including the past centuries. It is also supported by medical research, accepted by medical doctors and accepted by those who advocates medicines. This is not new, Zen, yoga flowers and others are using this breathing technique for a long time. The point is you will never know the result to your body, until you try it. Clear your mind and follow the 3 simple steps, then after that judge for yourself. I’m hoping that it will work for you, just like how it does for me, and if didn’t work, then it only cost you a little time, nothing else. In my opinion, the benefits far outweigh from the cost.
Continue to success.
This is a personal opinion article, it is meant for general information and education purposes only. Author strongly recommends that you must seek counsel from an attorney in your state/jurisdiction for legal advice, as well as your own personal certified weapons trainer for proper guidance about shooting, for using your guns, self-defense, stand your ground law and carrying a concealed gun. This article is not legal advice, not even legal opinions. This should not be relied upon as accurate for all the gun owners, the author assumes no responsibility to anyone who will use all the information and shall not be liable for any improper and incorrect use of the breathing technique, as well as any damages or injuries incurred whatsoever.
Breath Right Before Shooting
June 30, 2016
Every day, people experience stressful and challenging activities. Wanting to shoot your gun accurately is one of those activities as it is very difficult: trying to relax, having focus, calming yourself, reducing body movement and not jerk when you are aligning your sight, especially in the “heat of the battle.” Anxiety and excitement is at higher levels and everyone doesn’t have smooth, minimal, non-intermittent body movements. Of course, we tend to press the trigger of the gun to the rear when using our guns. I frequently see this kind of situation with students, when teaching handgun classes. Sometimes, I also experience this myself during shooting. The brain is going 110 miles per hour, full of excitement and nervousness as we try to givei our best and get bulls eye hits. For many of us, it’s very difficult to relax, as well as being free from anticipation when shooting. Everyone knows that proper breathing and focusing or meditating practices has been a part of yoga in the Eastern wellness culture for centuries, but this is very different in Western culture. In reality, these unique approaches will not be the panacea for us to consider for us to relax and have focus, and to help us with the accuracy of our shooting, right? The more calm, still and relaxed we are means the more accurate we are.. I find this technique very interesting, it works for me, and it’s free.That is why I want to share it with you.
I remember one night,years ago before a shooting match I was too nervous to fall asleep. I kept thinking about the event next day so I was browsing on my computer. I found a technique on one of the medical websites known as the “4-7-8” breathing technique. According to the details from the website, this will help you to relax and fall asleep quicker. Dr. Andrew Weil discussed the effects of breathing on many activities of our lives. Other people don’t like him, calling him a pseudoscience, unconventional alternative-medicine doctor, snake-oil salesman and even saying he did not practice helpful medicine. Though I do not agree with several of his ideas, I understand and accept what he says about the benefits of the proper breathing technique. It surely helped me to have focus and get relaxed. According to him, “By simply focusing your attention on your breathing, and without doing anything to change it, you can move in the direction of relaxation. Too much attention on upsetting thoughts may cause anxiety, guilt and unhappiness.” “Get in the habit of shifting your awareness to your breathing whenever you find yourself dwelling on stressful situations,” he added. His article about the technique was “The Art and Science of Breathing.”
The breathing control.
One of the fundamentals of accurate shooting is breathing control. Many people overlook and neglect this basic, unlike the trigger control, sight alignment, proper grip and many more. Just like any other carry technique, breathing control techniques need practice, being positive and removing negativity and stress, as well as being committed to getting the best results. This breathing technique really helped me, not just with relaxing and controlling my heart rate for shooting, but also for my life. I learned how to relax my body and mind. This breathing technique also helps me to fall asleep quicker than usual. I can say that the long term benefits are well worth with some effort, not just for my shooting but also for my long term health.
4-7-8 Breathing Technique
You can do this breathing technique in just 3 easy steps. It will only take a little time, no equipment is required, it’s free and you can do this anywhere like in the range, before class, in live-fire shooting or even before you go to sleep. Here are the steps for the simple deep breathing technique:
- First, you need to close your mouth and take a deep breath through your nose quietly for 4 seconds.
- Second, hold your breath for about 7 seconds.
- And last, exhale out slowly, completely, deeply and of course audibly. Do this through your mouth for 8 seconds. Making a whoosing noise will help you exhale more carbon dioxide. The deep breathing will increase the oxygen flow to your brain and organs, permits more carbon dioxide emission.
According to some medical researchers, this combination of numbers and time is like a chemical effect on your brain and slow your heart rate to relax yourself. This technique is often used in yoga meditation. At first, I was not very convinced, but it sure changed after trying all the suggested breathing shooting approaches, respiratory pause and others. In the first place I had difficulty falling asleep at night, even after trying different methods like various pillows, melatonin, relaxation exercises, medications and a lot more. For me this simple technique works. I tried the technique with 3 or 4 sets of 4-7-8. For others, they do more while for some between 2 to 3 before it works. You need to determine the exact number of sets that will work best for you. One of the students told me that she is using this technique at night, and she can never get beyond 2 sets, then she quickly falls asleep. We mention this breathing technique to our students when we are discussing breathing control fundamentals in the handgun skills class. One tim ein class, a lady in her late sixties exhaled too long and did not breathe in and she almost passed out. So you must breathe after exhaling and follow the steps.
Basic Principle
The main idea of this breathing technique is that it forces you to focus and slows the rate of your heart. The human body has a built-in stress reliever, proper deep breathing positively affects our heart and other body parts. It reduces your stress level and with other good effects. This is based on several studies. When you are stressed and anxious to get the perfect bulls eye hit, the adrenaline rapidly flows through your veins, your heart beats increase and your breathing becomes quick, shallow and will contribute to more body movement and stress. Everybody wants to have an accurate shot. When it comes to shooting, everyone wants to minimize the body movement. You need to stop your hand from shaking, move fingers other than your trigger finger and any other body movement.
In order for you to hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale for eight, especially when your breath is shallow and short under stress, your body is forced to naturally slow your heart rate, that is why this technique really works. Holding your breath and slowly exhaling for eight seconds, gives your body a chain reaction. In my opinion, it feels like going from a quick race to a slow one and then a calming stroll through the park. For this non-medical doctor, oxygen inhalation activates the sympathetic nervous system, exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system for calming response, I understand everything about that. Proper breathing like this technique will surely calm your body.
In an interview with several medical researchers, the National Public Radio highlighted the power of proper breathing, Dr. Mladen Golubic of the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine is included. Dr. Golubic discussed proper breathing to lessen the level of stress and enhance the brain activity and function positively. According to him, in order to create a positive change that helps improve conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure, breathing exercises will be a big help. He also said that breathing exercises will improve the lung function through “stretching” airway tissue, inducing the release of a “proactive chemical,” known for maintaining the airway integrity and the oxygen saturation. During the interview, Esther Sternberg from the National Institute of Mental Health suggested, deep breathing also helps the body to shift out of sympathetic nervous system control and into parasympathetic mode. In terms of general well-being and biochemical balance, a healthier, relaxed and a much calmer state. The curbing of stress hormones in the body preserves the bodily immune function and keeps blood pressure and heart rate in check, while it reduces the heart rate. Deep breathing practices for relaxation, play a vital role when it comes to gene expression related to inflammation, cellular metabolism and of course, oxidative stress. In conclusion, the longer a person can practice proper deep breathing, means the more good benefits for any particular state and gene activity. There’s a relationship here with the breath control in shooting.
Those people who are stressed or even anxious are e chronically under-breathing, why? Stressed people breathe shortly and shallowly, or even unconsciously hold their breath. Through extending your inhale with a count of four, you are surely forcing yourself to accept more oxygen, and allowing the oxygen to affect your bloodstream, alertness, reflexes and of course, your reactions. Holding your breath for seven seconds, then exhaling for eight seconds, you are now emitting carbon dioxide from your lungs.
This breathing technique will effectively help you slow your heart rate, increase oxygen in your blood steam and act like a mild sedative to help you relax your body. In result, it will quickly relax your heart, mind and overall nervous system, why? It’s because you are controlling the breath, as well as your oxygen intake, unlike continuing for shorter breathing with shallow gasps of air. You might want to try it.
For those who will practice this technique for the first time, it’s possible that you want to quickly take in another breath, or even speed up your counting. On the other hand, if you discipline yourself and continue to practice this technique, stick to the process and stop from attempting to resume regular breathing, you will surely “feel your rate rate to slow down, your mind will turn to be calmer and quieter, most of all your whole body will be physically relax. It works for me, big help with my accuracy. I don’t usually remember getting past the second set of 4, 7 and 8.
Summary
In conclusion, this easy breathing technique works not just for me, but also for others, including the past centuries. It is also supported by medical research, accepted by medical doctors and accepted by those who advocates medicines. This is not new, Zen, yoga flowers and others are using this breathing technique for a long time. The point is you will never know the result to your body, until you try it. Clear your mind and follow the 3 simple steps, then after that judge for yourself. I’m hoping that it will work for you, just like how it does for me, and if didn’t work, then it only cost you a little time, nothing else. In my opinion, the benefits far outweigh from the cost.
Continue to success.
This is a personal opinion article, it is meant for general information and education purposes only. Author strongly recommends that you must seek counsel from an attorney in your state/jurisdiction for legal advice, as well as your own personal certified weapons trainer for proper guidance about shooting, for using your guns, self-defense, stand your ground law and carrying a concealed gun. This article is not legal advice, not even legal opinions. This should not be relied upon as accurate for all the gun owners, the author assumes no responsibility to anyone who will use all the information and shall not be liable for any improper and incorrect use of the breathing technique, as well as any damages or injuries incurred whatsoever.