The U.S. Sun published an article announcing:
“World No1 Iga Swiatek baffles tennis fans as she plays with TAPE over her mouth… “
Why? The answer is obvious: she trains herself to breathe through the nose instead of the mouth. This will help her maintain a higher energy level and stay more focused.
I hope someone explained to her that she needs to learn how to prevent hyperventilating through the nose in addition to keeping her mouth closed. If she takes in the same or similar volume of air as she did while breathing through her mouth, she will most likely lose her vital energy or CO2. Nasal breathing is typically insufficient to prevent possible harmful effects of intense physical activities, especially tennis; reduced breathing is necessary. Nevertheless, switching from mouth breathing to nasal breathing is a huge accomplishment for any athlete.
Professional athletes are becoming more aware of the benefits of nasal breathing and reduced breathing. I bet soon we will see some athletes wearing a Buteyko belt while exercising.
Click here to read the U.S. Sun article about Iga Swiatek.
