Breathing in Muay Thai

[Bandit]

This may sound like a stupid question, but, is there a recommended breathing technique in Muay Thai?

[Guro Dave Gould]

Breathing...

Bandit,
hello there, I hope that all is well. First and foremost there are no stupid questions... As for breathing in Muay-thai, yes you should breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. On impact with your techniques you want to breath out from your diaphragm with a resounding ISSHHHH!!! This will allow you to harness your energy and enable you to impact with alot more power.
As a rule when a fighter starts to breath in and out only through his mouth in a fight and fails to breath out on impact it is the first sign that he is starting to tire. As well by breathing in and out through the mouth you will exert more energy which will greatly efrect the outcome of the fight. By breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth you allow yourself to remain more calm requiring less energy as you are not sucking air as if it were going out of style. I hope that this helps... Be well.
~ Guro Dave Gould.

[Bandit]

Thank you for the prompt informative reply. I am traditionally a student of Aikido and have found that the breathing techniques we use in that systen. (Breathing in deeply through the nose and inflating the stomach) did not seem to work as well with my muay thai techniques. Others have told me that you breath through your chest for quick bursts of power and I was wondering if this also increases stamina for long drawn out matches.

[MikeJKD]

Bandit,
It's important to remember that whether you visualize breathing into your "stomach" or into your chest, all the air still just goes to your lungs. Physiologically, that means that shallow (chest) breathing doesn't fill the lungs with as much air, and therefore doesn't provide the blood with the amount of oxygen that deep breaths do. The reason people tend to think of shallow breaths during quick bursts of exertion (in my opinion)is because bursts of energy are highly anaerobic, which means that you won't feel like you have to realx into them like long term activities, and so your breathing will naturally match your movements and become quick. That's part of why people are so tired after running a sprint. Your muscles are working a lot harder, and they aren't benefitting from the same kind of oxygen intake as they would if you were breathing deeper.
Mike

[Bandit]

I agree with your assessment. I have heard everything from short gasps, to long drawn out breaths, to even holding your breath until ready and exhaling powerfully as you strike. As my muay thai strikes tend to be fast and almost explode out, I have been unable to achieve the calm state of mind I normally achieve with my aikido techniques. I am trying to match them together and I appreciate your help. I am constantly learning new ideas and techniques and do not see myself stopping in the forseeable future.

Thanks