Increase your oxygen efficiency to improve your performance
We all breathe innately. Most of the time, we don’t even think about it. Our bodies are awesome machines that function well without our help. But, what if you could get it to function at its very best? Better than your opponents?
We can do that by purposefully linking our breath to our movement. And the easiest way to start practicing that is with yoga. Specifically, dynamic yoga, which is a great practice for Pre-Season.
Try out this Warrior Sequence to get started with dynamic, Pre-Season yoga!
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Pre-Season Yoga for Athletes
During the Pre-Season, you are preparing your body for intense play. You are training and testing your limits. You want to be mobile and strong during this period.
A dynamic yoga practice aids that process by keeping you flexible, increasing your range of motion, and maintaining all the strength you have gained in the gym.
This type of practice is based in ashtanga vinyasa and may include sequences such as sun salutations, standing and balancing postures, and multiplanar transitions. You might also see active isolated postures or dynamic stretches that mimic your performance on the court.
A dynamic yoga practice can serve you during Pre-Season because you are actively linking your breathing patterns to each movement.
For example, we inhale to move into a position and exhale to move out of it. The exhale comes when the work is being done. A purposeful exhale can create safer movement, allow for more powerful movement, and can focus the mind.
So, if we learn to move on our yoga mat in this fashion, the breath becomes more controlled. The more you practice this breath control while moving, the more you will increase your oxygen efficiency. When you have a greater oxygen efficiency, you will not get winded on the court as quickly as your opponent. Thus, you can play longer rallys, games, and tournaments without getting fatigued.
Get Started with a Warrior Sequence
To set yourself up for success, it’s important to create a training routine that incorporates yoga. Throughout the year, you should maintain a consistent yoga practice that complements your athletic season.
Try out this Warrior Sequence to get started with dynamic, Pre-Season yoga!
Benefits include:
- Maintaining dynamic flexibility
- Building strength around the joints
- Improving stabilization
- Preventing injury
- Building determination
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Here's a 4-minute video clip from the 19-minute section about the Science of Stretching from the Yoga Coaching Course!
Here's an 8-minute video about athletes from the Yoga Coaching Course!
Here's a 7-minute introduction video for the Yoga Coaching Course.
This course will give you a better understanding of the importance of yoga and how to apply it to the athletes you currently work with.
