Psychological training used for Free diving

William Ahier University of Chichester, UK.

Introduction Discussion Conclusion I spent some of my placement working on a diving live aboard charter boat based in The key to free diving is to remain relaxed underwater and maintain Indonesia. During my time there I was introduced to the sport and competition of a slow heartbeat while delivering adequate to vital organs in Although being a successful free diver requires years of cardiac Free diving. The sport interested me as the elite performers were not necessarily the most the body. Naturally, when we exercise, our heart rate increases to training and body conditioning, the psychological side of the sport physically fit and at their prime, often the older competitors were producing better results compensate for the higher oxygen demand by our muscles. In free is just as important. The stress involved with the sport not only and competing at a higher level than the others. diving however, the goal is to minimize oxygen consumption in effects the performer’s mind, causing them to return to the terms of efficiency. It can be argued that sustaining a low heart rate surface, but also their body, increasing their heart rate and forcing at the same time as doing physical activity can only be achieved by This made me interested in the training methods used for the sport as it was clear to me the body to break out of the mammalian dive reflex. rigorous physical training. However, as previously mentioned, the Meditation techniques play a major role in professional free divers that to perform deeper and longer dives, it wasn’t just physical fitness that was being mammalian dive reflex makes free diving possible. While the reflex training and the sport brings to light how beneficial trained by the divers. is autonomous, it can be trained, and if stressed, it can be inhibited. techniques and mind state is in sports performance. What makes it possible for one person to dive to 90m and for Literature review another to black-out at 20m? The main differentiator is stress, or management of stress. Free diving is a sport that creates the There is a large amount of literature about the physiology of breath hold diving and the possibility of anxiety in the body when it feels like it’s out of air. This effects of and oxygen starvation on the body, however there is little about the causes an increase in heart rate that uses up available energy for psychological side of the sport. A combination of the effects of stress on the body and how the next step in the diving process. to control it, and methods suggested professionals and previous research will be overviewed. Much of free diving relies on being comfortable in the underwater The mammalian is a reflex that optimizes to allow staying surroundings. This can either be gained my meditation techniques underwater for extended periods of time. This is an important reflex for breath hold diving or just experience. The careers of elite free divers, such as Jacques because of the two main effects: The human heart rate slows down ten to twenty-five Mayol and Enzo Maiorca, which have spanned the last 20 to 30 percent and capillaries in the extremities start closing off, stopping blood circulation to years, may exemplify the importance of practice and experience. REFERENCES those areas. The diving response has been demonstrated across a variety of diving birds, These athletes achieved their best results when they were almost mammals (Butler & Jones, 1997), and humans (Hong, 1989). Every animal's diving reflex is 60 years old. J. 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