Each month, Mental Skills Coach Allison spends time with players, introducing a mental skill and theme for the month. The skill for the month of July is breath work.
Breath work is an important tool that can aid athletes in emotional regulation, increase focus, lower cortisol levels, and aid in physical recovery from workouts.
When introducing the concept to Junior Academy athletes, Coach Allison focused on using breath work to help with controlling emotions and energy. The group did two practices: 1. breath of joy, which helps increase physical energy and improves mood and 2. balloon breathing,
which helps the mind and body calm down and relax.
Academy and High School Academy players were also introduced to two breathing practices. The first was diaphragmatic breathing, which can be used at the beginning of training or in a pre-game warm up to help the mind and body increase focus and concentration
and calm emotions. The second breathing practice is called 4-7-8 breathing. 4-7-8 breathing relaxes the nervous system and aids the mind and body in recovery from exercise, making it a perfect exercise to do at the end of a training session or to aid in recovery after
competition.
Instructions for doing these practices at home are available here!
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