My freediving techniques and exercises

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gpatton

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techniques and exercises
by Glenn Patton


I. Clearing my ears

A. I learned freediving while spearfishing in the 1970’s.

B. It was important to keep my hands free while descending.

C. Now while descending, I don’t have to hold my nose and pop my ears.

D. To accomplish this I pop my ears about 200+ times the week prior to any intense freediving.

II. Holding my breath

A. I practice sitting in a chair and get close to 3 minutes.

1. I notice the first big demand for my mind to breath goes between 20 and 30 seconds

2. the next demands to breath come a about every subsequent 20 to 30 seconds

3. I can get to a point were I am so relax in apnea that I will pass out, but I don’t push it that far.

B. I take three deep breaths just before I descend.

C. I wear a watch while freediving and monitor the second hand.

1. I can easily do around trip to 50 feet in 60 second, but I know I can stay 90 seconds.

2. This practice is for safety reasons to avoid shallow water black out

3. This practice also reduces anxiety.

III. Getting down

A. I wear eight to ten pounds depending which light wetsuit I wear, so that I am about four pound negative

IV. Reducing anxiety

A. Reducing anxiety and keeping your heart rate down is a must

1. This is not easy.

2. Keeping your heart rate down is very hard when you are about to kill a fish while spearfishing when you know there are shark in the area.

B. Practice walking 75 foot round trip while holding while timing yourself. You will see that a very leisurely 75 foot walk will take about a minute. Now you just have to apply the time-distance to a straight down dive.

C. Monitor your watch’s second hand (see II C above)

D.

V. Wear a low volume mask

A. Reduce air consumption into mask

B. Always keeping a positive pressure in the mask reduce mask leaks

VI. Safety

A. Always freedive with a component freediving buddy.

B. Shallow water blackout is a KILLER

1. do a internet search for “Shallow water blackout” you will get a lot of hits

2. Shallow-water blackout is a sudden unconsciousness from lack of oxygen during a breath-hold dive. On ascent your O2 partial goes too low.

3. you blackout suddenly, unless you have a buddy you die!

C. Always carry something to defend yourself with while spearfishing.


IMO, becoming proficient in freediving can only enhances your SCUBA diving experiences.
 
http://www.apneamania.com/code/index.asp

There are hundreds of sites for free diving techniques....but I found this ste particulaly useful. Follow the "Training" link and you will be taken to some great breath hold techniques and some great video footage of free diving swimming techniques.

I downloaded the breath hold practice methods and have increased from a 1min40sec "static" (lying on my bed) to 3min10sec in less than a year (which I think is cool for me)!!! An Iuse the swimming workout as well, slightly modifed...but a great workout.

And I agree with Glenn Patton it has improved my scuba!!!

Cheers.
 
I can freedive to 20ft but anxiety kicks in. I havent timed myself doing dives I just goes on how I feel. But I used to do alot of commercial free diving and the deepest would be 10ft, up and down for 4 straight hours a day. I dont use weights neither, maybe I should try it sometime?
One time I got a slight nose bleed after an hour into it one day, so I stopped right away and it slowly went away but I didnt go back diving til a couple days later. I ask the local island nurse and it wasnt a nothing serious. Maybe I should try timing myself in my pool, thats 8ft.
Also whats the deal on eating when diving? I grew up that you shouldnt eat and dive coz you can cramp up. So based on that, I would do all my diving first thing in the morning from 6am - 10am, and then eat afterwards.

Aaron
 
I have started a blog for my free diving. If anyone is interested, feel free to comment.
http://sabafreediver.blogspot.com
 
remember that time is NOT A FACTOR in preventing shallow water black out. the dive you did yesterday could knock you out today. NEVER EVER use a watch as a safety device.
 
you don;t push it and you listen to your body.

just because yesterday you were doing 2min 70ft dives doesn;t mean that you can do the same today. if you body tells you to go up at 1min you go. you don;t look at your watch and say, well, "i still have another minute before blackout".

a depth/timing device should only be used for curiousity, NOT for recreational freedive planning.
 
Yes I do know to listen to your body! I just time myself to see how long each STA is. This isnt the first time Im free diving. Ive been doing it for years, commercially, and you dont have time to time yourself. Its just the first time in timing myself, like you said, curiousity.
 

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