Breathing through the Tackle

If you go back and read Mike Framke’s article on tackling in Building the Beast pay very special attention to the first tackling fundamental listed.

“Always hit through or run through the ball carrier.  Never stop moving forward after making contact with the runner.”

In the latest instructional movie on ‘un-bendable arm’ and breathing through movement we use basic principles of intent and breathing to perform a sit up with 220lbs on top of my chest. The Japanese refer to this principle of ‘following through’ as ‘Zanshin’. But this following through encapsulates a great deal more than just physically following through and, I think, is a fundamental that could greatly assist practitioners of tackling sports in performing their skill set more effectively.

I hear a lot of sharp exhalations when athletes crunch together on the field when a tackle has been initiated. Generally the breath just stops as the tackle is made. There is no doubt in my mind that there should be a strong exhalation at impact in a tackle but that explosion of breath should be but part of longer exhale. As the athlete approaches his ‘victim’ he should begin an exhale that increases in intensity and results in a powerful explosion of air at impact, but…

Make sure that all of the air is not expended at the point of impact. Imagine having 2-3 secs of exhale remaining after contact is made. Then ‘breathe through the tackle’ as you continue to physically move through your opponent in accordance with Framke’s first principle.

This is then accompanied by the fostering of ‘pure intent’ and establishing the intensity of ‘looking without looking’. The perfecting of Zanshin is not just something we do when performing ‘ball in a bin’ or other awareness based drills. Zanshin is particularly relevant to all physical pursuits as well. The moment that the exhale ceases the mind itself will tend to become active again which can result in a loss of concentration or ‘intent’ as we like to refer to it as. Continuing to exhale throughout a motion increases the likelihood that the activity will be performed without the interference of conscious thinking.

We are ultimately seeking to unify the experience and the experiencer. The person performing a tackle when their mind is quiet experiences no fear. An active mind is synonymous with thoughts of fear that can interfere with skill execution. To be in the zone is to feel like you’re watching yourself perform rather than being under threat whilst you do so.

The Next Dimension

There is a whole philosophy to Zanshin that transcends the individual components of movement and breathing. Mastering the follow through requires the athlete or coach to delve deep into the depths of ‘frame of mind’ philosophy and its application in the overcoming of fear. Training good Zanshin is like training anything else. You get better with experience. Zanshin and the defeat of mind can be one way to leverage into that ideal state we call ‘the zone’ or what we refer to as ‘psycosis’. 

As a coach or athlete, feel free to contact us at Brutal should you wish to gain more insight into Zanshin and how right breathing might give you or your athletes the edge in competition and indeed in the overall improvement of their lives.

And let the rabbit hole open and suck you in…