Transmission B.E.T Training
In: Transmission 0 Comments Thu 6th Oct '11
Tags: Breath Enhancement Training , Grass Rttos , SBC , MBB , Nam Baldwin , TBC
Bodyboarding's Grass Roots club are the lifeblood of the sport. One of the things bodyboarding is lacking is adequate and up to date training for riders, which is also easily accessible and open to everyone. Fluidzone wants to help change this. We've sent Doc to a course with Nam and Dev at B.E.T before and the results were so good, we decided to get them down from Queensland again. The course was developed with some specific tweaks for bodyboarding. Riders from Tamarama Bodyboard club, Sydney Bodyboard club and Maroubra Bodyboarders attended. Both prone and dropknee were represented. Two water photographers also attended, Mark Tipple from The Underwater Project and Matt Harber - it's Matt's pics you see in the accompanying gallery.
Nam Baldwin is more than qualified to develop and run these courses. Previously a safety diver for a former world record holder in free diving, the course took him over two years to develop for heavy surf training. Freediving is relaxed and fluid. Big wave take-downs are violent, punishing and the rider's body is under massive duress.
We had a great time, but also our limits were pushed. Most improved of the day was young skidder Hinds who took his empty lung breath hold (where you exhale all air BEFORE holding your breath) from ten seconds at the beginning of the day to over 45 seconds by the end. Solid improvements were experienced by the big fellas too.
We'll be running another course through the clubs next year - everyone is welcome. Here are a couple of stories from the day to give an idea how beneficial B.E.T training is:
Doc: Some solid surf rocked up post to the training. I copped a good takedown, was ragdolled, dragged back under, held (usual story) but employing the principles taught by Nam, relaxed more than usual. When I came to the surface, I had the focus to get the one breath taken in just the way the B.E.T system taught before copping the next one on the head and going through it all again. The difference was that while underwater copping a punish, I was thinking "This is textbook to what we were taught and it is so EASY".
Skidder: When I first started the course my first thought was I cant do this but once you start to get the technique you start to realize how much easier it actually is. The course really helped me and I went from 10 seconds of holding my breath to 45. It was also good because Nam (our instructor) put us into real life situations as if we were out in the ocean. you also learned about the way your lungs and brain are connected to your lungs and how important your diaphragm is.
Diarmid Heidenreich: The B.E.T course is the best value for money course a surfer, whether amateur or pro, will ever find.
100 bucks for something that could potentially save your life, and make you healthier, is a bargain.
From a personal perspective, as a result of the course, I have now gained the confidence to push the wave size boundaries a little more. I'm sure it will make the difference between being confident and having fun in the big stuff as apposed to being a lamb to the slaughter.
Matt Harber: I will admit i was intimidated by the thought of participating in the 'Breath Enhancement Training', this course has seen the likes of big wave surfers Ross Clarke Jones and Mark Matthews attend, who would have to be the fittest athletes by any standards and I'm far from it. It is a course I've been very interested in for some time now and the opportunity arose through Doc at Fluidzone to attend. Short on numbers I jumped at the opportunity.
After the theory side was out of the way and we got into the pool my confidence was up. Thinking to myself "This is going to be easy, as a kid I would hold my breath and swim laps under water as a challenge" how wrong I was! after the first few exercises my heart was pounding, my chest felt like razor blades where cutting deep into my lungs. These exercises consisted of expired air training (no air in lungs) and swimming laps of a 25metre pool simulating set waves landing on your head. It really opened my eyes to the fact, that if I was to cop an 8 wave set after a heavy beat down, I could be in serious trouble. Even though the training simulated the most extreme limits of your lung capacity, its a situation you would hardly encounter in the surf too often, but a real eye opener to your lungs capacity.
The group then went into recovery mode and learnt a breathing exercises drawn from yoga meditation, slowing my breathing to one breath a minute and really feeling at peace and in control. Once the exercise was complete i was shocked to discover that breathing less allowed me to last longer under water, and the next set of expired air training saw all of us swimming peacefully and comfortably after simulating a wipe out, quick release from leash and swimming length of pool under water.
I feel adding these breathing exercises to my before surf warm up's and completing the 6 week training program provided, I've walked away more confident in my abilities under any form of stress and pressure associated with big wipe outs. I feel these breathing exercises would be of advantage and benefit anyone thinking of pushing their surfing into big waves. I will be attending this course in the future such is the positive affect it had on me mentally and spiritually. Get along to the next course and experience it for yourself. Peace.
You can find Nam and Devon at the Equalize training company or on the B.E.T facebook page
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