[ladyfighter]

Originally Posted by Sensei Tom OBrien

My Sensei always stressed proper breathing. When people held their breathe doing a technique he used to say it’s like pulling the plug out of an electrical appliance. We would do breathing exercises in sanchin/hangetsu dachi and Sensei would tell us to imagine our lungs are like 2 balloons filling up. Then we would push the air out and try to empty them. People only use about 1/3 of their lung capacity in the course of a day when not working out. He also stressed that the worst time to get hit in the bread-basket or solar plexus is when you are breathing in. You can practice breathing techniques almost anywhere at any time silently - driving in a car, walking or even in an elevator.
Thanks,
Tom

Your Sensei sounds just like my dad!! lol He's stressed proper breathing since I was very small!