INFLUENCE OF ALTERING BREATHING TECHNIQUES ON PASSIVE DRAG: A PRELIMINARY REPORT

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine if passive drag could be altered by adopting different breathing techniques; chest breathing technique and abdominal breathing technique. Six male subjects participated in this study. Each Subject was towed at a constant towing force in the glide position with inflating their chest or abdomen. The steady-state velocity was measured and the drag coefficients was calculated for each breathing technique. Results showed that the towing velocity was significantly greater with abdominal breathing technique than with chest breathing technique (p<0.1). The drag coefficients were significantly lower (p<0.1) with abdominal breathing technique (0.028±0.003) than with chest breathing technique (0.030±0.003). These results suggest that breathing technique affects the magnitude of passive drag.