Read time: 3 minutes.

The Connection Between Sports Performance and Breathing Rate

Breathing is often overlooked in sports performance, yet it has significant physiological and psychological effects.

This review explores the impact of slow (VSB) vs. fast breathing (VFB) on athletic performance.

It attempts to merge physiological and psychological aspects of breathing, which are typically studied separately.

Can slow or fast breathing strategies enhance physiological efficiency, mental clarity, and overall performance?

Study: Sports Performance and Breathing Rate: What Is the Connection? A Narrative Review on Breathing Strategies​

What did the researchers do?

The narrative review examined existing research on breathing strategies in sports.

Key Focus Areas

• Physiological impact (heart rate, oxygenation, nervous system activity)
• Psychological impact (stress, anxiety, focus)
• Practical applications for athletes (before, during, and after exercise)

Breathing Types Analyzed

• Slow Breathing (VSB): 4-10 breaths per minute
• Fast Breathing (VFB): Over 20 breaths per minute

What were the results?

Slow Breathing

Physiological Benefits

• Decreases heart rate and blood pressure.
• Enhances cardiovascular efficiency and oxygenation.
• Activates the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxation and recovery).
• Improves heart rate variability (HRV), linked to better stress resilience.

Psychological Benefits

• Lowers stress and anxiety.
• Improves focus, mental clarity, and emotional control.
• Enhances executive function, memory, and cognitive flexibility.

Fast Breathing

Physiological Effects

• Increases heart rate and blood pressure.
• Elevates sympathetic nervous system activity (fight-or-flight response).
• Can temporarily improve oxygen delivery, but excessive use may cause dizziness, hyperventilation, and muscle fatigue.

Psychological Effects

• Can induce anxiety, stress, and panic when uncontrolled.
• May enhance short-term reaction time and alertness but negatively affects endurance.

What does this mean?

Breathing Benefits

• Slow breathing (VSB) is highly beneficial for recovery, focus, and endurance sports.
• Fast breathing (VFB) is useful in short bursts for arousal before high-intensity activity but may have negative long-term effects if overused.

Breathing Strategy

The optimal strategy depends on the sport:

• Strength and power sports (e.g., weightlifting, sprinting) may benefit from fast breathing before action.
• Endurance sports (e.g., marathon running, cycling) benefit from slow, controlled breathing.

Limitations

• There are no definitive performance-based trials, and most findings are based on physiological and psychological markers rather than direct athletic outcomes.
• More sport-specific research is needed to determine how to best apply these breathing strategies in real competition scenarios.

Coach's Takeaway

• Slow breathing ⮕ Can improve recovery, lower stress, and enhance endurance performance.
• Fast breathing ⮕ Can be a tool for arousal and power output but should be used cautiously to avoid hyperventilation.
• Breathing drills ⮕ Incorporate into training, warm-ups, and recovery protocols for better mental and physical performance.

Application

• Try this for recovery ⮕ 6 breaths per minute for 5 min
• Try this for readiness ⮕ 3 quick breaths before a power movement

I hope this was helpful.

Ramsey

Our Coach's Agreement

I'll keep writing research breakdowns like this one, and if you find them valuable, share them with someone. Deal? Deal.

When you're ready, I have a couple of ways I can help you grow:

1) Want to join our community of coaches worldwide and increase your coaching knowledge, career, and impact?

​Check out the Applied Performance Coach Course and Certification​

2) Want to learn more about jump analysis with force plates and force plates in general?

​Consider the on-demand Jumping with Force Plates Course​

3) Want to join a network for coaches worldwide and have a hub for online performance education, connection, and growth?

​Join the Performance Academy Waitlist ​​

If you want to get social, give me a follow on Twitter and Instagram by clicking the links below.

​​