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Penalty shootouts in high-stakes matches, like the UEFA European Championship currently taking place in Germany, are nerve-wracking for both players and fans. On the 6th of July 2024, when England triumphed over Switzerland 5-4 during the quarter-finals of the competition on penalties, is a testament to the intense pressure these moments bring. Effective breathing techniques for penalty shootouts can be the key to maintaining composure and focus during such critical times.
Breathing is a fundamental aspect of managing stress and maintaining optimal performance under pressure. For athletes, particularly football players during a penalty shootout, controlled breathing helps in several ways:
"By incorporating these [breathing] methods into their training, the players managed their stress, maintained focus, and executed their penalties with precision, showcasing the significance of breathwork as a performance-enhancing tool."
Thomas Hague, Breath Coach
Elite athletes, including football players, often use specific breathing techniques to stay calm and focused. Here are a few techniques that could have been used by the England players during their penalty shootout against Switzerland:
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing: Also known as belly breathing, this technique involves breathing deeply into the diaphragm through the nose rather than shallowly into the chest. It ensures more oxygen intake and helps in maintaining a calm state.
2. Light, Slow and Deep breathing: Light breathing refers to the process of inhaling and exhaling small amounts of air with minimal effort. The primary focus is on reducing the volume of air taken in and expelled. It’s benefits include, improved CO₂ Tolerance as light breathing helps maintain a higher level of carbon dioxide in the blood, which is essential for optimal oxygen delivery to tissues. It enhances oxygen utilisation by maintaining CO₂ levels, light breathing improves the release of oxygen from hemoglobin to body tissues, a process known as the Bohr effect.
It promotes calmness and Relaxation as light breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing stress.
Slow Breathing involves taking fewer breaths per minute, typically around 5-6 breaths, as opposed to the normal 12-20 breaths per minute in a resting adult. This lowers heart rate, promoting cardiovascular health. It reduces stress as slow, deliberate breaths activate the vagus nerve, inducing a state of calm and reducing anxiety and stress levels. Slow breathing enhances mental clarity and focus by increasing the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain.
Deep breathing means inhaling air deeply into the lungs, ensuring that the diaphragm (not the chest) does most of the work whilst increasing minute ventilation. This type of breathing fully engages the diaphragm and promotes optimal oxygen exchange. Deep breathing exercises the lungs, improving their capacity and efficiency. Deep breaths ensure that a larger volume of air reaches the alveoli, where oxygen is exchanged for CO₂, improving overall oxygen levels in the body. Deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to relaxation and reduced stress.
3. Box Breathing: This involves inhaling for four seconds, holding the breath for four seconds, exhaling for four seconds, and holding the breath again for four seconds. This method helps in calming the mind and reducing stress. This might not be achievable for some people which all depends on the individual’s CO₂ tolerance and BOLT Score. If you find this hard try 2-3 seconds instead 4.
4. Focused Breathing: Concentrating on the breath and counting each inhale and exhale can help players stay present in the moment, reducing anxiety and improving focus. For many athletes finding a cadence of 4-5 second inhale and exhale is best. If extra calm is required extending the exhale by a second or 2 can be extremely effective. The player should concentrate simply on their breath and try to shut out thoughts that enter their mind. Whilst it’s natural for the mind to wander, practising breathing in a quiet and calm place, with soft relaxing music with an eye mask has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety more than what a meditation practice provides.
"Practicing penalties while consciously using breathing techniques can simulate the high-pressure environment of an actual shootout, helping players create calm and focus which are crucial during these moments of high pressure." - Thomas Hague, Breath Coach
During the penalty shootout on 6th July 2024, England's players displayed remarkable composure and precision. Here are the players who took the penalties and their sequence:
1. Cole Palmer: As the captain and prolific penalty taker, Harry Kane was substituted during extra time, Palmer had the guts and presence of mind to step up first. I would suggest that out of any player in the England squad, Palmer seems someone who uses his mouth to breath over his nose in all situations off and on the pitch. He breathes in a way that is the opposite to what I teach athletes. This won’t help his health or performanace but as his nickname suggests he is ice cold on the pitch and has a mature head for someone his age. I think he could become a better player if he were to train his breathing.
2. Jude Bellingham: Following Palmer, Bellinghams penalty was a display of calmness and technique. For a 21 year old he oozes calm and maturity.
3. Bukayo Saka: The penalty showcased his maturity and focus under pressure as the whole nation willed him on after the abuse he received after missing a penalty during the shootout penalty in the last euros against Italy.
4. Ivan Toney: Known for his composure, Toney executed his penalty with precision and without looking at the ball which has caused many ex-players to say that it takes such focus and composure under such pressure.
5. Trent Alexander-Arnold: Sealing the victory, Alexander-Arnold’s experience and calm demeanour were evident in his penalty. His calmness under pressure has been obvious over the past few seasons during high-pressure moments such as penalty-taking for his club Liverpool. His mouth is always closed and his breathing is light, slow and deep. He seems to concentrate on his breath over everything else. He uses a reset breath before taking the penalty to blow off excess carbon dioxide. This reset breath is used and made famous by Cristiano Ronaldo when he takes free kicks and penalties. A large inhale in through the nose or mouth followed by a forceful exhale.
The use of a breathing coach during England’s preparation for the quarter-finals was very useful in making the players aware of how using their breath to create calm under pressure was fundamental to their success from the penalty spot. If you want the footage back you’ll see the players using the techniques I talk about in this blog from light, slow and deep breathing to CO₂ dumping. Now let’s take a look at that…
The exhale breath / CO₂ dumping calms breathing. As elevated levels of CO₂ in the blood cause the body the breathe faster, this is a key element in teaching athletes to better manage their breathing to increase performance during a match setting.
I would suggest that this technique of CO₂ dumping should not only be used during high-pressure moments but also during matches when a player has finished a period of high-intensity play such as sprints into forward positions or tracking back to defend against an opposing attack. When players are breathing quickly due to the elevated levels of CO₂ in the blood they can reset their breathing by exhaling as much CO₂ as possible with 1 to 3 full, strong exhales when there is a break in play. As CO₂ is the primary stimulus to breathe it’s important to ‘dump’ it or get rid of it to calm breathing and create optimal focus, concentration and decision-making.
As a group of players, I would have coached them to use this CO₂ dumping during matches, in between the 90-minute and extra time, immediately after extra time leading up to the penalties and during the penalties. Calm, focus and excellent decision-making in elite sports is the difference between winning and losing.
Small margins
When players are training I coach them the opposite. Don’t use CO₂ dumps as we want the body to become accustomed to excess levels of CO₂. to build a healthy tolerance. You can more information on CO₂ tolerance in my other blog.
"Breathing is the only autonomic bodily function that we can fully influence, and this is why controlling it rather than it controlling you is key to recovery."
Thomas Hague, Breath Coach
Regular practice of controlled breathing helps build resilience in athletes of any sport, making them better equipped to handle pressure.
Boosting Performance: Breathing techniques such as strong breath-holds on an exhale can be implemented to increase carbon dioxide tolerance by mimicking altitude training at 5,000 metres. This helps delay lactic acid build-up and fatigue, increases oxygen ventilation and blood flow, maximises efficiency, releases and increases EPO and red blood cells and boosts recovery times. All these factors are essential for athletes looking to perform at their very best.
Increasing Recovery Times: Using breathing techniques to down-regulate and calm the nervous system after games is crucial for athletes to promote recovery immediately after the game. The body is primed to perform, and therefore the sympathetic nervous system is in full swing aided by high levels of cortisol and adrenaline. This would have been evident during and after the game and the penalties concluded. Breathing is the only autonomic bodily function that we can fully influence, and this is why controlling it rather than it controlling you is key to recovery.
Building Muscle Memory: Just like physical skills, breathing techniques need to be practiced to become second nature. Breathing lightly, slowly, and deeply 24/7 can be adopted by the brain and its respiratory centre over approximately 66 days. Awareness is key to building muscle memory. With awareness comes choice.
Simulating Pressure: Practicing penalties while consciously using breathing techniques can simulate the high-pressure environment of an actual shootout. While it's difficult to replicate the pressure created by the noise of the crowds, the cameras beaming the live footage worldwide and to millions of UK viewers, this external noise can be somewhat cut out by using the breath to create calm and focus, which are crucial during these moments of high pressure.
I would suggest using CO₂ dumping as a key strategy as well as light, slow, and deep breaths to a cadence of 4-5 second inhales and 4-5 second exhales through the nose. For some players, it may be useful to incorporate a small breath-hold every couple of breaths for 5-10 seconds to create calm and also a stimulus to keep them balanced. Some players are naturally calm and require a stressor or stimulus to bring their mind and body into flow and focus. Every person and every breath is different, so this has to be considered when working with teams or groups such as the men's England team.
The use of controlled breathing techniques during the penalty shootout against Switzerland played a crucial role in England's success. By incorporating these methods into their training, the players managed their stress, maintained focus, and executed their penalties with precision. This approach to elite performance preparation is crucial in major tournaments, highlighting the importance of breathwork in both elite and amateur sports. Thank you, England and The FA, for showcasing the significance of breathwork as a performance-enhancing tool.
Come on England!
Thomas Hague
