A Good Ol'-Fashioned Breathing Block By The Blue Stars
A Good Ol'-Fashioned Breathing Block By The Blue Stars
Check out the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps demonstrating what it's like to be in a breathing block during their 2017 spring training.
With the 2017 DCI Tour rapidly approaching, corps are upping the intensity when it comes to training and endurance building.
Breathing blocks have been around for a long time in drum corps and will continue to be there for as long as the sport exists. But for those who don't know what it actually looks like, check this out.
The Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps posted this great video showing the world just exactly how a breathing block works... or in this case a "running breathing block." Setting their horns aside for the 11-minute-long exercise, members of Blue Stars follow the tempos of their drum major's jam block and breathing counts from staff.
You may also notice in a couple of instances the use of PVC pipes. Depending on posture of the head and neck, tongue placement, and the degree to which the jaw bone is open, airflow to the lungs can be restricted. The purpose of the short pipes, held in the players' mouths, is to open up the airway and allow them to have unrestricted airflow to their lungs.
Building the performers lung capacity is also a benefit of this type of training.
Mental Fortitude
There is an element mental toughness that an exercise like this brings to the table as well. Depending on your overall physical fitness, putting your body through a breathing block can be a shock to the system the first time.
The structured breathing in combination with the physical exertion will push some members to their limits. But learning to push through those boundaries and understanding that your body is capable of doing so much more than you think is one of the most important lessons in drum corps.
Make sure you check out the Blue Stars and Cavaliers on FloMarching at the 2017 DCI Spring Training Finale. This will be your first chance to see these two World Class corps perform their shows LIVE on FloMarching.
How to Watch
ON TV: Available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app now.
STREAMING: Only on FloMarching with a PRO subscription. A yearly PRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites. Join Now
• Follow us on Instagram @FloMarching
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Breathing blocks have been around for a long time in drum corps and will continue to be there for as long as the sport exists. But for those who don't know what it actually looks like, check this out.
The Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps posted this great video showing the world just exactly how a breathing block works... or in this case a "running breathing block." Setting their horns aside for the 11-minute-long exercise, members of Blue Stars follow the tempos of their drum major's jam block and breathing counts from staff.
You may also notice in a couple of instances the use of PVC pipes. Depending on posture of the head and neck, tongue placement, and the degree to which the jaw bone is open, airflow to the lungs can be restricted. The purpose of the short pipes, held in the players' mouths, is to open up the airway and allow them to have unrestricted airflow to their lungs.
Building the performers lung capacity is also a benefit of this type of training.
Mental Fortitude
There is an element mental toughness that an exercise like this brings to the table as well. Depending on your overall physical fitness, putting your body through a breathing block can be a shock to the system the first time.The structured breathing in combination with the physical exertion will push some members to their limits. But learning to push through those boundaries and understanding that your body is capable of doing so much more than you think is one of the most important lessons in drum corps.
Make sure you check out the Blue Stars and Cavaliers on FloMarching at the 2017 DCI Spring Training Finale. This will be your first chance to see these two World Class corps perform their shows LIVE on FloMarching.
How to Watch
ON TV: Available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app now.STREAMING: Only on FloMarching with a PRO subscription. A yearly PRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites. Join Now
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• Follow us on Twitter @FloMarching• Follow us on Instagram @FloMarching
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