Control the Climb: Using Box Breathing to Reset and Refocus
We’ve all been there in sports and life, the heart rate picks up, the shoulders tighten, and focus starts to slip. Whether it’s before a big game, during a critical meeting, or in the middle of daily stress, we can all feel when our arousal level starts to climb. The key isn’t to ignore it. It’s to notice it.
Step one is awareness.
When you start to recognize the early signs such as, faster breathing, shorter attention span, and/or tighter muscles, you can create space between you and the stressor. That space gives you the power to act rather than react. This is where a simple but powerful tool comes in: box breathing.
Looking more into this first step, how do we recognize the pattern of our body responding to stressors? We have two choices, we can be aware of our body’s past responses to stressors through reflecting on previous times that we know stress played a crucial role, or we can focus on the times that we perform perfectly and recognize when something feels out of place. Both techniques work well to help us recognize the cues our body is giving us that something is starting to not be right and we need to take action.
(See below for journal prompt)
What is Box Breathing?
Box breathing, sometimes called “tactical breathing,” is a controlled breathing technique used by athletes, Special Operations Operators, and high performers to regulate their stress response and bring clarity under pressure.
The method is simple, imagine tracing the sides of a square:
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds
Hold your breath for 4 seconds
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 4 seconds
Hold again for 4 seconds
Repeat the cycle 3–5 times, or until your breathing slows and your focus returns. I recommend starting with 4 seconds per step and then adjusting to find what works best for you. When I was in Military Free Fall training and jumping from 12k+, I would use box breathing to maintain focus on the command and checking my equipment while also staying in-tune with my body.
Breath work is scientifically backed and the cheapest tool you can use to maximize your focus and arousal/stress control.
Physiologically, box breathing helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and recover” system, which calms your heart rate and quiets the body’s stress response. Through the activation of your parasympathetic nervous system, your sympathetic nervous system “fight or flight” deactivates and allows your body to begin to relax. Mentally, it provides an anchor: something consistent to focus on when everything else feels uncertain or overwhelming. It can be used to activate the whole body through the use of diaphragmic breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, if you are in a place that you can perform it.
The result?
- Lower stress and tension
- Improved focus and control
- A more deliberate, composed response to challenges
Step Two, put it into practice.
You don’t have to wait for game day or a crisis to practice box breathing. Start small: before training, during a commute, or while sitting at your desk. The more familiar your body becomes with the rhythm, the easier it is to use when stress starts to rise. The goal is to build muscle memory so that when stressors arise, your body naturally knows where to turn to take control. Research has shown that during high stress situations your body relies on previously developed habits, so the best time to start working on this skill is now, outside of the stress filled environment you plan to us it in.
Awareness and control are the foundation of mental performance.
Breathwork is simply the bridge between the two.
Step Three, invest in your performance.
At Peregrine Rising Mental Performance, we help athletes, coaches, and teams develop practical tools to stay composed, confident, and consistent in sport and in life. We develop athletes to be leaders and give them the understanding of how and why to use the tools so they can take the knowledge forward throughout their entire life.
Schedule your first one-on-one or team coaching session today and start building your toolbox for peak performance.
~ Dr. Ty
Journal Prompt:
Athletes 15 & Older: Think of a time you felt the negative impact of stress on your performance. What external factors led up to the first indication of stress? What did your body tell you? What cues can you identify before your performance was impacted, while your performance was being impacted, and how did you respond or recover after the negative performance? Next, think of a time you felt everything was working right and performing at your best was easy. What cues did your body give you that were different than the negative performance?
Athletes 11-15: Focus on the internal cues of stress, what is the first sign that you are being stressed out? What helped you stay present in your game?