feud with the gym teacher

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  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
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    BTW, the whole "breathe in through the nose and out the mouth" thing is misguided as well. As intensity of effort increases, you need to be able to ventilate as much air as possible and restricting that by nose-breathing is like putting a plastic bag over your head.

    Yes and no. If you're doing something that leaves you gasping, like a HIIT workout, by all means match your breathing with intensity in whatever way you can. If you have to mouth breath to get enough oxygen, go for it. You shouldn't be gasping during a distance run. It's a steady state aerobic activity. When you're doing a steady state aerobic activity your breathing should be heavier than normal, but not gasping. In this case, barring sinus issues or something preventing normal breathing, you should breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. We're built to breathe through our noses, and the sinus cavities clean a lot of impurities out of the air we breath when the nose is used.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    So I am not a marathon runner, but I have always been taught that while running, you should aim to breathe in a natural, steady, rhythmic pattern with your footfalls....in through the nose, out through the mouth.

    So...

    My son came home from school the other day complaining about running in gym class. Mind you, he is not a runner and gets winded pretty quickly, but he tries. He stopped to catch his breath and his gym teacher told him that when he is struggling to breathe while running, he should hold his breath as long as he can and push through it. My son says that he feels like he's going to pass out when he does this but the teacher insists.

    We're not talking about track & field or cross country here...we are talking about 4th graders.

    Am I right to be upset or is there a benefit to holding your breath while running???

    I would be heated and the "teacher" and I would have a serious encounter!

    Why?
  • mizzie1980
    mizzie1980 Posts: 379 Member
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    I'm not a runner, not a PE teacher and not a doctor. But my, admittedly limited, knowledge of exercise, muscles and air says that's a BAD idea. Your body needs air. The faster our hearts pump, the faster the blood flows and therefore the faster we need to breathe to supply the air for the blood. It's actually not healthy to push yourself to the point of passing out, that's your body's way of telling you to slow down a bit. It's one thing if you are in training, quiet another when we are talking about children in PE.

    So, I'd like to hear that teacher explain, to my satisfaction, how holding your breath in this situation is supposed to help!?! You would be denying your body what it needs, when it needs it the most.
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
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    sorry I LOL-ed at this

    really? Hold your breath while running?
  • blisster96
    blisster96 Posts: 4
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    It's a school gym coach...they're not fitness experts!

    I'm not sure a school coach couldn't be an expert.

    It was apparently a technique in vogue with swimming coaches once - meant to increase conditioning faster. Does it work? Does it work for running? Of that, I have no idea......
    I'm on a swim team and one of the things we do is breath control but I have never heard of doing that for running.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    I've read a lot of running training books written by Olympians and Olympic level coaches and I have never heard of the idea of running while holding your breath.

    Physiologically it doesn't make any sense.
  • mommyskis
    mommyskis Posts: 277 Member
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    I can't believe how many people want to go bash the teacher right off based on the words of a fourth grader. I am a teacher - how would you like it if we believed everything your kids told us about you? It could just be a misunderstanding, which you can't know unless you chat with that teacher. Kids sometimes have a different perspective on situations and they aren't being dishonest, they just saw things differently perhaps because of emotions or just because they are KIDS. You can talk quietly with a kid about a poor choice they made and they can go home and tell their parents you yelled at them. Getting angry at a teacher without any discussion with him or her is not going to make the situation any better.
  • Doodlewhopper
    Doodlewhopper Posts: 1,018 Member
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    I can't believe how many people want to go bash the teacher right off based on the words of a fourth grader. I am a teacher - how would you like it if we believed everything your kids told us about you? It could just be a misunderstanding, which you can't know unless you chat with that teacher. Kids sometimes have a different perspective on situations and they aren't being dishonest, they just saw things differently perhaps because of emotions or just because they are KIDS. You can talk quietly with a kid about a poor choice they made and they can go home and tell their parents you yelled at them. Getting angry at a teacher without any discussion with him or her is not going to make the situation any better.

    ^^^^Good practice for all of life's situations. Knowledge before action.

    A teacher friend had a student tell her that he walked into his parents bedroom one night and found his daddy "wearing lady clothes". After a few weeks we discovered that the kid spoke the truth....dad was merely helping mom sew a dress and the funny thing is, mom was leading the kids in teasing daddy for "wearing lady clothes! After 4 years the dad still pays the price at the golf course ! lol "lady clothes your out"
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    I've read a lot of running training books written by Olympians and Olympic level coaches and I have never heard of the idea of running while holding your breath.

    Physiologically it doesn't make any sense.

    Mary Decker's coach. Guy was a Brazilian. He also coached a fellow countryman to gold over shorter distances. Here's some info:

    http://www.viewzone.com/breathing.html

    not sure I've ever heard of any other coaches using the technique in training runners. Again, if the athlete believes in their coach that's probably more important than any "technique" when you're close to your genetic potential anyway. It's the mind that gets you that extra of couple of percentage points and separates the greats from the also rans.
  • cubbies77
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
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    I can't believe how many people want to go bash the teacher right off based on the words of a fourth grader. I am a teacher - how would you like it if we believed everything your kids told us about you? It could just be a misunderstanding, which you can't know unless you chat with that teacher. Kids sometimes have a different perspective on situations and they aren't being dishonest, they just saw things differently perhaps because of emotions or just because they are KIDS. You can talk quietly with a kid about a poor choice they made and they can go home and tell their parents you yelled at them. Getting angry at a teacher without any discussion with him or her is not going to make the situation any better.

    Bingo!
  • upgetupgetup
    upgetupgetup Posts: 749 Member
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    I can't believe how many people want to go bash the teacher right off based on the words of a fourth grader. I am a teacher - how would you like it if we believed everything your kids told us about you? It could just be a misunderstanding, which you can't know unless you chat with that teacher. Kids sometimes have a different perspective on situations and they aren't being dishonest, they just saw things differently perhaps because of emotions or just because they are KIDS. You can talk quietly with a kid about a poor choice they made and they can go home and tell their parents you yelled at them. Getting angry at a teacher without any discussion with him or her is not going to make the situation any better.

    Of course, discuss, clarify any possible confusion. Key point though: kid = not happy about gym class. 'Emotions' or 'being kids' are all real experiences.

    Whatever misunderstanding took place, if that's what it was, that kid left probably more than one class feeling distressed and this teacher's efforts to remedy that, if it's even been noticed, have sucked so far (or at least been insensitive, which is not unheard of in teachers, sorry).

    More flies caught with honey than vinegar, so yes tread carefully, be positive, etc.
  • devastation77
    devastation77 Posts: 233
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    So I am not a marathon runner, but I have always been taught that while running, you should aim to breathe in a natural, steady, rhythmic pattern with your footfalls....in through the nose, out through the mouth.

    So...

    My son came home from school the other day complaining about running in gym class. Mind you, he is not a runner and gets winded pretty quickly, but he tries. He stopped to catch his breath and his gym teacher told him that when he is struggling to breathe while running, he should hold his breath as long as he can and push through it. My son says that he feels like he's going to pass out when he does this but the teacher insists.

    We're not talking about track & field or cross country here...we are talking about 4th graders.

    Am I right to be upset or is there a benefit to holding your breath while running???

    This sounds like it would work really well....in making a person pass out.
  • Granada88
    Granada88 Posts: 40 Member
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    Whoa, whoa, whoa here. Exercise physiologists? Asthma testing? Physical violence to the teacher? Guys, we have a kid that isn't used to running, and he got out of breath doing it. This is normal. The teacher gave (poor in my opinion, though the child may have misunderstood as someone else points out) advice. Talk to the teacher, tell him you think the breath holding thing is bad, and help the child by showing him the correct way to improve. If after a legitimate attempt to improve there is still a breathing issue, then start thinking about talking to a doctor. Jumping to asthma at this point is like assuming that every time you have the sniffles you should get a meningitis test.

    Nearly everyone gets out of breath when they first start trying to run any distance, this is because nearly everyone tries to run too fast. The speed at which you should start distance training is always slower than seems reasonable.

    I agree with this statement here. Training your breathing is as important as training to perform the task at hand. Controlled breathing is obviously very important in whatever sport we pursue. It's hard to imagine why a PE teacher would push this sort of thing on to a child. But, again the child may have misunderstood what the teacher was saying. But, if the child is CORRECT about what the teacher was telling him to do?? That teacher has no business teaching PE class. Because he hasn't a freaking CLUE what he's doing. But, that and a $1.50 can get you a cup of coffee just about anywhere.
  • cubbies77
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
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    Have you spoken with his teacher yet? How did it turn out?
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
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    Common sense says ...
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTys1qRyaz1nbgEzCrctCoXJkjo6jK9c-eZkk7Q3DH5ugmg_aXlyQ
  • LoveMyLife_NYC
    LoveMyLife_NYC Posts: 230 Member
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    I can't believe how many people want to go bash the teacher right off based on the words of a fourth grader. I am a teacher - how would you like it if we believed everything your kids told us about you? It could just be a misunderstanding, which you can't know unless you chat with that teacher. Kids sometimes have a different perspective on situations and they aren't being dishonest, they just saw things differently perhaps because of emotions or just because they are KIDS. You can talk quietly with a kid about a poor choice they made and they can go home and tell their parents you yelled at them. Getting angry at a teacher without any discussion with him or her is not going to make the situation any better.

    THANK you! As a fellow teacher, the bashing here was making me really angry! ALL of your children's teachers need to be highly qualified in order to be in charge of the students, including art, music, and PE. This means, they would have had to go to school to study the subject, earn a degree (in some states a master's as well), pass the state tests, and get hired by the school district.

    I've had some unhappy kids in my music class, and that mostly happens when the kid is either too shy to speak up about a problem or they cannot articulate what is wrong -- even when I know there's a problem and start a dialogue. That could be what's happening here. All it takes is a civil conversation with the teacher and some teamwork to make the situation positive. The teacher isn't being malicious. He made a suggestion. And if it's causing stress for your son, I'm sure he wants to speak with you about it. His goal as a PE teacher is to make sure the children are active and find joy and confidence while exercising. It is most definitely NOT to make your fourth grade son miserable all year.
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
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    I run 2-4 miles a day, 5 or more days a week and I dont hold my breath. That sounds ridiculous to me.

    Just playing devil's advocate, could your son have confused the message? You may want to hear it straight from the teacher before you get your mama bear claws out. Or is it possible your child hates running enough that he is giving the teacher excuses when breathing trouble isnt really the problem? Kids do that. You ask them to clean their room and they have a jillion excuses, drag their feet, and make it much harder than it needed to be because they just didnt want to. Just get the teachers side before you make a judgement on the subject. I'm not saying your child is lying, but it could be a misunderstanding. I agree with being an advocate for children. But they are human, not perfect. It's hard to see your kids in the wrong, to be objective. This week it's been on our local news that a mentally challenged middle-schooler was kicked off a school bus miles from home when the bus driver realized she wasnt supposed to be on that bus. The school investigated and they didn't even have a bus that went in the route she was found. It later came out that the girl lied because she was scared she would get in trouble for dawdling and missing her bus. But first that mom was all over the news talking about what a horrible human being the bus driver is.

    Do talk to the teacher. If he is in fact trying to make your kid hold his breath to run, go to the principal and raise all hell. But get all the info first. Hear both sides. Make sure the 4th grader is fully understanding the teacher. Make sure your kid isnt being obstinent, like kids often do.
  • avababy05
    avababy05 Posts: 930 Member
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    You should speak to the teacher directly.I run and I do have asthma and when I have difficulty breathing AFTER a run I do breath in through my nose and then slowing out of my mouth.A lot of times I find if I start THINKING too much about my breathing and the possibilty of having an asthma attack,I am more likely to have an asthma attack.More of an anxiety reaction.But for I child I would take no chances and get to the root of what you were told by your son.

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