control your breath!

How can I train myself to control my breath in a airsoft skirmish? most of the time im calm but when im in hiding my heart gets to racing and I get to breathing heavy anyway to train myself to not do this?

Take deep calm measured breaths, that might lower your heart rate and teach you to shoot to your breath.

ok thanks

Take a deep breath inhaled through your mouth.
Hold it and count to 5.
1.....
2....
3....
4
5
Exhale through your nose.
don't INHALE, hold it and count to 5.
1....
2....
3....
4
5
NOW inhale through your mouth.
1....
2....
3....
4
5
Exhale through your nose.
1...
2...
3...
4
5
Inhale...
1...
etc etc


Anyway its actually funny but this really helps.. Its like you feel the oxygen going to your brain, and your heart just slows.. and you calm down.. This way you don't get an itchy trigger finger, or shaky hands

Or you could try holding your breath under water for periods of time I think thats how they train Navy SEAL snipers or just by holding your breath after a while you vital lung capacity should increase. This will make you be more relaxed and you will not become "short of breath"

this is an acctual technique used by the AMU or Army Marksmenship Unit and other sniper divisions.

don't think "i'm going to get shot!" think "I'm going to shoot them!"
think positive
and take deep breaths, and calm down, but learn to do that and take cover at the same time

well I was laying down hiding the other day at nigt from my spotter to work on stealth before i go to a event, getting ready to take the shot and my breathing and so on got me caught by him. ill try those methods

if your sniping, then I heard of this method real snipers use in military combat.
You take a deep breath, and when you hold in your breath, there is a moment where your muscles are relaxed and your insides are also a bit relaxed. It helps you hold the sniper.

well a little more info on mikes... the best moment to pull the trigger is inbetween heart beats..witch is whay true snipers do..but the down side is it takes years of practice to perfect it

yea ive heard of that method but i didnt know if it worked that well

well my cousin is a SSG and he knows a few sniper..if he calls ill be sure to have him ask..but form seeing what they can di i am 100% behind that method

Yes that would work there is also a natural puase in a humans breathing its a 3 second gap in between breaths. This gap can be widened by holding your breath and should open this window up to about 10 seconds but any longer and you will have involentary muscle movements that will throw off you shot.

Sounds as if you are getting to worked up about making the Hit.
Try focusing on all the work up to pulling the trigger, if your focused on all your adjustments, ranging, body position, breath control ( use the natural pauses between breaths ), you won´t have time to get excited about making the hit or not, and if you do all the work before you pull the trigger correctly, the hit will happen on its own .

exactly what mgunner and slob212 said.
another way to control your breath, even though maybe your airsoft wars are big, try not to sprint to fast wasting all your energy
it'll tire you out, if you really have to run, don't use ALL your energy.

Like afew people have said already - The most effective way is to simply lengthen the natural pause in your breath. Inhale, abit deeper then usual, make sure that you are calm and relaxed, then exhale, at the end of your exhale, there is a natural pause. Practice holding that natural pause for longer and longer.