Do You Suck at Breathing? (3 Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them)
Most people don’t realize that poor breathing habits are quietly draining their energy, focus, and recovery. In fact, research suggests
Your opponents are leaving nothing to chance. Every advantage matters. Yet 90% of combat athletes ignore the one thing they do 20,000 times a day: breathe.
It’s not just about cardio. It’s about how efficiently your body uses oxygen under pressure. Most fighters are operating at 70% of their respiratory potential. Imagine what you could do with the other 30%.
While your competitors focus only on strength and technique, you’ll access a hidden performance multiplier.
I’m Reed Blazer. I’ve spent 5 years learning about breathwork and developing breathing protocols specifically for combat athletes. My methods have helped MMA fighters, BJJ competitors, and weekend warriors alike push past their limits when others gas out. Not through complicated gadgets or esoteric techniques. Through scientific, systematized breathing that works under pressure. The truth? Your breathing mechanics are likely sabotaging your performance. Every inefficient breath is robbing you of energy when you need it most. In the third round. In the championship match. When everything is on the line.
I discovered this performance gap while competing myself. Now I’ve dedicated my life to closing it for athletes who refuse to leave their potential untapped.
Most combat athletes are fighting two opponents: their adversary and their own inefficient breathing patterns. When your breathing fails, everything fails - your technique, your power, your decision-making, your endurance.
The conventional wisdom of "just do more cardio" doesn't address the fundamental mechanics of how you process oxygen under extreme stress.
Functional Breathing, Tactical Breathing, and Performance Breathing: My 3 breathwork pillars cover all aspects of breathing to optimize your health, energy, and performance.
My protocols target the exact breathing limitations that hold fighters back, creating immediate gains that compound over time. Each concept is backed by science and proven to provide results for athletes of all levels.
Choose your path to respiratory dominance. Each approach is systematically designed to transform how you breathe.
LEVEL 1: FUNCTIONAL BREATHING
Master fundamental mechanics and correct dysfunctional patterns that have been limiting your performance for years. This is where we rebuild your breathing from the ground up.
LEVEL 2: TACTICAL BREATHING
Learn effective breathing strategies to use pre-exercise, mid-exercise, and post-exercise to maximize your aerobic performance and heart rate recovery.
LEVEL 3: PERFORMANCE BREATHING (COMING SOON)
Maximize your cardiovascular capabilities by increasing your lung capacity, improving your VO₂ Max, and generating Erythropoietin (EPO).
OXYGEN ADVANTAGE WORKSHOP
Learn effective breathing strategies and complete an exercise program for diaphragm strength, CO₂ tolerance, and EPO production.
WIM HOF BREATHING WORKSHOP
Learn the Wim Hof breathing method and its application to combat sports training and recovery.
WIM HOF FUNDAMENTALS WORKSHOP
Learn the Wim Hof breathing method, plus learn about the benefits of cold exposure by experiencing an ice bath.
Most combat athletes never discover the hidden respiratory flaws sabotaging their performance until it’s too late – when they’re gasping for air while their opponent still looks fresh.
This 2-minute assessment will reveal:
Your specific breathing dysfunction score
How much untapped performance you're leaving on the table
Which breathing strategy will give you the fastest performance gains
When everyone else is gasping for air, you'll maintain composure and technique. Proper breathing mechanics delay the onset of fatigue by up to 23%, giving you a critical edge in later rounds.
Advanced CO₂ tolerance training enables your body to clear lactate up to 36% faster between rounds. You'll start each new round fresher than your opponent, creating a compounding advantage.
When oxygen is limited, the brain suffers first. Optimized breathing patterns ensure your decision-making remains sharp even in the most grueling exchanges. No more technical mistakes due to respiratory fatigue.
Unlock elite levels of cardiovascular performance by increasing EPO and strengthening your lungs. Make the most out of every breath by delivering oxygen to your cells as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Most people don’t realize that poor breathing habits are quietly draining their energy, focus, and recovery. In fact, research suggests
5 years ago, I had never given a second thought towards my breath. It was simply a subconscious activity my
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the maaain event of the evening…” As Bruce Buffer began his famous introductions, TJ Dillashaw
Functional breathwork training is focused on eliminating poor breathing habits and learning proper breathing mechanics. Common goals include improving energy and sleep quality or reducing stress and anxiety by stimulating your vagus nerve. Functional breathing optimizes your health.
Tactical breathwork training is focused on using your breathwork strategically during training and competition. Using specific breathing patterns pre-exercise, mid-exercise, and post-exercise can maximize your aerobic performance and heart rate recovery.
Performance breathwork training is focused on optimizing your athletic performance. Breathwork can unlock new levels of your cardiovascular capabilities by increasing your lung capacity, generating Erythropoietin (EPO), and improving your VO₂ Max.
All steps of the coaching process, from initial evaluations to personalized programming, can be performed virtually. Most clients choose to meet virtually for their convenience, but in-person coaching is available depending on timing and location.
Breathwork programming is completely dependent on your availability and training schedule. I’ve seen clients get excellent results with as little as 5-10 minutes per day over a 4-week training block. Some clients like to incorporate breathwork into their daily morning routine, and others like to stack breathwork sessions on top of their workouts 2-3 times per week.
Breathwork is an excellent tool to use for mental wellness, but I recommend it as a supplement to other forms of treatment, not a replacement. Some breathing exercises, like Wim Hof breathing, have shown similar benefits to meditation, therapy, and trauma release through anecdotal evidence.