In water mouthfill excercises

[timm]

Hey,

Anyone got any good methods for learning mouthfill in water.

I have read and mostly done erics doc, and old posts, and currently use reverse packing to get to 50, but the single mouthfiill is still somewhat illusive.

I am diving shallow tomorrow and thought it perfect time to practice, so I was thinking all dives FRC / negative as 10m max.

My main problem is with getting the air from mouth to tubes, so i presume I have epiglottis closed, and soft pallet down.

Currently thinking of working on the uuggghh sounds, to move air and then clear as this made the most sense on reading old posts.

Any hints, experience, excerices that I can take in water tomorrow would be handy.

Ta

Tim

[samdive]

krispy kremes and jelly beans

(sorry)

Don't panic - we have a whole weekend to get this sussed!

[timm]

Yep doughnuts is the solution, just shared your ma's cake with the office, went down very well.

It will come, as you say a whole weekend should shed some light, and am going to try a few out tomorrow to see if I get anywhere.

Tim

[demasoni]

Hey timm,

Krispy Kremes and Jelly Belly's all the way! A dozen, steamy original glazed please...

This suggestion may sound ridiculously simple, but this has worked for me to simulate the mouthfill wet or dry. My problem was that I had both my epiglottis and soft palate closed or open at the same time. To keep the soft palate in the neutral position and epiglottis closed, this is what I practiced:

1. Pinch you nose and keep it pinched.

2. Inflate your mouth and expand your cheeks and lower your jaw as you would in the water.

3. OK, this is the semi-moronic simplified part - knowing your epiglottis is closed, focus on consciously trying to "relax" your soft palate in this state. The conscious effort is similar to trying to wiggle your ears.

If it all works out, you should feel the air quickly flow to your tubes and to the eardrums and you may even hear/feel a slight pop. You will also feel air flow into your nose and against your pinched fingers.

Once you achieve this state, the trick is to keep it this way the entire dive while using your tongue/cheeks to force the air into the tubes.

[samdive]

wooo - that worked! I have an 'orrible cold and haven't had clear ears all day - now I do! thanks!

[fcallagy]

question should it feel like you have swallowed? ( i know you dont swallow your mouthfill) in that your tubes are open all the time and there is pressure againest the eardrums all the time or am i doing it wrong

[samdive]

Feargus -the one that feels like you are swallowing/yawning is BTV - when you hold your tubes open the whole time. If you can do that then you shouldn't need mouthfill
Prevention of Middle Ear Barotrauma

[Bill]

Timm
The excercise that helps me the most is with a balloon. To blow it up you must close off your nostrils and to let the air out your nose you must open them. Insert balloon, in through the nose to the lungs, out to the balloon from the lungs, then let the air in the balloon out your nose.
Head down in the water, using you cheeks instead of the balloon and you've got it.

[fflupo]

or another dry exercise
put some air in the ballon hold it closed
exhale complete, close epiclotis and take the ballon in your mouth and let the air out of the nose don t let it get sucked in the lung.
keep the epiclotis strong

[johnny]

in water, master it head up first on a rope( free imersion) in FRC doing mouthfill on the surface. Then in FRC go for an explosive mouthfill at around -3m( or take it deeper for difficulty level increase) head up pulling your self down the rope. ( after the mouthfill i swallow once to feel the epiglotis and keep it closed ) Keep your tubes open always..it is like driving an automatic car

then repeat in head down position ....

i find it easier with just a noseclip,.. you don't have to worry about equalizing the mask.

don't hammer the training you'll get a sticky ear then get fustrated.. small good doses.

have fun

[trullalla]

Originally Posted by fcallagy

question should it feel like you have swallowed? ( i know you dont swallow your mouthfill) in that your tubes are open all the time and there is pressure againest the eardrums all the time or am i doing it wrong

hey feargus,
you're not doing anything wrong, on the contrary! if you get a big mouthfill, sometimes the pressure in your mouth is so strong that it keeps the tubes open and you don't need to perform the frenzel. at some point, if you continue your descent the pressure decrease in your mouth, and you'll have to start equalize again because the tubes get closed.
(btw, did you get your irish record recognized? if so, congratulations

sam, if you are doing btv, you still need to do the mouthfill, because if you don't have air in your mouth, how can you get air in your tubes? it's the same principle, just different equalization technique.

cheers
linda