BTV (hands free) dry tips and techniques please

[Fondueset]

Yawning wins - no question. Swallowing is a harder way to get to it. You can also yawn without hitting them - but it takes effort. Its also pretty close to ujjayi.

[cdavis]

It varies hugely with the individual, so many ways to come at BTV. My ears crack every time I swallow, but not every time I yawn.

Connor

[naiad]

Originally Posted by OceanObsessed

Perhaps this is what I have been missing. That is positioning my tubes open on the surface before descending.

What I have found with BTV is that it only works if I start equalizing from a very shallow depth. If I start at less than 1m, I can make it work to the bottom of the pool at 4m. If I leave it for 2m, it is impossible to equalize that way. As things are now, I still find it very difficult, and so I usually use Frenzel instead. The discovery of Frenzel has been a major breakthrough for me. If I had not learnt it, I would probably have been unable to do my open water scuba course and would still be struggling even with freediving at the bottom of a 4-5m pool. If I can also learn BTV reliably, that would be great.

[Fondueset]

I'd suggest, when working on this - start with whatever works and try to get subtler and more minimal. When I was working on this - at age 15 or so - I basically practiced equalizing on a daily basis - just walking around, reading, when I was supposed to be paying attention at school, climbing trees, riding in cars, blowing stuff up, lurking, standing on the roof, escaping, plotting elaborate schemes for revenge, watching plays, swimming, shooting cockroaches with pellet guns, eating pop-tarts.. I believe Equalization is compatible with all known human activities.

[m2b]

Simple question...do you just keep on swallowing/yawning constantly or is there a way of increasing the pressure. I can get my ears to pressurize right now by either yawning or swallowing but the amount tells me I would have to do it constantly, like every half second or forget about being able to equalize very far down. Yeah, I'm only trying this in front of the computer right now, and not in the water.

Ryan

[azapa]

ryan, you should be standing on a roof, "in front of the computer" was not on Fondues recommended list.

I think to answer you, in my non doer way, you keep them open rather than periodic cracking. Right now, your ears are not pressurising unless you are pinching your nose and blowing or suchlike. The crackling is just the tubes opening.

i'm off to the roof now, "crackle crackle"

[Fondueset]

try while your making toast.

Can you equalize in a tree?
Can you equalize with a flea?
Will you try it on a boat?
Would you try it with a goat?

I normally equalize pretty frequently on the way down - every meter or so probably - it's sort of a flow - as in all things I strive always to emulate pure analog.

[m2b]

Originally Posted by azapa

Right now, your ears are not pressurising unless you are pinching your nose and blowing or suchlike. The crackling is just the tubes opening.

Actually quite the opposite. My ears will pressurize when I hold my nose and swallow, or yawn. They don't pressurize very much. If I blow out my nose then they will pressurize further or in the case, below, both will pressurize.

Besides my previous question here's another one that I notice even when using valsalva(s?)...how do you overcome the uneven pressure build up in both ears. I always seem to have one ear that will pressurize almost immediately and the other one wants to take its good ole time building up pressure. The same ear isn't always dominant. It all depends on the day/dive in question as to which ear is going to be the first to equalize properly.

For example, experimenting around while typing out this message. At the beginning my right ear was equalizing quickly and the left ear was lagging behind. Now the opposite is going on only 5-10 minutes later.

Ryan

[azapa]

The 'ole right ear left ear thing, happens to everyone. My left is easier dry, but often lags the right in the water! It sometimes help to "think" more air into the lagging side, try it, it works.

RESUMED Results of this thread so far:
- what do you hear or feel?
Most people here a crackle (as per any equalization) with an accute awareness of the breathing sound within ones inner ear, it's loud. The sound sequence would be:
a. crackle the ears
b. the "hearing own breathing" remains as long as the tubes are held open. Longer the better for EQing

- look at yourself in the mirror, do you see anything change, adams apple, thoat, jaw?
Very little can be seen. The ulva (dangly thing) can be seen to tilt forward and go up. The effort to open should be really minimal. If you are straining and, muscles are popping out, your going the wrong way. Aim to have no visible signs

- what was the "turning point" for you learning this, or could you always simply do it?
I would say 75% learned as a kid, or could always do it. Those who learned as a freediving adult, 25%, seem to find it harder or less reliable than those who have always done it.
Turning point seems to be LOTS of idle time practicing, breaking down the yawn (majority) or the swallow actions to the steps that produces the crackle

- in the water, is if sufficient to simply hold this muscle postion and let the mouth equalize the inner ear via the open tubes, or are you doing some movement to make that happen?
After a certain depth pressurizing against the mask creates a mores effective pressurization.

- what if any are the depths or conditions that BTV starts to fail?
Most talk of three steps:
a. Only BTV (to 10, 20M)
b. BTV with gentle pressurization (after 20M)
c. switching to frenzel totally (after 40M)

More info welcome.

I managed to do some "BTV walking" this weekend along the shore, EQuing every second pace, and sometimes in between, using very light swallows.

[sciencemike]

I found that when learning this technique i slowly breathe out while doing it. It seems to me much harder to do without any air flowing out. I would pop my ears then slightly breathe out to reset my uvula and palate then pop again then reset. Then I can now do it wile not having any pressure upward into my nasal passage and with my soft palate completely relaxed with no air flow at all.

Although i have never heard my "Loud" breathing I can crackle the drums in very rapid succession, when totally isolated from my palate it often triggers my ear wiggling muscles slightly. If i retract my lower Jaw inwards as far as possible the uvula seems to become detached from the response completely, while the further out I jut my lower jaw the uvula becomes more involved.

As for the roaring noise after the crackle, do you open them slighly for the slow and longer smaller cracks that i can get to last up to 5 seconds? Or is it a relaxing after the crack or a maintaing the fully open formation? Or pushing the crackle as far as it can go, whereby my ulvula gets retracted greatly?

I would like to gain control over this better, I can also do just my right ear, but never just my left.

[mzatanoskas]

Hey there,

I've been lurking on this site for a while now and was following this thread with interest, as being able to do BTV has been on my list of cool things I want to learn how to do for some time now.

I can sometimes equalise hands free with a unblocked nose frenzel type manouver although only out of water, not inverted and it's very slow. I don't know if I'll ever get it good enough to use in water but I'll give some more practice.

I was just wondering how is everyone else in this thread getting along? Any improvement? I'm a little worried that this is one of those things that you just can do, but can't really teach yourself to do (effectively anyway).

Also the "crackling", "roaring" sound and actual equalization seem to be independent with me:

Out of water I can equalize easily by swallowing and I get crackling but no roaring.

By flexing my throat/tongue muscles I can get crackling but only occasional equalisation and no roaring.

By closing my eyes + flexing some other muscle I'm not aware of I can get a little roaring but no equalisation.

Finally by yawning I get crackling, roaring + equalisation.

Anyway, thanks for all the tips, it seems that I have been too focussed on straining muscles and contorting my face so I'll try a slightly more zen approach from now on.