What do Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, tennis star Iga Swiatek, and India cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur have in common? Besides being top athletes, they all use a technique called mouth-taping, which is gaining popularity in sports training.
Mouth-taping helps athletes improve their endurance because breathing through the nose requires more effort than through the mouth. Harmanpreet is one of the first active Indian women cricketers to adopt this method. She uses a white strip on her mouth during training and even while sleeping to promote nasal breathing.
Her fitness trainer, Sagar Diwan, suggested this technique to address her habit of breathing through the mouth, which is not ideal. Harmanpreet has been following this method for about a year and a half. She believes it improves her breathing, clarity of mind, and decision-making.
Mouth-taping is not a new trend; it has been used for 25 years, according to breath-training coach Patrick McKeown. Athletes like Swiatek and Haaland have brought attention to it, and Harmanpreet joins them in adopting the practice.
Harmanpreet finds the technique beneficial and is comfortable using it throughout the day if needed. While none of her teammates in the Indian women’s cricket team currently use mouth-taping, they are curious about its benefits.
Harmanpreet also revealed that she used a golf club in her warm-up routine, but due to back issues, she stopped using it in the past few months. She is exploring alternative methods to enhance her training and performance.
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Innovations like mouth-taping and unique training methods show Harmanpreet’s commitment to improving her game and staying at the top of her cricket career.