Breath: The Secret Weapon Every Rugby Player Already Has

The power of breath work on and off the pitch.

Picture this: it’s the final minutes of a tight match. The score is level, players are exhausted, and the next play could decide everything. At that moment, what separates the player who crumbles from the one who steps up? It might not be strength, or even skill. It might be something as simple — and powerful — as how they breathe.

Breath is the most overlooked performance tool in rugby. Most players don’t think twice about it; it just happens. But the way we breathe can transform how the body moves, how the mind reacts, and even how well the tissues inside us recover after a hit.

Here’s why. Breath isn’t just about getting oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. Every inhale and exhale ripples through the entire fascial web of the body. The diaphragm, the dome-shaped muscle under the ribs, is wrapped in fascia that connects to the spine, the hips, even the kidneys. When we breathe deeply and fully, we’re not only fuelling the lungs — we’re mobilising this whole system. Healthy breath keeps fascia hydrated, tissues elastic, and the body better able to absorb force. Shallow breath does the opposite: it locks the system up, leaving players stiff, restricted, and more vulnerable to injury.

Science backs this up. Slow, deep breathing signals the nervous system to shift out of “fight or flight” mode and into “rest and repair.” That means calmer decision-making under pressure, faster recovery between sprints, and less unnecessary tension in the muscles. Techniques like the elastic breath — taking in one full inhale, then a little more, before letting the body exhale naturally — actually train the fascia in the lungs to become more efficient. It’s like strength training for the breath itself.

And then there’s the power of sound. A practice known as bhrāmari, or humming bee breath, combines long exhalations with a gentle hum. That vibration massages the fascial tissues in the throat, jaw, and chest, helping them relax. It also increases nitric oxide levels in the nasal passages — a compound that supports blood flow and immune defence. For a rugby player, two minutes of humming breath before kickoff can mean sharper focus and looser shoulders, without the drowsiness that comes from relaxation alone.

Think about the demands of rugby: explosive sprints, heavy collisions, moments of stress where clarity is everything. Breath sits at the heart of all of it. A player who breathes shallowly burns out faster, feels more anxious, and recovers more slowly. A player who has trained their breath moves more fluidly, reacts quicker, and can reset their body and mind between plays.

This is why the ForceField programme makes breathwork a central piece, alongside strength and mobility. It teaches players to use breath not just as fuel, but as a tool: to calm nerves before a big game, to reset after a heavy tackle, and to keep tissues resilient through long seasons.

So next time you watch a match, notice the players in those critical moments. The ones with their shoulders hunched, gasping through their mouths, already look beaten. The ones breathing low, steady, controlled? They’re the ones ready to rise when it matters most.

Because in rugby, strength will carry you into the fight. But breath — breath will carry you through it.