As you might realize, I snorkel the internet a lot and in doing so come across some very interesting tidbits of information that apply to the underwater world. I also come across a lot of unexpected information that sort of blows me away when I read it. One such article popped up while searching for information on snorkeling gear. The item that I was searching was a Snorkel.
It caught my eye because it dealt with Martial Arts. I decided to click on the article because I wanted to know in what possible way could a snorkel relate to Martial Arts. The link that opened was to The Fight Authority which has articles on fight training, strength training, fighting techniques as well as information on the various types of martial arts.
I wandered through the site still trying to find the area the word snorkel appeared. I was stumped until I noticed that there was a video to click on. It opened up to a woman in Las Vegas reporting on Wanderlei Silva (also known as the Axe Murderer), who is a mixed martial arts fighter. It turns out that Mr. Silva uses a snorkel while training. The video shows him preparing to train which includes wearing a vest in which weights have been added to total 45 pounds. A heart monitor is added and then they totally close off his nose with tape to force him to breathe through his mouth. He then adds the snorkel into the mix.
Adding the snorkel means that his body will have to work harder in order to get the oxygen it needs. The air space in a snorkel is what the snorkeling industry calls a “Dead Air Space”. The air inside the tube is there but it is not being metabolized by the body. Snorkelers and scuba divers learn about dead air spaces in their training and know that in order to get the benefits of fresh air, they have to inhale a little bit deeper than normal. When exhaling through the snorkel, the exhalation contains carbon dioxide which is the by product of the respiratory process. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is also the gas that triggers our brains to breathe but is toxic to the human system when breathed continually or in large amounts. Inhaling deeper while using a snorkel, the user, is taking in both the carbon dioxide that is left in the snorkel as a result of the user’s exhalation and as well as fresh air that contains the oxygen that our body needs to exist. In essence the snorkeler is breathing past the dead air space.
Breathing past the dead air space in the snorkel is also the reason that snorkels are all made of a certain length. Longer snorkels would defeat the purpose. In the case of Wanderlei Silva, using the snorkel in training makes his body have to work harder to avoid hypoxia and anoxia. It should also be noted that this is not something that should be tried at home as there are trained medical personel monitoring Wanderlei during his workouts. I wouldn’t want to be an opponent of Wanderlei Silva in the ring.
