DLSU captain Angel Canino opens up on how she helps the Lady Spikers stay composed during high-pressure situations.
Midway through a referee’s challenge deliberation, Angel Canino gathered her teammates for an intimate huddle late into their Final Four matchup against the UST Golden Tigresses before 11,221 fans at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Moments later, a glimpse at the arena jumbotron showed the Lady Spikers — led by Canino and star opposite Shevana Laput — with their eyes closed, taking deep breaths as the ongoing deliberations doubled as a much-needed break for them and the Tigresses.
After all, it was already Set 4 of the high-stakes contest, with the Lady Spikers up 18-16 against the Golden Tigresses. But at this point, the long rallies began to take their toll, with both teams already showing signs of fatigue by this point in the game. On top of this, a finals ticket was also on the line, and there was the pressure of closing out a team that broke their hearts a year earlier.
Aware of all the pressure and fatigue creeping up on her team, captain Canino took initiative to calm her Lady Spikers down through deep breathing exercises as they waited for the final call on the referee’s challenge.
“Actually, parang ‘yun din ‘yung way na nahanap ko para makatulong sa team, na kapag nara-rattle na most especially kapag naglo-long rally. And syempre mawawalan ka ng hininga, syempre ang dami mo nang iniisip,” Canino explained to The GAME in a recent exclusive interview.
“So I try to gather the team sa gitna, and then lagi ko sinasabi sa kanila na ‘Okay, inhale, exhale’, para syempre to give them time to relax din also, and to give time na para makabalik doon sa rally.”
Canino and the Lady Spikers are just one of many elite athletes who have turned to breathing exercises in order to manage stress, fatigue, or both. In the NBA, there is Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, while NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and then-New England Patriots rookie Mac Jones have also incorporated deep breathing techniques into their pre-game routines.
According to longtime strength and conditioning coach Chappy Callanta, accessibility has been key to athletes’ growing integration of breathing exercises as they deal with the high-pressure aspect of sports.
“One notable athlete is Steph Curry, who used deep breathing exercises to manage fatigue and stress,” Callanta told The GAME in an online message. “But really, the practice is common enough that a lot of teams employ it as well.”
“Nowadays, teams and athletes are always looking for some edge, since information and methods are everywhere. Deep breathing is one of those techniques that is cheap, simple, and actually has proven to be quite effective,” added Callanta, who has worked as an S&C coach for the DLSU Green Archers and UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP, and the Petro Gazz Angels in the PVL.
‘Nakikita ko na magaan kami’
In a lifestyle context, deep breathing exercises are used to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, and could even regulate blood pressure if done regularly. But how exactly do the athletes benefit from this?
In simple terms, adopting such exercises helps the athletes “calm down”, according to Callanta.
“When you go deeper into biology, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation. You might feel that it’s counterintuitive in a high-pressure situation, but sometimes, too much tension can lead to poor performance,” he explained.
“That’s why athletes use deep breathing to regulate that tension into something that will be useful and not overwhelming,” added Callanta, who practices deep breathing techniques to relax himself, or to increase his concentration when needed.
In the case of Angel Canino and DLSU, an intense training session led them to integrate deep breathing exercises into their in-game routines.
“Actually out of nowhere, sa training, nagsimula noon nung sinabi ko lang sa kanila na ‘Okay, hinga tayo kasi nara-rattle na tayo. Okay? Inhale, exhale.’ So parang ganun, parang out of nowhere lang, parang naisip ko din na ipadahan, ipa-slow muna ‘yung time hangga’t may chance pa na ibigay ‘yun sa kanila para hindi kami mag-rattle inside the court,” Canino shared.
As for that Final Four game against UST? DLSU ended up winning in four sets, 22, 11-25, 25-21, 25-21, in order to book their rematch against the NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Finals.
Along with the referee’s challenge being ruled in their favor, a series of clutch kills from a recharged Canino, Amie Provido, and rookie Lilay del Castillo allowed DLSU to inch closer to match point, before UST’s Angge Poyos committed a service error that sealed the deal.
“Ako, personally, kapag ginagawa namin ‘yung deep breathing na ‘yun, parang personally, nakikita ko na magaan kami, and hindi ‘yung marami kaming iniisip, na right after ng breathing na ‘yun, nakakapuntos kami, nakakapag-isisp ‘yung bawa’t isa, nakakagalaw ng tama ‘yung bawa’t isa,” Canino said.
“So I think isa ‘yun sa pinakamaganda din na nangyayari din, and isang technique na ginagawa namin na effective sa loob ng court.”
Banner images courtesy of Cas Aseoche, UAAP Media Bureau. Special thanks to Chappy Callanta.