Breathing and testing

 I noticed recently during my dan practice tests that my endurance seemed to be improving a lot.  Now, running through a 20 minutes dan test every class is definitely a great way to build one's stamina, but I think that another factor that's contributing is improving my breathing.  For whatever reason, i think that everyone tends to hold their breath during nage-waza and if you find yourself out of breath after nage-waza, that's most likely the culprit.  People tend to hold their breath during ukemi, too, but it only takes a few instances of getting the wind knocked out to break that habit...there's nothing so dramatic to break the habit during nage-waza, so I think conscious discipline is the only way.

At the beginning of test practice, during suwari waza techniques, I've made it a point to pay extra attention to timing my breathing.  I breath in as the attack comes in and breath out as I throw, or pin.  The techniques being performed at this stage of a test are the most basic, so I can rely on motor memory to perform the techniques and devote conscious thought to my breathing.  When we move to standing jiyu-waza, the breathing seems to have become automatic and I can make it through the rest of the test without getting as tired as I have been (or at least as out of breath).

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is something to all of this breath timing during your techniques.