By Rik Rösken With freediving as a competitive sport, it is probably not a surprise that athlethes are always seeking for a better way to perform and out perform their colleagues. In the past, hyperventilation was used as a contributive tool. This time Buccal Pumping seems to be the answer. What is Buccal Pumping Buccal Pumping, said to be invented by the American freediver Robert Croft, is a technique where the diver over-inflate his or her lungs by using the muscles of the mouth as a pump. After a full inhale of the lungs, the airway is closed and the mouth is filled with air. After closing the mouth, the mouth muscles are contracting pushing the air under pressure into the lungs. By this technique, both volume as pressure can be increased beyond what is normally possible with only the muscles of the thorax and the diafragma. The technique is used both as to increase the volume and pressure of the lungs as both a method to increase the depth and length of the dives. Risks and Advantages. Volumes increases have been measured from 9% to 26% percent. Theoretically, an increase of 25% would match as a ascent with full inhalation from 2.5 meters of depth. Similar ascents of only 1 meter of depth have been recognized as a risk on lung overpressure syndromes. This risk might be extravagated when performing buccal pumping on land without the compensating pressure of the water. Lungpacking can also cause syncopes by a decrease of the venous return and the combined decrease of the cardiac output. Also decreases in the systolic and diastolic pressures have been seen with this technique. While the increase of pressure does give an advantage on depth, the advantage is rather limited compared with the advantages of improved equalization skills and dive reflex. The successful use of buccal pumping on surface related disciplines as static and dynamic apnea does also needs several other factors to be taken into equation before the rightful use of the technique can be recognized. Conclusion While the advantage is relative, the risks and the actual occurrences of incidents caused by buccal pumping does question its use and practice. Except for the use by highly motivated and skilled competitive freedivers, the use for breath-hold diving in general seems not defendable. Sources Örnhagen H, Schagatay E, Andersson J, Bergsten E, Gustafson P, Sandström S. Mechanisms of ´buccal pumping` (´lung packing`) and its pulmonary effects. EUBS-proceedings 1998; 80-83 Ferrigngo M, Lundgren CEG. Human breath-hold diving in: E.G. Lundgren, John N. Miller, The lung at depth. Marcel Dekker Ltd, London; 1999
On Buccal Pumping (or lung packing)