One-on-One Coaching

Breath-Hold Coaching That Makes Every Dive Easier

Static training makes you a better diver. It doesn't matter if you compete, dive for fun, or just want a requirement to finally feel easy. A consistent static practice carries over into everything you do in the water. It builds your tolerance to CO2 and low oxygen, but the bigger wins are the ones people forget about. You get more relaxed on every dive. Your mind gets steadier when things get uncomfortable. And you get to work on the small sticking points that are nearly impossible to fix in the middle of a depth or pool session.

This is whats wild though. Bring up static with most divers and you'll hear "I hate static," or "I haven't done a breath hold since my Wave course." That reaction is almost always learned. Somewhere along the line they pushed too hard, gave themselves a fright, and decided static wasn't for them. I understand it completely, and I coach in a way that undoes it.

Working one on one, we figure out what you're good at, where you're holding yourself back, and what's really going on inside your breath holds. We’ll use periodization and the data from your journaling (included with your subscription) to build a plan that fits you and moves you toward your goal, be it a competition, a requirement, or simply better diving. Your coach, Brandon Reed, has spent the last five years helping divers improve their static, and just as often, helping them fall back in love with it. You're in good hands!

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  • 1 - What you'll work on

    • Real tolerance to high CO2 and low oxygen, so the uncomfortable part of a dive isn’t actually uncomfortable

    • Relaxing your body on command

    • Quieting your mind before and during a hold

    • Mental techniques that actually hold up when a breath hold gets challenging

    • A toolbox for handling distraction, holding your focus, and letting go of tension underwater

    • Training built around comfort and steady progress instead of a "no pain, no gain" approach

  • 2 - What's included

    • A discovery Zoom call where we get to know each other, talk through your goals, and run a relaxed breath hold so I can see your starting point

    • 3 to 4 audio-guided breath sessions a week, shaped around whatever we're working on at that point in your plan

    • An electronic journal with data tracking that runs alongside your personalized plan

    • 4 check-in Zoom calls a month to review your training, adjust the plan, and work through anything that's come up

    • A weekly group Zoom call where everyone in coaching trains together, live

  • 3 - What you need

    • The Zoom app on your phone or computer

    • A decent internet connection

    • The STAmina app, or any app that tracks breath-hold and recovery times separately

How Online Coaching Works

No two divers are the same, so no two training plans should be either. We start with a call to talk about your goals, how much time you honestly have to train each week, and your history with breath holding. Then we run a short, easy breath holding session so I can see where your comfort sits and get a feel for where we're starting from.

From there I build you a periodized plan, broken into week-long blocks, that accounts for your goals and the things we've decided to work on. The sessions run on set departure tables. That gives you the freedom to play inside your comfort zone and react to each hold as it comes, rather than chasing a number on the clock.

Every week we jump on a quick fifteen minute call to look at how the week went, walk through what's coming up, and adjust the workouts wherever they need it. As you progress and start reaching your goals, we keep adjusting so the improvements keep coming. All of it lives in your journal: your session results, your mood, and the small signals in between. That's what lets us step back, see how you're tracking over time, and make smarter decisions about where your training goes next.

About Your Coach Brandon Reed

Hi there, I'm Brandon, your breath training coach here at the Freediving Family.

I've been coaching for five years now, and in that time I've worked with just about everyone. Competitive athletes chasing records. Divers trying to get a requirement to pass. People who don't dive at all and simply want to find out what their body is capable of. Wherever you're starting from, we'll work on your static together, and your diving will improve right alongside it, because the relaxation, the calm under stress, and the wider comfort zone all carry straight into the water.

Here's what I believe, and it shapes every session I write: training static should not be uncomfortable, and it should never be something you have to grit your teeth and push through to get a result. Pushing past your comfort is the quickest way to burn the love of breath holding out of someone, so I will never hand you a workout that does it.

I earned my Bachelor's of Exercise Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2013, with a focus on exercise and conditioning. I lean on that background in physiology and periodization (planning training in progressive, repeating cycles) to build sessions that improve your performance, your relaxation, and your comfort at the same time.

What People Are Saying

  • Brandon coached me to help me pass my AIDA 3 static apnea test. Aside from passing my exam, I actually started appreciating static apnea in a way I hadn't before (it was far from my favourite discipline). Through the exercises he set, I gained lots of positive experience, which is essential in a discipline where your mental state plays such a key role. Brandon is a real expert in static apnea, a good listener and he takes into account your level of expertise and your particular situation, tailoring exercises to fit your needs. He gives practical advice and is very flexible (I contacted him a mere 3 weeks before my exam, admittedly a tough ask for any coach) and has such a positive and supportive attitude, that you can't help but to get a confidence boost : -). I have a few years' freediving experience, but I would recommend for any level.

    Sofia

  • I was struggling to hold my breath long enough for the AIDA 3 requirement I needed to pass in a few weeks time. I contacted Brandon at short notice and with his help I not only passed my exam but learned to relax and enjoy my holds and build a set of methods to overcome the anxiety or discomfort I had. Brandon turned my least favourite part of freediving into a challenge I feel positive about and one that I feel excited to try and improve further. I found Brandon's advice both effective and clear and his approach positive and supportive.

    Colin

  • I’ve been attending Brandon’s online sessions for over a year now and I must say I love it! Brandon makes sure that the all the sessions as well as the overall training plan are well structured and therefore lead to progress for every participant. Attending these sessions boosted my awareness of my feelings and thoughts during breatholds so I can stay in control of them much better. Thank you!!

    Kristyna

One-on-one coaching is for you if:

  • You want a longer, more comfortable static breath hold

  • You want your depth or pool diving to feel easier

  • You want to feel more at home underwater

  • You've got a trip coming up and want to be ready to make the most of the diving

  • You're training for a competition

  • You want to stop dreading static and start enjoying it

 FAQs

  • Nope. I started static coaching before I'd even done my Wave 1, and it made my diving so much easier. Having some time in the water does help, since you'll already know a lot of the sensations we talk about, but it honestly isn't a requirement.

  • Absolutely. Everything we do can be done dry and out of the water. That's exactly how I started, no pool and no buddy, and I still took my breath hold from three minutes to six in about six months of steady training. The static sessions can be done in the water as well, but only ever WITH A BUDDY. If you do have a pool and a buddy, we can move the dry sessions into the water, but you don't need either one to get going.

  • Ideally we work on a two-days-on, one-day-off rhythm, with room left for you to dive on the weekends. Depending on where you are in your plan, your sessions might be short and intense or long and relaxed. On the heavier weeks, plan to block out four to five hours for training and our check-in calls, with the training preferably done in the morning, though that's up to you. We'll fit it around the rest of your life so you build steadily without burning out.

  • Treat your training like it matters and make it a real part of your week. On our call I'll have you block out your training times for the whole month ahead, so you know you're training on set days at set times and can plan around it. The plans I build run in three to five month blocks, because that's what it actually takes to build your base, sort out any weak spots, and make real change in your body. You'll get the most out of this if you come into it knowing it isn't a one-month thing. You're committing to a proper transformation.

  • The scheduler defaults to my time zone, Johannesburg (GMT+2). You can set your own before you book. Look for the "Set your time zone to continue" option, and the available times will then show in your local time.

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