Man In Your Corner

Shaun Tucker

Breathing performance for fighters. Why you gas out in round two, why the nerves take your legs, and how to get your heart rate down between rounds. Shaun Tucker is a health scientist and breathing performance trainer in Melbourne. His first MMA fight lasted sixteen seconds. The video of it has been watched more than 2.8 million times. He knows what it costs to walk in under pressure, and what it takes to walk back in after losing in front of everyone. Short daily episodes on nasal breathing, CO2 tolerance, the adrenaline dump, recovery between sessions, and the work he does with young fighters who lose themselves under the lights. You're not switched on too much. You're switched on too hard. If it can be measured, it can be changed. For coaches and gyms: private breathing performance workshops inside Australian fight gyms. Ninety minutes with your squad, measured at the start and measured again at the end. shauntucker.com.au

  1. 7 hr ago

    Fight Camp Wears Down Your Mood - Nobody Programs for That | Man In Your Corner Ep 264

    Fight camp doesn't just wear your body out. It wears down your mood, and nobody programs for that. Shaun Tucker, health scientist and breath performance coach, on what late camp does to your mood, where your true character comes out, and the simple practice he uses: ten minutes of controlled tempo breathing. What you will take away: - Why late camp hits your mood: hard training, the diet and weight cut, and sleep starting to get affected - How it spills onto the people you care about, and why this is where true character comes out - Shaun's view: go easy before the match, depending on your cut - Ten minutes of controlled tempo breathing, his way: set a timer, breathe in and out through the nose, box breathing four in, four hold, four out, four hold - Is it difficult? No. But you have to do it. And if you don't have time for it, you'll probably get the most out of it - Calm versus elevated: good for the anxious and for the over-excited - In camp, manage your stress: water, minerals, electrolytes, nutrition and proper rest. You can't have one without the other Chapters 00:00 Fight camp wears down your mood 00:12 What camp does to your mood 00:58 Where character shows 01:33 Ten minutes 02:11 Box breathing 02:39 Is it difficult? 03:17 Calm vs elevated 04:45 Manage the stress 05:42 How to do it DM THE WORD SCORE. youtube.com/@theshauntucker #ManInYourCorner #BreathingPerformance #TheBodyKnows #Breathwork #BoxBreathing #FightCamp #AmateurMMA

    Fight Camp Wears Down Your Mood - Nobody Programs for That | Man In Your Corner Ep 264

  2. 1 day ago

    Does Breathwork Help If You're Already Fit? Fitness Isn't Calmness | Man In Your Corner Ep 263

    You're already really fit. So will breathwork actually do anything for you? Of course it will, because fitness and calmness are not the same thing. Shaun Tucker, health scientist and breath performance coach, on a new study of slow breathing and heart rate variability, and what being calm means for the guy getting into the ring, the cage or onto the mats. What you will take away: - The study: 962 UK military veterans; five minutes of breathing at six breaths a minute raised heart rate variability compared with normal breathing (Maqsood et al., Eur J Appl Physiol, 2026) - The men who breathed 15 or more breaths a minute at rest got the bigger lift, and fitness didn't change the effect - Shaun's view of heart rate variability: a marker of how calm your nervous system is, your ability to go from elevated back down - Your breathing as the accelerator and the brake - Calm, you see the openings. Elevated, it's easier to tip into survival mode - Why the guy who usually wins is very calm, very composed and very in control (not always: it's about probability) - Train your calm: composure, control, presence, and a tool in your arsenal your opponent doesn't have Study: Maqsood R et al. (2026) Eur J Appl Physiol. doi.org/10.1007/s00421-026-06470-9 Chapters 00:00 Fit isn't calm 00:11 The study 00:36 What HRV tells you 01:26 The accelerator and the brake 02:15 What the study found 02:53 Into the ring 04:21 Train your calm DM THE WORD SCORE. youtube.com/@theshauntucker #ManInYourCorner #BreathingPerformance #TheBodyKnows #Breathwork #HRV #BJJ #AmateurMMA

    Does Breathwork Help If You're Already Fit? Fitness Isn't Calmness | Man In Your Corner Ep 263

  3. 2 days ago

    Breathing Between Rounds: Why "Just Breathe" Doesn't Work | Man In Your Corner Ep 262

    Telling yourself to just breathe doesn't change anything. Your breathing needs something to follow: a rhythm, a pace. Shaun Tucker, health scientist and breath performance coach, on recovering between rounds of sparring, your fight or your match: give your breathing a pace to follow, count it, and breathe low. What you will take away: - Why "just breathe" isn't an instruction your body can follow, and why a rhythm is - Shaun's simple one-to-two ratio: in for one second, out for two; in for two, out for four. The longer the exhale, the better - Count it on your fingers or in your head. It doesn't have to match real seconds, it just keeps the rhythm going - Why it's often forgot under pressure, and why your coach probably won't tell you, so the fighter has to own it - Where you breathe: low into the bottom of your lungs, a full breath in through the nose, shoulders relaxed - Shaun's view of what it gives you: calmer, more focused, seeing opportunities, hearing your corner and acting on it straight away - Take control of your rhythm, your pace and your breathing, or the more aware opponent takes the round Chapters 00:00 "Just breathe" doesn't work 00:17 Give it a pace 00:39 The one-to-two ratio 01:16 Your coach won't tell you 01:44 Count it 03:06 Where you breathe 04:06 Take control DM THE WORD SCORE. youtube.com/@theshauntucker #ManInYourCorner #BreathingPerformance #TheBodyKnows #RecoveryBetweenRounds #BJJ #AmateurMMA #MuayThai

    Breathing Between Rounds: Why "Just Breathe" Doesn't Work | Man In Your Corner Ep 262

  4. 3 days ago

    When Should You Train Breathwork? (Not Just Between Rounds) | Man In Your Corner Ep 261

    When should you train breath work? Only in your recovery rounds and your sparring, or on the easy days too, where there is no pressure? Shaun Tucker, health scientist and breath performance coach, answers a listener's question: breath work is something you practise every time you become mindful of it, day in, day out, because your breath is the tool that brings you back into your body and back to the moment. What you will take away: - Why sparring-only breath work leaves gains on the table, and why the moments outside the gym count a lot - The overthinker's trap: always one thought away from being here and being now - Why fighting is just one aspect of your life, and what happens to an identity built only on "the fighter" when you get injured - Win or lose: why chasing the outcome is surface level, and Shaun's view that champions master the progress of themselves - A story Shaun heard about an entrepreneur of the year who lost who he was two days later - Your breath as the bridge between mind and body, and the progress of perfection - Building the foundation of calm and rest: rest takes training, and the way to do it is to control your breathing Chapters 00:00 When should you train breath work? 00:27 Day in, day out 01:03 One thought away 02:13 One aspect of your life 03:03 Win or lose 03:57 A story Shaun heard 04:43 The bridge 05:34 The progress of perfection 06:30 The foundation DM THE WORD SCORE. youtube.com/@theshauntucker #ManInYourCorner #BreathingPerformance #TheBodyKnows #Breathwork #FighterMindset #BJJ #AmateurMMA

    When Should You Train Breathwork? (Not Just Between Rounds) | Man In Your Corner Ep 261

  5. 4 days ago

    The Adrenaline Crash After a Fight (My 16-Second TKO) | Man In Your Corner Ep 260

    The crash after adrenaline isn't you being soft. It's the come down, and you can steer it. Shaun Tucker, health scientist and breath performance coach, tells the story of the night of his sixteen-second TKO: bursting into tears with the ringside doctor, again when he saw his friends and family, and lying awake in the hotel with nowhere for the adrenaline to land. What you will take away: - Why the tears weren't about being upset or angry: he was completely overwhelmed - Being seen in vulnerability when you're used to being the strong one who carries everything - Why there's nowhere to hide inside the cage, and nowhere for it all to land afterwards - What he wishes he'd done that night: ten minutes, eyes closed, in through the nose, out through the mouth, slow and controlled - Shaun's view: slow breathing gives the adrenaline and the emotions somewhere to land - Why it took him eight months to share this, and the messages of compassion he got - This is not about winning. It's about being the best version of yourself, and the gym that supports you Chapters 00:00 The crash after adrenaline 00:11 After my fight 01:09 Why the tears 01:45 Nowhere to hide 02:53 What I wish I'd done 03:22 Being seen 04:43 Not about winning 05:09 The gym that supports me DM THE WORD SCORE. youtube.com/@theshauntucker #ManInYourCorner #BreathingPerformance #TheBodyKnows #AmateurMMA #FightNight #AdrenalineDump #MMA

    The Adrenaline Crash After a Fight (My 16-Second TKO) | Man In Your Corner Ep 260

  6. 5 days ago

    Why Your Heart Keeps Racing After Training (And How to Switch Off) | Man In Your Corner Ep 259

    Why does your heart keep racing for ages, even after training's finished? Shaun Tucker, health scientist and breath performance coach, answers a listener question: why so many people stay stuck in fight, flight, freeze after the gym, and the simple way to bring yourself back down. What you will take away: - The two systems: sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) - Why so many people walk into the gym already wired from a hectic day - What it costs when you can't come back down: your sleep, and being present with the people who matter - Adrenal energy, and "kidney yang" in traditional Chinese medicine: Shaun's view of the energy you don't get back - The fix: change the rhythm of your breathing and where you breathe from - Extend your exhale: in through the nose, out through the mouth, the yawn and the physiological sigh - On the drive home: three rounds of ten breaths, eyes open, diaphragm instead of neck and upper chest This is not a diagnosis or advice, just something really simple you can do on your way home. Chapters 00:00 Why does your heart keep racing after training? 00:18 Two nervous systems 00:39 Wired before you walk in 01:54 Overlooked and under-trained 02:27 Your life energy 03:31 What you carry into the gym 04:28 Change the rhythm of your breathing 06:04 On the drive home DM THE WORD SCORE. youtube.com/@theshauntucker #ManInYourCorner #BreathingPerformance #TheBodyKnows #NervousSystemReset #RecoveryAfterTraining #MMA #BJJ

    Why Your Heart Keeps Racing After Training (And How to Switch Off) | Man In Your Corner Ep 259

  7. 6 days ago

    Does a Mouth Guard Make You Gas Faster? Breathing With a Mouth Guard In | Man In Your Corner Ep 258

    Does breathing with a mouth guard in make you gas faster? Honestly, for some people it does. Shaun Tucker, health scientist and breath performance coach, answers a listener question: why a mouth guard can make you gas, what changed when he went from a store-bought guard to a custom one from the dentist, and how to train so the guard stops costing you. What you will take away: - Why a generic guard can make you gas faster: you can't close your mouth properly, so you can't breathe through your nose - What changed with a custom guard from the dentist, and why it still affects you a little - Pick a minimal guard that fits, not one you have to stretch your mouth around - Train with your mouth guard in: not just sparring, but drill work and even your breathing - The warm-up: guard in, mouth shut, breathe in and out through the nose - It's not about being perfect, it's about practising the thing that makes it uncomfortable - The same goes for your box: don't wait until fight night to wear it Chapters 00:00 Does a mouth guard make you gas faster? 00:08 The store-bought guard 00:39 Custom-made from the dentist 01:04 Pick a guard that fits 01:26 Train with it in 02:07 The same for your box 03:00 A training partner's warning 03:31 Point being DM THE WORD SCORE. youtube.com/@theshauntucker #ManInYourCorner #BreathingPerformance #TheBodyKnows #MouthGuard #NasalBreathing #MMA #BJJ

    Does a Mouth Guard Make You Gas Faster? Breathing With a Mouth Guard In | Man In Your Corner Ep 258

  8. 22 Oct

    Nervous Before a Fight? Nerves Are Not a Forecast | Man In Your Corner Ep 257

    Feeling sick with nerves before a walkout doesn't mean you're gonna lose. Nerves are not a forecast. Shaun Tucker, health scientist and breath performance coach, on pre-fight nerves, the walkout and the cage: the job isn't to make the nerves disappear, it's to breathe them down enough so you can let your hands do their thing. What you will take away: - The most nervous, anxious person can still perform really well and win, and the calm one might lose - Think about the weather forecast: a forecast about the future is never real - "What if I lose?" pushes the nerves up even more, so stop thinking so much and breathe it down - What you imagine in your head often comes true: you do become your beliefs - Play as if you're winning, and play all in, to the best of your ability, with no holding back - Devastating losses will teach you more about yourself than anything else, and it's how quickly you come back - Show up all in at work, at home, in training and in recovery, and show others it's possible Chapters 00:00 Nerves are not a forecast 00:30 The weather forecast 00:55 What if I lose? 01:42 You become your beliefs 02:05 Play as if you're winning 03:26 Losses teach you more 03:49 Show up all in DM THE WORD SCORE. youtube.com/@theshauntucker #ManInYourCorner #BreathingPerformance #TheBodyKnows #FightNerves #MMA #BJJ #FightCamp

    Nervous Before a Fight? Nerves Are Not a Forecast | Man In Your Corner Ep 257
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About

Breathing performance for fighters. Why you gas out in round two, why the nerves take your legs, and how to get your heart rate down between rounds. Shaun Tucker is a health scientist and breathing performance trainer in Melbourne. His first MMA fight lasted sixteen seconds. The video of it has been watched more than 2.8 million times. He knows what it costs to walk in under pressure, and what it takes to walk back in after losing in front of everyone. Short daily episodes on nasal breathing, CO2 tolerance, the adrenaline dump, recovery between sessions, and the work he does with young fighters who lose themselves under the lights. You're not switched on too much. You're switched on too hard. If it can be measured, it can be changed. For coaches and gyms: private breathing performance workshops inside Australian fight gyms. Ninety minutes with your squad, measured at the start and measured again at the end. shauntucker.com.au

Information

  • Creator
    Shaun Tucker
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    269
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Shaun Tucker