Robbin Vredeveld’s breathing programme reshapes recovery for top players

In a modest office in Rotterdam, 34‑year‑old breathing coach Robbin Vredeveld watches his phone flash red as journalists ring to thank him for a recent breakthrough. Players from the Dutch national team, Manchester United, Arsenal, Feyenoord and Ajax have all turned to his specialised breathing sessions to accelerate recovery and ease the mental strain of elite sport.

From asthma to elite sport

Vredeveld describes himself as “a trusted person in a world that cannot be trusted”. He survived near‑fatal asthma as an infant and spent his first three years in a specialised centre. After a personal tragedy in 2018 – his mother’s sudden heart attack – he left a political advisory role, endured a burnout and sought a purpose that combined mindset, breathing and performance.

His search led to a retreat on Ibiza where he first encountered breathwork. “It was a bizarre experience; it hit my body and my head,” he recalls. He quit his policy job, devoted a year to study scientific articles and training, and set a mission to improve mental health and performance through breathing.

Players seeking relief

During a post‑match press conference on 18 February 2023, Feyenoord’s Norwegian right‑back Marcus Pedersen revealed he visits Vredeveld to boost oxygen intake after scoring the winning goal against AZ. At the same time, fellow Feyenoord player Ramon Hendriks, then on loan at FC Utrecht, recovered from an ACL injury in just six and a half months under Vredeveld’s guidance.

“FC Utrecht waited until month seven before he returned, then he played an hour and attracted attention from other clubs,” Vredeveld explains. “They thought, ‘wait, we need to be with Robbin.’ He does something ‘special’.”

Vredeveld stresses that a stressed nervous system hampers healing. “When a body is constantly ‘on’, it cannot recover properly. Stress, fear and the need to win become the norm.” By combining breath sessions of 45 minutes, sleep optimisation of eight to nine hours and nutrition tweaks, he claims to restore the body’s self‑healing capacity.

He adds, “We ensured Hendriks slept enough, breathed correctly during the day, and his nervous system relearned safety. Mentally, he rode through his injury.” The coach’s approach, he says, is simple physiology: better oxygen transport accelerates repair.

“I have seen things I would never trade for,” Vredeveld says, reflecting on the players he has helped. “The impact on their hearts and minds is profound.”