Learn to Breathe Fire: Beginner’s Guide

Finding a professional fire breather to teach you is the best decision you can make. This article explains everything about this often misunderstood practice. Fire breathing is an ancient street art that requires proper precautions to ensure it remains, above all, a good moment 😉.

Equipment

In France, only two liquids are used for this practice:

• Deodorized petroleum: cheap, strong smell, irritates skin and mucous membranes, darker flames.
• Fire water: more expensive, odorless, tasteless, produces lighter flames.

These liquids are not meant to be ingested. Ingesting or inhaling them can cause nausea, coughing, dizziness, and internal burns. Golden rule: NEVER SWALLOW OR INHALE.

The Torch

Only one material has proven its effectiveness: Kevlar. Just wrap a Kevlar wick around the end of a metal rod long enough to keep the flame away from your face.

Training with Water

1. The Stream

Stand straight, chin slightly forward. The stream should neither hit your nose nor run down your chin. The goal is to maintain a consistent stream without moving, stop it cleanly, and resume it easily. This is useful for refueling your torch or avoiding messy spit sprays.

2. The Cloud

Body relaxed, lips and face completely dry. Very little water in your mouth, and lots of air. The air blown at a 45° angle creates a fine mist of droplets — this is the “cloud” that becomes a flame. Avoid big droplets outside the mist: only the cloud should ignite.

Basic Static Techniques

• The Flash (small fireball)
  
• The Blowtorch (thin and short flame) — Image missing
• The Column (wide and long flame)
  
• The Mushroom (large ball of fire)
  
• The Wall, The Comet, The 180°, The Morning, Double Flame — Advanced variations

All these techniques can be performed standing, sitting, or lying down. The direction (horizontal, vertical, etc.) is a matter of spatial intent, not posture.

Circular Techniques (Around the Head)

360°, 540°, 720°, 900°, 1080°, 1260° — the idea is to rotate a flame around your head while keeping it lit. The difference with basic spins is that here the flame moves, not just the performer.

Demo video (1260°): Watch here

• Spin: turning your whole body while projecting upward.
• Isolation: rotating around a still flame.

Moving While Breathing Fire

Walking while maintaining a flame requires coordination. You must dissociate your physical motion from your breathing technique.

The Switch

The Switch = changing the head or body position without altering flame direction. Example: 180° → Switch → Column.

Solo or Team Practice?

Solo

Combine techniques into creative flows. Experiment with movement (sit, lie down, stand up) to make your fire dance truly personal.

Teamwork

Practice passing. The Flash and Blowtorch are essential for safe, short-range fire exchanges. All participants must fully master the basics before working in close proximity.

Additional Tips

• Be well-rested and properly fed.
• Drink at least 50 cl of water before practicing.
• Water-based training is essential for progress without risk.
• These drills help with posture, wiping reflexes, and controlling the swallowing reflex.

These two simple drills are often overlooked, yet they’re incredibly useful for improving fire control and technique with zero danger.

This guide will be updated over time with images and demonstration videos.