PORT ADELAIDE star Travis Boak has always pushed the boundaries when it comes to exploring ways he can improve his physical performance.

In 2017, Boak through his connection at Red Bull decided to test himself with intermittent hypoxic training which is aimed at improving performance by way of adaption to reduced oxygen.

“You’re under water and when you don’t have oxygen you start to stress out a bit,” Boak explained on Melbourne radio.

“The aim of that was to really put myself under a lot of stress and then make decisions from there, then coming up and focussing on my breathing.

“I was able to do a little bit of that and I continue to do that in pre-season. It sort of just calms me down - it’s another form of meditation.

“I’ve seen some growth in that, and now I’m trying to help other players understand that and where they can grow in different areas.”

The former captain said the hypoxic training was nearly the most important aspect of his pre-season now that he’s been in the AFL system for 14 years.

“I’ve now got a pretty good base for my running and fitness and things like that,” Boak said.

“If you’re in a game of footy and you’re at your clearest and your calmest, you can see so much more.

“And being a senior player and a leader of the group, then you are able to educate a lot more. If I’m stressed and panicking, I’m not seeing the game clearly at all.

“Because of this training, I put myself in a position to give myself the best chance to perform under pressure.”

Boak also managed to do some training with Port Adelaide forward Charlie Dixon in the United States, and he likes what he has seen from the spearhead who missed much of 2019 as he recovered from a horrific leg injury.

“Charlie (Dixon) is back out there doing some drills, which is great,” he said.

“Charlie has had basically an uninterrupted pre-season this year, which is unheard of for him.

“I was fortunate enough to train with him overseas, and just to see the change he made over there and change a few things with his body.

“He has had a free run at pre-season so far and hopefully that continues. It makes a huge difference.

“If you can get a good block of pre-season training in, it makes a huge difference and Charlie hasn’t had that in the past.

“If we can get the rest of his pre-season ticked off, hopefully he can have a good year.”

Injured forward turned defender Jack Watts was another key player missing in 2019 after suffering a similar leg injury to Dixon in round 2, and Boak said he will add a lot to the group in the club’s 150^th anniversary year.

“Jack (Watts) is obviously coming back from a pretty horrendous injury,” he said.

“He is starting to get into some drill work now. It’s fantastic to see him out there.

“The brief stint we saw him out there last year was incredible for us. What he brought in the back half - being able to use the ball the way he does and read the play.

“He’s going to be a huge addition for us this year.”