and anxiety have been described9"0 which can
explain in part the beneficial effects hypothesised
in sports.
Relevant relaxation and arousal indices such
as blood lactate, heart rate, and oxygen uptake
are all considerably lowered after meditation. 0-
Meditation may relieve tension and anxiety.910
These findings provide evidence that a relaxational
effect of meditation is taking place.
There is a possible link between an increased
rate of recovery, a better handling of anxiety
and tension, and enhanced performance.
Shooting is a type of sport assumed to be
sensitive to tension and anxiety pressure. The
level of shooting performance can be precisely
evaluated by reading the exact score at the target,
a benefit for research purposes. Given that
research indicates that relaxation based interventions
are some of the most effective.," we
sought to address the issue of meditation and
its effect on shooting performance.
The primary aim of the study was to explore
whether meditation would enhance elite shooters'
performance in test shootings and competitions.
A possible association between their
tension and the level of performance was
assessed as a secondary aim.
Methods
SUBJECTS
Elite shooters were openly invited