Effects of autonomic control on performance of Archers: A comparative study on novice and experienced archers.

摘要

Background: The heart rate variability (HRV) is defined as the capacity of the heart to change the interval between beats when faced with different situations (Sztajzel, 2004). Higher parasympathetic activity and better balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic system are beneficial to the performance of archery (Lo, Huang & Hung, 2008). Correlation analysis of HRV with scores will give an insight to the effects of HRV on performance of archery.Methods: 26 archers were studied in two groups, Group 1 (n=13) were the novice archers and Group 2 (n=13) experienced archers having national/international participations. HRV was measured at rest and during shooting using Biofeedback equipment. Comparison of HRV between novice and experienced archers and correlation of scores with heart rate and HRV parameters was obtained using SPSS17.Results: Significant difference was obtained in LF/HF ratio between novice and expert archers. Significant negative correlation was obtained between score and heart rate during shooting (r = -0.607**). Correlation of score with pNN50 (r = 0.257**), SDNN (r = 0.363**) and LF/HF (r=-0.501*) produced significant findings.Conclusion: Archery is game of focus and control; players who exhibit balance of the autonomic system and greater parasympathetic drive are able to perform better with greater accuracy.