Effect of pranayama practices on selected physiological variables of shooting players

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of pranayama practices on selected physiological variables among shooting players. Thirty (N = 30) state-level male shooting players aged between 18 and 25 years were selected from the Jaspal Rana Shooting Academy, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The subjects were randomly divided into two equal groups: The Pranayama Group (N = 15) and the Control Group (N = 15). The Pranayama Group underwent a structured pranayama training programme for a period of twelve weeks, five sessions per week, with each session lasting one hour, while the Control Group continued with their regular training routine without any specific intervention. The selected physiological variables for the study were resting pulse rate, vital capacity, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Pre-test and post-test data were collected for both groups. Mean and standard deviation were calculated and the paired sample t-test was applied to analyze within-group differences. The level of significance was set at 0.05. The results of the study revealed a significant reduction in resting pulse rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, along with a significant improvement in vital capacity in the Pranayama Group. In contrast, the Control Group did not show any significant changes in the selected physiological variables. The findings indicate that pranayama practices effectively enhance cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency among on selected state-level shooting players. It was concluded that regular pranayama practices can be beneficial in improving physiological functioning and may be recommended as a complementary training method for shooting players to enhance performance readiness and overall physiological stability.