The Impact of Box-Breathing in the Pre-Shot Routine on Anxiety Reduction and Improved Free-Throw Performance

Melzar, Zachary

The Impact of Box-Breathing in the Pre-Shot Routine on Anxiety Reduction and Improved Free-Throw Performance

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10456/59252

Author(s)

Melzar, Zachary

Date Issued

March 27, 2025

Abstract

In sports, athletes frequently seek methods to gain a competitive edge, however during the competition, athletes can experience a range of emotions such as anxiety, which affects their in-game performance. This study looked at sports where the athlete uses a pre-shot routine (PSR) such as golf, or shooting a free throw in basketball. In addition, this study looked at adding the box-breathing method to the athletes PSR, which is a cycle of inhaling, holding, exhaling, and holding the breath for the same amount of time. A pre-posttest within groups design was used, and this study looked to see if the addition of box breathing will help increase the number of free-throws made during the testing as well as decrease the anxiety score. Participants anxiety was measured using the Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS-2) (Smith et al., 2006). It was hypothesized that box breathing will help increase the athlete’s performance after its incorporation into their PSR. It was found that out of the 32 participants, there was a decrease in the anxiety with the addition of the box breathing in the pre-shot routine (t(31) = 5.250, p = < .001, d = 0.928). The results of this study can potentially help athletes who experience anxiety before performing an action in their respective sport use this method to help manage that anxiety and improve overall in-game performance.

Major

Psychology

First Reader(s)

Paulson, Lauren R.