Cinta Angelly Khen, Miftakhul Jannah, Wasis Himawanto

Effectiveness of breathing exercise in reducing competitive anxiety among roller skating athletes

Introduction

Effectiveness of breathing exercise in reducing competitive anxiety among roller skating athletes. Discover how breathing exercises reduce competitive anxiety in roller skating athletes. This study reveals significant reductions in cognitive and somatic anxiety, offering practical guidance for pre-competition preparation.

Abstract

Competitive anxiety can impair an athlete's performance, particularly in high-pressure events such as the National Student Sports Week (POMNAS). Research on breathing-based anxiety regulation for roller skaters remains limited, despite the sport's high psychophysiological demands. This study examined changes in Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, and Self-Confidence before and after a breathing exercise intervention among roller skating athletes. A one-group pre-test post-test design was used due to participant limitations and competitive conditions that did not allow group division. Seven athletes (4 males, 3 females), aged 17–21 years, from the East Java contingent were selected using purposive sampling. Competitive anxiety was measured using the CSAI-2R (α = 0.89), covering Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, and Self-Confidence. The intervention consisted of a diaphragmatic 4-4-4 breathing routine performed for 10–15 minutes. Data were analyzed using a paired samples t-test (α = 0.05). The results showed significant reductions in Cognitive Anxiety (t = 2.97; p = 0.025; d = 1.12; mean decrease = 1.43 points / 13.0%) and Somatic Anxiety (t = 3.04; p = 0.023; d = 1.15; mean decrease = 2.72 points / 19.0%), indicating large effect sizes. In contrast, Self-Confidence showed no change (t = 0.00; p = 1.00; d = 0.00), confirming that anxiety and confidence function as independent constructs. These findings show that brief breathing exercises effectively reduce short-term anxiety, although additional psychological methods are needed to improve confidence. The study provides practical guidance for integrating controlled breathing routines into pre-competition preparation.

Review

This study addresses a pertinent issue in sports psychology: the impact of competitive anxiety on athlete performance, specifically within the context of roller skating. The authors set out to investigate the effectiveness of a brief breathing exercise intervention in modulating cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence among roller skating athletes competing in high-pressure events. The research builds on the recognition of limited sport-specific interventions for this demographic. Employing a pre-test post-test design, the study found significant and substantial reductions in both cognitive and somatic anxiety following a 10-15 minute diaphragmatic breathing routine. Notably, self-confidence remained unchanged, which the authors interpret as supporting the independence of anxiety and confidence constructs. These findings offer preliminary practical guidance for integrating controlled breathing as a short-term anxiety reduction strategy in pre-competition routines. Methodologically, the study utilized a one-group pre-test post-test design, a choice explicitly justified by participant limitations and competitive conditions preventing group division. While understandable given the constraints, this design inherently limits the ability to infer causality definitively, as it cannot account for potential confounding variables such as maturation, history, or testing effects. A significant limitation lies in the extremely small sample size (N=7), which severely restricts the generalizability of the results, despite the large effect sizes reported. Purposive sampling was used, further limiting external validity. On the positive side, the use of the validated CSAI-2R questionnaire with good reported reliability (α = 0.89) strengthens the measurement aspect, and the intervention details (diaphragmatic 4-4-4 breathing) are clearly outlined. The statistical analysis using paired samples t-tests is appropriate for the design. Despite the promising results regarding anxiety reduction and the practical utility for pre-competition preparation, the aforementioned methodological limitations warrant caution in interpreting and generalizing these findings. The study provides valuable preliminary evidence, yet the absence of a control group and the very small sample size mean that definitive conclusions about the efficacy of breathing exercises cannot be firmly established from this single study. Future research should prioritize replication with a more robust experimental design, ideally a randomized controlled trial with a larger and more diverse sample of athletes, to enhance internal validity and generalizability. Furthermore, exploring the long-term effects of such interventions, investigating optimal frequencies and durations, and examining combined interventions (e.g., breathing exercises alongside confidence-building strategies) would provide a more comprehensive understanding and support the development of holistic psychological preparation programs for athletes.

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