Effect of meditation on selected psychological variables of shooting players

A twelve-week meditation program (one hour daily, five days per week) significantly improved visual perception and reduced aggression in state-level male shooting players aged 18–25. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to either a meditation group or a control group that continued regular training. The meditation group showed statistically significant improvements in both psychological variables, while the control group showed no significant changes. The findings suggest that regular meditation can enhance perceptual abilities and regulate aggressive tendencies, and may serve as a complementary psychological training method for shooting athletes.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of meditation practices on selected psychological 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 Meditation Group (N=15) and the Control Group (N=15). The Meditation Group underwent a structured meditation 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 psychological variables for the study were visual perception and aggression. Pre-test and post-test data were collected for both groups. Mean and standard deviation were computed and the paired sample t-test was applied to determine within-group differences. The level of significance was set at 0.05. The results of the study revealed a significant improvement in visual perception and a significant reduction in aggression in the Meditation Group following the training programme. In the Control Group did not show any statistically significant changes in either of the selected psychological variables. These findings indicate that meditation practices are effective in enhancing perceptual abilities and regulating aggressive tendencies among on selected shooting players. It was concluded that regular meditation practices can be beneficial in improving psychological functioning and may be recommended as a complementary psychological training method for shooting players to enhance mental preparedness and performance consistency.