Mindfulness and traditional training: A 16 – week study on their combined effect on shooting accuracy and anxiety in football players
Yuvaraj Dharmalingam, Manobala Vijayan, Nithya Govind, Ramajayam Munusamy, Ketheeswaran Kumarasamy, Dibakar Debnath, Premkumar Govindhan
Health sport rehabilitation December 21, 2025 DOI: 10.58962/hsr.2026.1141 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | Male football players aged 18-23 |
| Intervention | Traditional football training |
| Dose | 20 minute mindfulness session |
| Duration | 16-week training program |
| Measures | Mor Christian Shooting Test, Sports Anxiety Scale-2 |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Football players Mindfulness meditation Test biology Significant difference Clinical psychology Physical therapy Applied psychology Athletic training Repeated measures design Intervention counseling Consistency knowledge bases Martial arts |
| Key findings | Adding mindfulness to traditional training improved shooting accuracy by 8.47% and reduced anxiety by 4.07%, while training alone improved accuracy by 3.97% with negligible anxiety change (0.31%). The control group showed minimal changes. The authors propose that mindfulness enhances mental resilience and consistency under pressure. |
Abstract
Background and Purpose This study explores the combined impact of traditional training and post-training mindfulness on shooting accuracy and anxiety among football players. While the benefits of traditional training are well-documented, the role of mindfulness in athletic performance remains short in studies. This study aims to address this gap by examining whether mindfulness can improve shooting consistency by reduce anxiety under pressure.
Materials and Methods: A total of 60 male football players (ages 18-23, mean age: 20.55 ± 1.69 years; Height 174.1 ± 7.14; Wight 69.98 ± 6.30) were enlisted and randomly assigned to one of three groups: Experimental Group I, which received traditional football training followed by a mindfulness session; Experimental Group II, which underwent traditional training alone; and a Control Group, which did not receive any intervention. Both experimental groups underwent a structured 16-week training program focused on developing technical, tactical awareness, and fitness. In addition, Experimental Group I engaged in a 20 minute mindfulness session at the end of each training day. Shooting accuracy was assessed using the Mor Christian Shooting Test, while anxiety levels were measured using the Sports Anxiety Scale-2. To find out the effect of intervention paired sample t test was applied and Analyses of Covariance was used to find out the significant difference between the groups. In all case the level of significance was fixed at 0.05.
Results: The Traditional Training with Meditation group showed significant improvements in shooting performance, with an 8.47% increase (p = 0.000*) and 4.07% reduction in anxiety (p = 0.003*). The Traditional Training group also improved, increasing by 3.97% (p = 0.001*) in shooting performance, but had negligible changes in anxiety 0.31%, (p = 0.803). The Control Group showed minimal changes in both measures.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that combining mindfulness with traditional football training is an effective strategy for improving shooting accuracy and mental well-being among football players. The reduction in anxiety observed in the group I highlights the role of mindfulness practices in enhancing mental resilience, focus, and consistency during high-pressure situations.