The effect of meditation on shooting performance.
Erik Ekker Solberg, Kathy Berglund, O Engen, Øivind Ekeberg, Mitchell E. Loeb
British journal of sports medicine December 1, 1996 DOI: 10.1136/bjsm.30.4.342 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental independent-groups study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 25 |
| Population | Elite shooters |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Measures | visual analogue scale (VAS) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 67 |
| Key findings | Meditation training was associated with better outdoor competition results in the following season compared with the prior season (P < 0.05), but no significant group difference was found in standardized indoor test shootings. Lower self-recorded tension correlated with better test-shooting performance (r = 0.42), explaining 18% of the variance. The authors conclude that meditation may enhance competitive shooting performance. |
Abstract
Objective: To study effects of meditation on the shooting performance.
Methods: 25 elite shooters were investigated in an independent groups design. The results in standardised test shootings indoors and in ordinary competitions outdoors were assessed before and after regular meditation training for the experimental group. The experience of tension during the test shootings was self recorded on a visual analogue scale (VAS).
Results: The competition results in the outdoor season (1993), just after the meditation training period, compared with the results the previous season (1992), were better in the meditation group (P < 0.05). No significant difference between the groups was observed in the test shootings before and after the relaxation intervention. A significant association was shown between low tension and the results in the test shootings (correlation r = 0.42, P < 0.0001; Wilcoxon rank sum test, z = -3.36, P < 0.001); 18% (= r2) of the variance in performance was explained by tension.
Conclusions: Meditation may enhance competitive shooting performance.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Exploring the Effects of a Mindfulness Program for Students of Secondary School International Journal of Knowledge Society Research 2011
- A rowing-specific mindfulness intervention: Effects on mindfulness, flow, reinvestment, and performance Frontiers in Psychology September 7, 2022
- The wu-wei alternative: Effortless action and non-striving in the context of mindfulness practice and performance in sport Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology September 1, 2021
- Enhancing shooting performance and cognitive engagement in virtual reality environments through brief meditation training. Scientific Reports May 10, 2025
- Mindfulness-based interventions for competitive anxiety in athletes: the moderating role of control type-Preliminary evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology May 28, 2026
and 5 more in the library
Cites 3
- Physiological Effects of Transcendental Meditation Science March 27, 1970
- Meditation: a modulator of the immune response to physical stress? A brief report. British journal of sports medicine December 1995
- Overview: clinical and physiological comparison of meditation with other self-control strategies. American Journal of Psychiatry March 1982