Effect of Pranayama Exercise on Breath-Holding Capacity of Soccer Players

Abstract

Abstract Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of Pranayama exercises on the breath-holding capacity of soccer players. Method: A total of thirty male soccer players (age 18 – 25 years) were selected from Manipur University, Canchipur, Imphal, Manipur (India) who participated in the national-level competition. The subjects were randomly assigned into two equal groups, the experimental group (n=15) and the control group (n=15). The groups were measured before the intervention with the breath-holding capacity to find out the significant effect. Breath-holding capacity was assessed by Nostril clip methods selected as variables. After the initial test, the subjects of the experimental group participated in a supervised Pranayama exercise training program, where no special exercise was administered to the control group. The Pranayama exercises were carried out for a period of six weeks, five days of training (Monday to Friday), and 60 minutes each session. The pre and post-test scores were statistically examined by the Analysis of the pair ‘t-test and Co-Variance(ANCOVA) for selected variables. Results: The experimental group showed improved scores in the breath-holding capacity compared to the control group (p