Abstract
[Purpose]This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between psychological and physiological changes and performance in archery, which is strongly influenced by psychological factors including concentration, tension, anxiety, and stress.[Methods]A total of 19 athletes from women’s colleges who participated in the 30 m individual competition at the 34th President’s Cup National Archery Competition in July 2016 were included in this study. The anxiety levels of the participants were assessed on a 10-point Likert scale, with 1 corresponding to “not at all” and 10 to “extremely anxious.” Saliva samples were collected as follows: 10 min before the game (pre-10), 1 min before the game (pre-1), and 10 min after the game (post-10). Repeated measures general linear model ANOVA was performed to compare the mean values of salivary alpha amylase (sAA) concentrations and anxiety levels. The correlations between sAA, anxiety, and game records were analyzed using the Pearson’s correlation method.[Results]The sAA concentrations increased significantly in pre-1 and post-10, but not in pre-10 samples. Moreover, anxiety levels increased in both pre-1 and post-10 samples, but not in pre-10 samples. Anxiety and sAA were positively correlated (p < 0.01), while sAA and game records, or anxiety and game record were negatively correlated (p < 0.01).[Conclusion]During the archery competition, the level of cognitive anxiety increased, sAA concentrations increased, and performance decreased. The study findings suggest that during archery competitions, anxiety hinders performance, and this effect may be related to the increase in sAA levels.
Highlights
Psychological factors significantly affect the performance during archery compared with other sports
The study results showed a high correlation between the salivary alpha amylase (sAA) concentration and anxiety level, between the sAA concentration and game records, and between the anxiety level and game records
We observed a positive correlation between anxiety and sAA; as the anxiety level increased, the sAA concentrations increased as well (p < 0.01)
Summary
Psychological factors significantly affect the performance during archery compared with other sports. Many skilled archers are not able to perform as well as they usually can owing to tension, anxiety, and stress caused by the actual game[1]. Stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympatho-adrenal medullary (SAM) system. The activity of the HPA axis increases cortisol levels while the activity of the SAM system increases catecholamine levels[2]. The measurement of stress levels is generally conducted by measuring blood cortisol and catecholamine levels. SAA secreted into the saliva to digest starch increases when sympathetic nerves are activated during physical and mental stress situations[8,9]. It is known that sAA increases owing to stress, anxiety, and stressful stimuli[10,11,12], and that it responds faster than salivary cortisol[5]
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