EFFECT OF INDIGENOUS YOGA PRACTICES ON RELAXATION AND SERVING ACCURACY OF VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

Usually, volleyball matches and training sessions are reported with muscular fatigue, overload, and serving errors because of their repetitive explosive actions. Keeping in view the needs for relaxation and serving accuracy of players, the present study was designed to see the effects of selected indigenous yoga practices such as Suryanamaskar ‘yogic stretches’ and Sudarshan Kriya ‘pranayama’ on relaxation and serving accuracy of women volleyball players. The experiment was conducted on 14 university-level volleyball players of BPS Women’s University, India. During the pretest-posttest experiment, a quasi-experimental design was used. Players were exposed to five-week Suryanamaskar and Sudarshan Kriya yoga sessions after regular training. Pre-intervention and post-intervention results were compared and it was revealed that Suryanamaskar ‘yogic stretches’ and Sudarshan Kriya Yoga ‘pranayama’ have positive effects on relaxation and serving accuracy of women volleyball players. Therefore, it is recommended that the yogic stretches and pranayama be combined with volleyball training sessions. The present paper has practical implications and operatives for all the stakeholders concerned with volleyball, especially for physical education teachers, volleyball coaches and players.