Author(s): HE, Z., LI, F., CHEN, H., Institution: PEKING UNIVERSITY, Country: CHINA, Abstract-ID: 1529

INTRODUCTION: Electroencephalograms (EEG) signals depict the electrical activities of neurons and consist of psychological and cognitive information. Alpha brainwaves are associated with meditation and Beta brainwaves are associated with attention. EEG signals transform brainwaves into attention and meditation values. Both attention and meditation reveal psychological movement of athletes. Attention is related to concentration ability while meditation indicates relaxation level. The study aimed to compare attention and meditation level in archery, yoga and dancesport, so as to explore psychological training method for corresponding sport.

METHODS: The study was conducted in an academically prestigious university in China. Yoga group included 16 college students sampled from yoga courses. There were two phases for yoga research: the review phase and the teaching phase. Archery group consisted of 4 members from campus archery team and 50 ordinary students. Archery actions were divided into three phases: preparation, arrow releasing, and relaxation. Dancesport group included 10 students who played rumba and cha-cha dance. EEG signal was processed during different phases in each group. Data were analyzed by One-way ANOVA with R 4.3.1.

RESULTS: First, for yoga group, attention in review phase was significantly higher than that in teaching phase (F(1,19)=4.68, p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in meditation between two phases (p=0.7). Second, in archery group, significant difference was observed in attention among ordinary students between arrow releasing and relaxation phases (F(2,15)=4.31, p=0.033). Regarding meditation, significant difference was observed between preparation and arrow releasing phases, and between preparation and relaxation phases (F(2,15)=5.26, p=0.019). For archery team members in arrow releasing phase, their meditation level was lower and their attention level was higher than ordinary students. Third, for dancesport group, however, there was no significant difference observed in both attention and meditation in rumba and cha-cha dance.

CONCLUSION:Attention and meditation level fluctuated in different phases of different groups. First, yoga practice can improve students’ attention level, particularly during the review phase when students reflected and consolidated yoga moves. Second, attention of archery group increased during preparation and releasing phases, indicating that a high level of concentration was required for archery athletes, so that attention should be emphasized in psychological training. Third, results indicated that attention and meditation training were not among top priorities in dancesport, as dancesport required various high-demanding skills.