Author(s): G Sethu

Abstract:
Background: Kabaddi, a traditional South Asian contact sport, uniquely demands controlled breath-holding during raiding sequences, where players must maintain a continuous vocal chant while executing offensive maneuvers. Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) represents autonomic nervous system balance and may serve as a real-time biofeedback tool to optimize breath-holding capacity and performance. Objective: To investigate the efficacy of HRV biofeedback training on breath-holding duration, raid success rates, and physiological stress markers in college-level kabaddi raiders. Methods: Forty male college kabaddi players (age: 20.3 ± 1.8 years) were randomly assigned to experimental (HRV biofeedback training, n=20) or control (conventional training, n=20) groups. The intervention consisted of 8 weeks of HRV-guided breathing exercises integrated with raid-specific breath-holding protocols. Primary outcomes included maximum breath-holding time, raid success percentage, and pre/post-raid HRV metrics. Results: The biofeedback group demonstrated significant improvements in breath-holding capacity (28.4% increase, p

DOI: 10.22271/kheljournal.2025.v12.i6g.4132

Pages: 479-483  |  214 Views  126 Downloads

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