Effect of yogic exercises on selected physiological and biochemical variables of soccer players

Abstract

Nowadays, success in professional sports is influenced by insights from various disciplines. Besides a good physique, professional training includes technical and tactical preparation focusing on physical fitness, physiological and the biochemical profile of athletes. Professional trainers relate the performance capacity of sportspersons as multidimensional. In short, the overall personality of a sportsperson matters rather than just his/her performance capacity. Thus, excelling in Sports has become a highly technical job. Professional sports are increasingly relying on scientific studies and new techniques and methods are being adopted by athletes, coaches, and trainers. newlineSuch a milieu has renewed the focus on yoga as ergogenic aid to better performances in competitive sports. The present study ascertains the effect of twelve-weeks yogic exercises on selected physiological and biochemical variables of male soccer players. This study included thirty male soccer players randomly allocated to experimental and control groups. Both groups underwent similar types of training under similar environmental conditions. In addition to regular physical training, the experimental group was administered specific yogic exercises for twelve-weeks. Random group pre-test and post-test design was used newlineThe collected data was statistically examined for significant differences using ANCOVA and paired t-test. The obtained results exhibit a significant improvement in all the selected physiological and biochemical variables except the blood glucose. In summary, the present study reveals that the yogic exercises bring some positive changes in the physiological and biochemical variables of male soccer players. These changes positively indicate an improvement in the health and performance capacity of the practitioners. newline newline