Anxiety-reducing effects of focused breathing during the learning and performance of putting

Beginning golf students sometimes become overly anxious, which may cause them to learn less and perform worse (see Martens, Vealey & Burton, 1990). Focused breathing may reduce this anxiety (Gill, Kolt, & Keating, 2004). The present naturalistic study examined the effects of focused breathing on beginning golfers' anxiety levels while they putted in front of an evaluative audience. Perceived anxiety and self-confidence were measured using the Revised Anxiety Rating Scale (ARS-2; Cox & Russell, 2000). Arousal was measured by galvanic skin response (GSR). It was hypothesized that focused breathing would reduce arousal and perceived anxiety, which would, in turn, improve learning (technique) and performance (accuracy). Approximately half of 103 non-golfer college students were taught a focused breathing relaxation exercise, while the rest were assigned to a control group. After a pretest, participants were taught how to putt by a golf instructor and then posttested. Participants completed the ARS-2 and had a GSR measurement taken immediately prior to each putting test. The experimental group performed two focused breaths before each ARS-2 and GSR measurement. No differences were found in GSR but the experimental group reported less perceived cognitive anxiety than controls. A multilevel mediational model revealed that the focused breathing intervention did not predict better putting technique or accuracy. The putting instruction alone predicted better putting technique for both groups. The proposed focused breathing/anxiety/learning and performance and model was not supported due, at least in part, to environmental variables and other study problems.