Effects of acute boxing exercises on attention and psychophysiological states

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this investigation was to determine the effects of acute boxing exercises on attention, heart rate
(HR), and mood states among regional boxing secondary school students.
Methods: Fourteen students (8 males and 6 females, age = 16.10 ± .30 years, height = 166.92 ± 3.66 cm, body mass = 60.90
± 7.80 kg) specialized in competing in boxing participated in the present study. They were randomly assigned to one of the
following three sessions in a crossover design: (i) a tag boxing game condition, (ii) a footwork drills condition, and (iii) a
control condition (CC). Cognitive performance, namely concentration performance (CP) and fluctuation rate (FR), HR, and
rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed pre and immediately post each condition using d2 test, a wrist monitor
recorder, and Borg CR-10 scale, respectively. Mood state was quantified using Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) questionnaire
only immediately after each condition.
Results: The findings revealed that while overall CP did not differ between tag boxing games and footwork drills (P= .24), the
consistency of attention was superior following tag boxing, as indicated by a significantly lower FR (P= .02). FR was also lower
in tag boxing compared to the CC (P< .001). No significant difference in HR was found between the two exercise conditions
(P= 1.00). Regarding psychological measures, higher RPE and fatigue subscale values were reported after footwork drills
than after tag boxing games (P= .03 and .04, respectively) and CC (P< .001). Conversely, higher vigor subscale values were
reported following tag boxing games compared to footwork drills (P= .03) and CC (P< .001).
Conclusions: Acute boxing exercises, notably tag boxing games, demonstrate a significant benefit for the persistence and
consistency of attention control, despite showing no difference in overall concentration performance. This suggests that
boxing practitioners may implement tag boxing games prior to any tasks requiring sustained and stable visual attention.