Biological feedback for emotional regulation in children practicing badminton

Abstract

© 2020, Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul'tury i sporta. All rights reserved. Objective of the study was to determine the level of self-regulation of emotional states in children engaged in badminton through the application of a biological feedback toolkit. Methods and structure of the study. A total of 34 primary schoolchildren attending the badminton section at the Municipal Budgetary Institution "Olymp" Sports School of the Elabuga municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan and 30 non-sporting primary schoolchildren were involved in the study. When determining their level of emotional self-regulation, we applied the biological feedback method, which implied two practical courses conducted in a psychoemotional state correction center: muscular training and thermal training. The diagnostics of emotional regulation using the biological feedback toolkit was carried out before and after the badminton training session. Results and conclusions. The analysis of the muscular training results revealed that the level of muscle tension at the end of the training session, as compared to its beginning, fell. The children in their second year of training in the badminton section were found to have a muscular relaxation level of 678 µW at the end of training, as opposed to those in the first year of training (967 µW). Proceeding from the findings, we may conclude that long-term badminton training contributes to the formation of a muscle relaxation skill. By the end of the training session, the children improved the efficiency of performance of Jacobson's exercises, which consists in alternating muscle tension and relaxation. The statistical analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in the performance of Jacobson's exercises at the beginning and at the end of the training session. The thermal training showed no statistically significant differences in the peripheral temperature control before and after the training session.