Influence of breathing techniques on sport performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The aims of this project were to systematically review the literature on the effects of breathing techniques on sport performance, and thereafter to quantitatively analyse the data of the included studies using a meta-analysis. Based on the results obtained, we aimed to present and discuss practical implementation guidelines, as well as directions for future research. We therefore sought to address the literature gap summarising the effects of breathing techniques on sport performance.

Systematic review and meta-analysis

In total, 37 studies were identified that were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review, and 36 were included in the five meta-analyses. Results showed that slow-paced breathing and breath-holding were related to improved sport performance, with large and small effect sizes for longer-term interventions, respectively. Breathing techniques implemented as short-term interventions were unrelated to sport performance.

HIFF grant, Call n. 1, German Sport University Cologne