Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Authors
1 Department of Motor behavior, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
2 Department of Motor behavior, Faculty of Sport Sciences , Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
3 Department of Motor behavior , Faculty of Sport Sciences, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Purpose and context: Executive brain functions are a vital indicator of athletic success, and one of the interventions that can affect them is quadrato exercises. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of these exercises at the behavioral level on the executive function of semi-skilled athletes.
Research method: A total of 100 semi-skilled female athletes participating in club levels of shooting sports in the age range of 15 to 18 years were selected from among the shooters of Yazd province using an accessible method and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. In separate sessions, each of the Wisconsin, N-Back, and Flanker card tests was taken to measure executive function. The intervention of Quadrato exercises was performed for 6 minutes every day for 28 days. Then, the post-test was taken according to the pre-test. The data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate covariance tests in SPSS version 26 software and the significance level was considered (p<0.05).
Findings: The findings showed that quadrato exercises improved response inhibition by 12.6%, working memory by 21.6%, and cognitive flexibility by 18%.
Conclusion: The results of this research were in line with the structural and functional research of the brain. Quadrato motor training at the behavioral level had a positive effect on the three cores of executive function (cognitive flexibility, working memory, response inhibition) and can be a suitable intervention to increase the executive function of athletes.
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