Focused Attention Meditation as a Pre-Exercise Strategy for Reducing Anxiety in Speed Skaters.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) January 11, 2026 Yosuke Tomita, Mari Yokoo, Kaori Shimoda et al.
A single session of focused attention meditation before high-intensity interval training reduces state anxiety in university-level speed skaters more than random thinking does. In a randomized crossover study, twenty-six athletes completed three pre-exercise conditions—focused attention meditation, controlled breathing, and random thinking—before performing eight 20-second maximal cycling sprints. State anxiety dropped by 5.0 points after meditation versus 1.0 point after random thinking, a statistically significant difference with a moderate effect size. Controlled breathing improved heart rate variability but did not affect anxiety. Neither meditation nor breathing altered average power output or fatigue during the sprints. The results suggest that focused attention meditation offers a practical, immediate anxiety reduction without harming high-intensity performance.