Effect of Pranayama and Asanas on Strength and Endurance amongst State Level Kho-Kho Players

There is no country in the world where Kho-Kho is not played in some form or other. There is definitely something very inherent in the game, which possesses a great appeal both to the players and to the spectators. Kho-Kho is a game, which calls for strenuous, continuous thrilling action and therefore appeals to youth, the world over (Harrison and Clark (2014. Kamalesh, Sangral, 2010. Bucher, 2011. John Walsh, 2011). Kho-Kho, as popularly known Worldwide is a game where the foot is used much more than other part of the body. As Bernard Shaw would put it in his critic comment that “The Kho-Kho think with their feet” is quite true. The skills in Kho-Kho can be performed efficiently only when the players keep their physical fitness tremendously high. Cardiovascular fitness is quite necessary to play Kho-Kho, moreover Kho-Kho is considered to be one of the best and popular endurance games, which require fabulous endurance to survive till the end of the game, as playing area and playing strategy are wide. Another important aspect is that, legs, the lowest extremity is to be used to execute most of the skills in Kho-Kho (Bhole, 2009. Clarke, Clarke, 2007. Govindarajulu, 2007). It is evident from the practical experiences in Kho-Kho coaching that a tremendous range of flexibility is very much required for efficient execution of Kho-Kho skills both on and off the grounds. Yoga one of the ancient Indian disciplines provides a stable and sustaining body system when done in a systematic manner. Asanas, a component in the yogic system tunes the range of flexibility of the practitioner. The science of yoga proclaims that yogic techniques and practices aim at selective as well as wholesome shaping of human body and mind (Shirley, et. al., 2010. Kyizom, et. al., 2010. Ray US et. al., 2011). Hence a selective package of yogic practices of Asana (Physical Postures), Pranayama (Breathing Practices) and Meditation (Mental Practices) would prove a positive impact among the state level Kho-Kho players in executing the skills for the better playing performances.

Asana and pranayama is the “Union of the individual self with the universal self” (Amuthan, 2015). Yoga means the union or communication or unity with our inner being. ’Asana’ means a state of being in which we can remain steady, calm, quiet and comfortable with our physical body and mind. Yoga helps to tone up the entire body to regularize blood compositions flexibility and vital capacity”. Regular practice of yoga helps to keep our body fit, controls cholesterol level, reduces weight, normalizes blood pressure and improves heart performances. Further, preliminary studies in the United States and India suggest that yoga may be helpful for specific conditions, such as asthma, epilepsy, anxiety, stress and others. Regular exercise results in an increase in the blood flow and improves oxygen carrying and waste removal capacity and further increases work load capacity. Exercise increases the volume of hemoglobin and erythrocyte of the blood. Also blood vessels are seen to maintain elasticity and suppleness when stressed systematically probably by the beneficial effect of the heart. Today, the focus is more on asana and pranayama practical benefits. There is a definite difference between yoga and stretching and normal exercise. Yoga teaches the concept of focusing awareness while performing specific postures. The benefits of yoga are numerous, including improved physical fitness, stress control, general well-being, mental clarity and greater self-understanding. The poses enhance muscle strength, coordination, flexibility and agility and can help hack feel better (Sathiyaraj, 2015). According to the Natural Institutes of Health, when people actively seek to reduce the stress in their lives by quieting the mind, the body often works to heal itself. In this sense, yoga can be seen not only as a way to get into shape on several levels, but also a tool for self-healing. As for athletes, yoga can be a powerful enhancement in regular training exercises. Adding yoga in a routine training programme helps to develop strength, flexibility, range of motion, concentration, and cardiovascular health and reduces stress, tension and tightness. The most significant benefit of adding yoga to a training programme is its effect on performance. Yoga allows an athlete to train harder and at a higher level because the range of motion is greater and the fear of injury is lessened. The Scientific basis of yoga offers a wide range of variations in asana, pranayama and meditation on how to utilize the effects of yoga for various needs. An intensive review of related literature on these area and consultations with the experts in yoga, a selected yoga training package was designed for the state level Kho-Kho players and is presented in Table-1. The study was conducted to analyze the effect of selected yogic practices in enhancing the kicking ability among the men Kho-Kho players.

The designed asanas, pranayama and meditation practices did contribute to the development of flexibility among the state level Kho-Kho players, which consequently enhanced the running ability in Kho-Kho. Based on the finding it is concluded that selected asanas, pranayama and meditation yogic practices could be of great contribution to sports training sessions as a complementary training method for improving and developing skill execution in soccer. From the finding of the study it was concluded that the yoga and pranayama practices was significantly improve the physical fitness variables namely Flexibility and Balance and physiological variables namely Resting Pulse rate, Cardio Vascular endurance and Vital capacity.

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