Abstract
Purpose: To examine the effects of 8-week archery training on balance control (BC) in children during the standing and archery shooting phase. Methods: Thirty-two elementary students without any prior archery training were randomly and equally assigned to an experimental group (EG, age: 9.6±0.1 yrs, height: 138.7±7.5 cm, weight: 34.4±9.3 kg) or a control group (CG, age: 9.5±0.1 yrs, height: 136.8±6.0 cm, weight: 36.3±6.9 kg). The EG underwent a series of regular archery training 3 times a week for 8 weeks and CG didn't. BC was evaluated by measuring center of pressure (COP) displacement which standing on a force platform as the COP radius, sway velocity, and sway area in each testing situation. A mixed design, two-way ANOVA was used to determine the difference of BC between groups before and after training. Furthermore, a repeat-measure t test was used to determine the differences of BC in EG before and after training during archery shooting phase. Significant levels were set at p < .05. Results: The COP radius and sway area were significantly decreased after archery training in EG both in the standing and archery shooting phase. Conclusions: Regular archery training can significantly improve the performance of the COP radius, sway area, and shooting performance in children.