Relationship between pulmonary function, throw distance, and psychological competitive ability of elite highly trained Japanese boccia players via correlation analysis

BACKGROUND: Boccia players have severe quadriplegia; nonetheless, detailed aspects of the physical function of individual players have not been evaluated. AIMS: This study aimed to detetmine the relationship between pulmonary function, pitching distance, and psychological competitive ability of Japanese boccia players. METHODS: Participants were athletes from the Japan Boccia Association (10 males, 3 females; average age, 32.9 ± 12.0 years) who could independently perform pitching motions. We measured pulmonary function, respiratory muscle force, and diaphragm movement using ultrasonography, pitching distance, and psychological competitive ability. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: In all participants, pulmonary function, respiratory muscle force, and diaphragm displacement were low, whereas respiratory function was very low compared to the normal range (i.e., the value calculated from the subjects' height, weight, and age). However, boccia players with high level of competitive ability performed well. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The results raise the question as to whether focusing on the development of boccia players' competitive ability and physical function will improve their overall performance. This question warrants future investigation.