Breathing Beyond Scores: An Exploratory Study on the Psychological Calmness Effects of a Laser Pistol Shooting Program : A Comparison Between Inner-Focus and Competition-Focus Conditions

Abstract

This study examined the effects of attentional focus during laser pistol shooting, a sensorimotor self-regulation task, on public officials’ psychological stability, present-moment awareness, self-regulation, and shooting performance. Participants were 33 Grade-6 local government officials enrolled in a training program at K University. Following instruction by a former national youth shooting athlete, participants completed ten shots and questionnaires daily for 10 days. Using a non-equivalent repeated-measures design, participants were non-randomly assigned to either an internal-focus or a competition-focus group. Questionnaire items were validated by experts. Data were analyzed using Welch’s t-tests, longitudinal change analysis, and linear mixed-effects models. The competition-focus group showed higher overall psychological stability, whereas the internal-focus group demonstrated greater improvement over time. The hypothesis that internal attentional focus would reduce anxiety was not supported, and shooting performance improved similarly in both groups. Within the internal-focus group, present-moment awareness and self-regulation were positively associated with psychological stability. However, these findings should be interpreted as exploratory because of construct overlap and self-report limitations. Overall, laser pistol shooting may serve as a practical wellness intervention for enhancing psychological stability and promoting safety culture among public officials.