Effects of different breathing patterns on biochemical, cardiorespiratory and performance variables in young tennis players

Aim: To investigate the effect of different breathing patterns (spontaneous breathing as a control, hyperventilation and forced exhalation) on biochemical, cardiorespiratory and performance variables following a specific tennis test. Methods: Thirteen trained nationally ranked male tennis participated in this study. In three different sessions the players performed a passing-shot drill test, only modifying the breathing pattern (hyperventilation, forced exhalation or spontaneous breathing) during the recovery periods in randomized and counterbalance manner. Results: No differences were found between the three tests in biochemical variables (pH: F 2,12 =0.118, P=0.890; pCO 2 : F 2,24 =1.24, P=0.307; [HCO 3 - ]: F 2,24 =3.257, P=0.056; [La - ] F 2,24 =0.179, P=0.838) except for the base excess (BE; F 2,24 =4.339, P=0.025). On the other hand, ventilation and breathing frequency were different among the test (VE: F 2,24 =23.134, P<0.001; BF: F 2,24 =74.633, P<0.001, respectively), while VO 2 and heart rate were similar (VO 2: F 2,24 =0.031, P=0.9691; HR: F 2,24 =1.213, P=0.315, respectively). Finally, no relevant differences were observed for the performance variables, being the mean speed stroke, maximum speed stroke and precision stroke similar between the three tests (F 2,36 =0.043, P=0.958; F 2,36 =0.007, P=0.993; F 2,36 =0.435, P=0.651, respectively). Conclusion: It seems that the performance during a submaximal specific tennis drill is not influenced by the breathing pattern used during recoveries. Therefore, altering breathing pattern does not seem a good strategy to modify the acid-base status or performance during a tennis trial.