Effects of Positive and Negative Music on Performance of a Karate Drill

Abstract

Although athletes frequently report using music while training or before an event, laboratory studies have not detected a beneficial effect, so the influence of positive and negative music on performance of a selected karate drill was investigated in this double-blind study using 14 volunteers from two Shotokan karate schools. Each subject performed a preselected drill three times following positive and negative music and white noise in a random order. Performance of the drill was rated on a 7-item, 5-point scale by 2 raters. Differences among conditions were assessed via a within-subjects t test for paired scores. The subjects' self-evaluation of their performance was also examined. Enhancement of performance for both types of music over white noise was significant.