ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Gamma waves tremors in gymnastics: research on
junior gymnastic athletes’ anxiety level
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1
Indonesian University of Education, Faculty of Sports and
Health Education, Physical Education and Sport Department,
Bandung, Indonesia
2
Indonesian University of Education, Postgraduate, Sport
Education, Bandung, Indonesi
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2024-04-06
Final revision date: 2024-11-11
Acceptance date: 2024-12-07
Publication date: 2025-03-30
TRENDS in Sport Sciences 2025;32(1)
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Gymnastics involves complex movements
coordination, and demands a high level of concentration.
Achievements in gymnastics are greatly influenced by athletes’
mental health, especially anxiety. This is especially true for junior
gymnastic athletes as their training environment significantly shapes
a training process they undergo and their motor development.
Additionally, a human brain exhibits a phenomenon known as
gamma waves tremors, with gamma brain waves acting as an
important factor in experiencing increased anxiety by athletes.
Aim of the study:
The present research aims to gather empirical
data on gamma waves tremors in novice gymnastic athletes,
who experience anxiety, by employing electroencephalography
(EEG) technology on a frontal cortex area.
Material and methods:
The research utilized an ex post facto method, and
an EEG analysis was conducted using a Emotiv Epoc X device
and EmotivPro v2.7.2.316 software, with >30 Hz of gamma
detection. A saturated sampling technique was implemented,
involving 19 junior gymnastic athletes aged from 13 to 18 years.
The collected data underwent a statistical analysis, using a linear
regression test with p-value set at 0.05. XLSTAT v2021.3.1
software was also employed.
Results:
The results show that there
was a significant positive correlation between gamma waves
and anxiety of (r = 0.503) and a coefficient of determination of
(r2 = 0.253 × 100%). The findings show that changes in gamma
waves tremors by 25.3% influence anxiety levels with the p-value
of 0.028. The positive correlation between an independent
variable (gamma waves vibrations) and a dependent variable
(anxiety levels) indicates a parallel relationship between the
two variables.
Conclusions:
Increased gamma waves tremors
activity, which is an indicator of high brain activity, is correlated
with increased anxiety levels in athletes. This suggests that brain
activity, specifically frequency of gamma waves vibrations, plays
an important role in experiencing anxiety by athletes during
preparation for or performing in gymnastics competitions.