Effects of Diaphragmatic Breathing Retraining in Combat Sport Athletes With Dysfunctional Breathing Patterns

Combat sport athletes often need to maintain a guarded posture, stabilize the trunk, react quickly, and control balance during contact or unexpected movement. These demands may be related not only to strength and conditioning, but also to the coordination between breathing and postural control. The diaphragm is the main muscle for breathing and also contributes to trunk stability through its role in pressure regulation and deep core control. However, dysfunctional breathing patterns, such as upper-chest dominant breathing, reduced lower rib expansion, or poor coordination between the chest and abdomen, may interfere with this function. The purpose of this study is to examine dysfunctional breathing patterns in combat sport athletes and to investigate whether diaphragmatic breathing retraining can improve breathing patterns, diaphragm function, core stability, postural control, and sport-related performance. This study will first screen athletes from combat and non-combat sports to determine the prevalence of dysfunctional breathing. Combat sport athletes will then complete laboratory tests to examine the relationship between breathing pattern, posture, diaphragm function, core stability, and postural control. In the intervention part of the study, combat sport athletes with dysfunctional breathing will be randomly assigned to diaphragmatic breathing retraining plus usual training or usual training only. The study will compare the two groups to determine whether adding diaphragmatic breathing retraining provides additional benefits. The study will also examine whether the changes are maintained after training and whether baseline measures can help identify athletes who respond better to the program.

Inclusion Criteria: * Aged between 18 and 50 years. * Currently participating regularly in combat sports, such as taekwondo, boxing, judo, karate, jiu-jitsu, or similar sports, with at least 2 years of training experience. * Training at least 3 times per week. Exclusion Criteria: * Current or major musculoskeletal injury within the past year that may affect testing or training performance. * History of major thoracic, abdominal, or spinal surgery. * Known cardiopulmonary diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or heart disease; neurological disorders; vestibular dysfunction; or other conditions that may affect balance. * Current or recent pregnancy. * Previous participation in breathing training or respiratory therapy, or current use of medications that may affect respiratory or neuromuscular function. * Inability to complete ultrasound assessment, motion analysis, or exercise testing. * Having a subordinate relationship or conflict of interest with the principal investigator or co-investigators, such as being a supervised student, research assistant, employee, or other related personnel.