Date Submitted
5-2024
Faculty Advisor
Sarah Getch
Abstract
Law enforcement officers are held to a high standard of performance in shooting accuracy and tactical operations to ensure public safety and appropriate decision-making. In situations where acute stressors present potential danger to an individual, stress can cause maladaptive reactions due to physiological side effects. Stress can be managed effectively through stress regulation techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing. Creating additional opportunities for officers to use breathing techniques could promote adaptive cognitive functions, resulting in safer, more accurate outcomes in the field. The current research studied the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing on shooting accuracy within a law enforcement population. Participants engaged in a diaphragmatic breathing intervention before going onto the range to shoot for their qualifying examination. The diaphragmatic breathing intervention utilized an audio recording of simulated shooting range instructions and verbal reminders of when to use diaphragmatic breathing. It was hypothesized that (1) officers participating in the diaphragmatic breathing intervention would have higher shooting accuracy scores than the control group, (2) officers in the breathing group would have a lower frequency of failures compared to the non-breathing group, and (3) the longer officers have been on the force, the lower their shooting accuracy scores would be on their firearms qualifying examination. The results indicated that diaphragmatic breathing greatly impacts shooting accuracy among law enforcement officers. It was also found that the number of years on the force did not significantly impact shooting accuracy scores. This research aimed to enhance and contribute to training methods for shooting accuracy within the law enforcement population.
