Differences in Vital Capacity and Length of a Dive in Dynamics with and without Glossopharyngeal Insufflation in Breath-hold Divers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine differences between vital capacity and length of a dive in dynamics (DYN) with and without glossopharyngeal insufflation in breath-hold divers. The sample consisted of 15 elite breath-hold divers (12 male subjects and 3 female subjects) who were in regular training process and members of national team in Croatia. The sample of variables consisted two measures for estimating valuation of vital capacity (VC and VCP) and two measures for determining length of a dive in meters (URON and URONP). All variables have standard their basic statistic parameters and were tested to determine statistically significant differences between the vital capacity and length of a dive with and without glossopharyngeal insufflation as technique of air packaging. One-sided t- test for dependent samples was used and with results (significance level of p = 0.00) it can be concluded that there is a statistically significant difference between vital capacity and length of a dive with and without glossopharyngeal insufflation. Technique of packing air (glossopharyngeal insufflation) is producing better results for competitors, but with this advantage athletes must be aware of disadvantages of using this technique which can cause injuries to respiratory system and its organs.