Abstract
Biathlon demands an exceptional physiological compromise between intense aerobic exertion during cross-country skiing and precise fine-motor control during precision marksmanship at elevated heart rates. This study investigated the acute effects of an immersive virtual reality (VR) shooting simulation coupled with real-time autonomic biofeedback on marksmanship accuracy, postural sway, and perceived exertion in biathletes following high-intensity physical exertion. Eighteen well-trained competitive biathletes (10 males, 8 females; mean age: 21.4 ± 2.6 years; VO2max: 64.2 ± 5.8 mL/kg/min) completed a randomized, counterbalanced crossover trial comprising two conditions: an acute VR-based biofeedback intervention (VR-BF) displaying real-time heart rate variability (HRV) and respiratory pacing cues, and a control condition (CON) featuring standard simulated shooting without biofeedback. Each trial occurred immediately following a standardized treadmill roller-skiing protocol eliciting ~90% of maximum heart rate. Marksmanship performance was evaluated via shot group dispersion, hit percentage, and barrel stability (sway velocity), while physiological and psychological responses were quantified through heart rate recovery kinetics and the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). The VR-BF condition yielded significantly higher hit accuracy (86.7% vs. 78.9%, p = 0.012, Cohen's d = 0.71), decreased horizontal barrel sway velocity during the 1.5 seconds preceding trigger break (p < 0.001), and a more rapid reduction in post-exercise heart rate compared to control. Furthermore, overall perceived exertion was significantly attenuated following biofeedback exposure (RPE: 14.1 ± 1.2 vs. 15.8 ± 1.4, p = 0.004). These findings demonstrate that acute VR biofeedback training facilitates rapid autonomic down-regulation and optimizes psychomotor stability, offering a potent ergogenic tool for fine-tuning shooting efficiency under extreme metabolic stress.
