Volleyball as a means of reducing anxiety and developing attention in students of general secondary education

The article analyzes the impact of volleyball lessons on the level of anxiety and the development of attention in students of general secondary education in the current conditions. The psychophysiological mechanisms through which game-based motor activity influences the emotional state of schoolchildren are revealed, and the factors contributing to the reduction of situational, academic, and war-related stress anxiety are identified. The role of team interaction, competitive elements, and sensorimotor load in the development of key components of attention—concentration, stability, and shifting - is outlined. Based on a pedagogical experiment, a statistically significant positive influence of systematic volleyball training on the psycho-emotional state and cognitive functions of students in grades 6-7 was demonstrated. The results of the study showed that volleyball lessons with a psychological and cognitive focus provided statistically significant positive changes both in the field of emotional regulation and in the development of students' attention. The observed decrease in various forms of anxiety indicates an increase in psychological stability and a decrease in emotional tension. The parallel improvement in attention indicators confirms the effectiveness of using sensorimotor and cognitively rich exercises in the structure of such classes. Thus, the integration of psychological and pedagogical components into the volleyball educational process contributed to the formation of a more balanced emotional and cognitive regulation of students.