Abstract
This study examines the impact of impulsive urban sounds and noise on athletes' performance during open sports training sessions. It specifically explores how various sports react to environmental noise disturbances. Impulsive urban sounds, defined as sudden, sharp noises that occur unpredictably in urban settings, were the focus of this study. Utilizing a sample of 160 sports students, divided into control and experimental groups, the study employed Independent Samples t-Tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). These tests were used to assess athletic performance variations between concentration-intensive sports (e.g., archery, golf) and non-concentration-intensive sports (e.g., football, basketball). The findings reveal that while impulsive urban noises do not uniformly affect overall athletic performance, athletes in concentration-intensive sports experience a significant decline in athletic performance metrics, indicating a heightened vulnerability to such disturbances. In contrast, athletes in non-concentration-intensive sports showed a negligible impact from similar noise conditions. These observations suggest a complex interaction between the specific demands of a sport and its noise sensitivity, challenging the traditional view that urban noise universally disrupts athletic activities. The study highlights the importance of considering a sport's cognitive demands when evaluating the effects of environmental factors on athletic performance. It recommends strategic planning in the design and timing of urban sports training to minimize the negative impacts of impulsive noise, especially for disciplines that require intense concentration and mental focus. Future research should investigate individual adaptive capacities and develop customized noise mitigation strategies for different sports contexts. Keywords: urban noise, athletic performance, impulsive sounds, concentration-intensive sports, environmental stressors, noise mitigation, sports training environments.