Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental Toughness
Combat sports require participants to engage in potentially dangerous forms of contact-based competition. Pressure to succeed, coupled with the risk of severe injury can induce significant levels of anxiety, which if uncontrolled, can negatively impact performance and possibly promote unsporting con...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/9/713 |
| _version_ | 1827727171282534400 |
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| author | Dara Mojtahedi Neil Dagnall Andrew Denovan Peter Clough Stephen Dewhurst Matthew Hillier Kostas Papageorgiou John Perry |
| author_facet | Dara Mojtahedi Neil Dagnall Andrew Denovan Peter Clough Stephen Dewhurst Matthew Hillier Kostas Papageorgiou John Perry |
| author_sort | Dara Mojtahedi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Combat sports require participants to engage in potentially dangerous forms of contact-based competition. Pressure to succeed, coupled with the risk of severe injury can induce significant levels of anxiety, which if uncontrolled, can negatively impact performance and possibly promote unsporting conduct. The present study examined competitive anxiety levels of combat sports athletes and determined whether self-reported scores were associated with mental toughness and Sportspersonship attitudes. A cross-sectional survey design was used whereby participants (<i>N</i> = 194) completed a battery of questionnaires measuring competitive combat sport experiences, demographic details, Sportspersonship traits (compliance towards rules, respect for opponents, and game perspective), and competition anxiety (somatic, cognitive, and self-confidence; reported retrospectively). Results suggest that mentally tough athletes experience lower levels of cognitive and somatic anxiety, and higher self-confidence, prior to competitions. Findings also found that athletes endorsing more altruistic and respectful attitudes in sport (Sportspersonship) reported higher levels of competition anxiety. The findings demonstrate that mental toughness is allied to positive attributes and could potentially be operationalized to improve both the retention and performance of combat sports athletes. Thus, the authors advocate the use of mental toughness coaching interventions within combat sports. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:02:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b177bd6fa88e45fca784c43860a53426 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:02:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-b177bd6fa88e45fca784c43860a534262023-11-19T09:34:45ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2023-08-0113971310.3390/bs13090713Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental ToughnessDara Mojtahedi0Neil Dagnall1Andrew Denovan2Peter Clough3Stephen Dewhurst4Matthew Hillier5Kostas Papageorgiou6John Perry7Department of Psychology, School of Education and Psychology, University of Bolton, Bolton BL3 5AB, UKDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, UKDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, UKDepartment of Psychology, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Kirklees HD1 3DH, UKDepartment of Psychology, School of Psychology and Social Work, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UKIndependent Researcher, Huddersfield HD2 2UY, UKSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5BN, UKDepartment of Physical Education and Sports Science, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, IrelandCombat sports require participants to engage in potentially dangerous forms of contact-based competition. Pressure to succeed, coupled with the risk of severe injury can induce significant levels of anxiety, which if uncontrolled, can negatively impact performance and possibly promote unsporting conduct. The present study examined competitive anxiety levels of combat sports athletes and determined whether self-reported scores were associated with mental toughness and Sportspersonship attitudes. A cross-sectional survey design was used whereby participants (<i>N</i> = 194) completed a battery of questionnaires measuring competitive combat sport experiences, demographic details, Sportspersonship traits (compliance towards rules, respect for opponents, and game perspective), and competition anxiety (somatic, cognitive, and self-confidence; reported retrospectively). Results suggest that mentally tough athletes experience lower levels of cognitive and somatic anxiety, and higher self-confidence, prior to competitions. Findings also found that athletes endorsing more altruistic and respectful attitudes in sport (Sportspersonship) reported higher levels of competition anxiety. The findings demonstrate that mental toughness is allied to positive attributes and could potentially be operationalized to improve both the retention and performance of combat sports athletes. Thus, the authors advocate the use of mental toughness coaching interventions within combat sports.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/9/713mental toughnesscompetitive anxietysportspersonshipsportsmanshipcombat sportsmartial arts |
| spellingShingle | Dara Mojtahedi Neil Dagnall Andrew Denovan Peter Clough Stephen Dewhurst Matthew Hillier Kostas Papageorgiou John Perry Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental Toughness Behavioral Sciences mental toughness competitive anxiety sportspersonship sportsmanship combat sports martial arts |
| title | Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental Toughness |
| title_full | Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental Toughness |
| title_fullStr | Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental Toughness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental Toughness |
| title_short | Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental Toughness |
| title_sort | competition anxiety in combat sports and the importance of mental toughness |
| topic | mental toughness competitive anxiety sportspersonship sportsmanship combat sports martial arts |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/9/713 |
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