Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental Toughness

Author:

Mojtahedi Dara1ORCID,Dagnall Neil2ORCID,Denovan Andrew2ORCID,Clough Peter3,Dewhurst Stephen4,Hillier Matthew5,Papageorgiou Kostas6,Perry John7

Affiliation:

1. Department of Psychology, School of Education and Psychology, University of Bolton, Bolton BL3 5AB, UK

2. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, UK

3. Department of Psychology, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Kirklees HD1 3DH, UK

4. Department of Psychology, School of Psychology and Social Work, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK

5. Independent Researcher, Huddersfield HD2 2UY, UK

6. School of Psychology, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5BN, UK

7. Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland

Abstract

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 (N = 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.

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Behavioral Neuroscience,General Psychology,Genetics,Development,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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