Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Influence of Mental Skills on Competitive Anxiety in Professional Futsal Players: Difference by Successful and Unsuccessful Players

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Trends in Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of mental skills on competitive anxiety in professional futsal players and measured the differences between successful and unsuccessful players. Participants involved four top and four bottom ranking teams (10 players each) qualified in the national futsal league. All participants completed the questionnaires concerning their mental skills and competitive anxiety using the athletic coping skills inventory-28 and the sport competitive anxiety tests. Comparisons between the successful and the unsuccessful players were analyzed by using multivariate analysis of variance. The results showed that the successful players demonstrated significantly greater scores in the goal-setting and mental preparation than the unsuccessful players (2.12 ± 0.61 and 1.84 ± 0.57, p < 0.05). However, no difference in the competitive anxiety was observed. Moreover, stepwise regression analysis found that for the successful players, peaking under pressure (β = −0.68) and concentration (β = 0.48) explained 22% of the variances in the competitive anxiety, whereas for the unsuccessful players, approximately 20% of the variances in the competitive anxiety were explained by freedom from worry (β = −0.36) and coachability (β = −0.32). With greater ability in the goal setting and mental preparation in the successful players, these could help focusing on the game and encounter critical situations. However, they should rely on optimal concentration since excessive focus may cause stress and performance anxiety. To promote the unsuccessful players, coaches should provide a variety of strategies for delivering constructive criticism to help athletes adjusting movements and improving overall performance. Also, simulation training is recommended in order to prepare athletes to effectively handle the pressures of playing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Code Availability (Software Application or Custom Code)

Not applicable.

References

  • Álvarez-Kurogi, L., Onetti, W., Fernández-García, J. C., & Castillo-Rodríguez, A. (2019). Does the psychological profile influence the position of promising young futsal players? PLoS One, 14(11), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azimkhani, A., Gürsoy, R., & Torbati, H. R. T. (2015). Analyzing the relationship between mental skills and competition anxiety among young and adult skiers. International Journal of Sport Studies, 5, 860–867.

    Google Scholar 

  • Azita, H., Mousavi, M. V., Shahla, P., & Hamidreza, T. (2019). Effectiveness of psychological preparation program on sport performance of futsal girl players: Mediating role of personality. Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science, 7(1), 92–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carolina-Paludo, A., Nunes-Rabelo, F., Maciel-Batista, M., Rúbila-Maciel, I., Peikriszwili-Tartaruga, M., & Simõe, A. C. (2020). Game location effect on pre-competition cortisol concentration and anxiety state: A case study in a futsal team. Revista de Psicología del Deporte/Journal of Sport Psychology, 29(1), 105–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cho, S., Choi, H., & Kim, Y. (2019). The relationship between perceived coaching behaviors, competitive trait anxiety, and athlete burnout: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16, 1424. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081424

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Publishers.

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1985). Flow and foundations of positive psychology. Springer Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dendir, S. (2016). When do soccer players peak? A note. Journal of Sports Analytics, 2, 89–105. https://doi.org/10.3233/JSA-160021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eric, S. (2018). Comparison of mental skills of elite and non-elite athletes. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 6(4a), 72–75. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v6i4a.3425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fortes, L. D. S., Lima, R. C. R. D., Almeida, S. S., Fonseca, R. M. C., Paes, P. P., & Ferreira, M. E. C. (2018). Effect of competitive anxiety on passing decision-making in under-17 soccer players. Paidéia, 28, e2820. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-4327e2820

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gabrys, K., & Wontorczyk, A. (2023). Sport anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, stress and coping as predictors of athlete’s sensitivity to the behavior of supporters. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20126084

  • Geisler, G., & Kerr, J. H. (2007). Competition stress and affective experiences of Canadian and Japanese futsal players. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 38(2), 187–206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, L., Jones, J. G., & Gould, D. (1996). Understanding psychological preparation for sport: Theory and practice of elite performers. John Wiley & Sons Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinkle, D. E., Wiersma, W., & Jurs, S. G. (2003). Applied statistics for the behavioral sciences ((5 ed.). ed.). Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodge, K., Allen, J., & Smellie, L. (2008). Motivation in Masters sport: Achievement and social goals. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9, 157–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2007.03.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwuagwu, T. E., Umeifekwem, J. E., Igwe, S. N., Oforka, O. K., & Udeh, O. P. (2021). Profile of sport competition anxiety trait and psychological coping skills among secondary school athletes in Enugu State, South East Nigeria. Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity, 13(7 Supplement 2), 75–87. https://doi.org/10.29359/BJHPA.2021.Suppl.2.08

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplánová, A. (2018). Self-esteem, anxiety and coping strategies to manage stress in ice hockey. Acta Gymnica, 49. https://doi.org/10.5507/ag.2018.026

  • Kemarat, S., Theanthong, A., & Makaje, N. (2016). Stress coping skills for Thai Youth futsal players: Age and achievement levels. Journal of Faculty of Physical Education, 19(1), 233–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemarat, S., Theanthong, A., & Vongjaturapat, N. (2014). Development and validation of a Thai version of the athletics coping skills inventory. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 11(1), 7–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemarat, S., Theanthong, A., Yeemin, W., & Suwankan, S. (2022). Personality characteristics and competitive anxiety in individual and team athletes. PLoS One, 17(1), e0262486. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262486

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57, 9. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.57.9.705

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, M. J., & Chapman, B. P. (2004). Mental and emotional skills training in sport. .

    Google Scholar 

  • Makker, G., Singh, A. K., & Pramanik, T. (2012). Relationship of mental skills and anxiety between successful and unsuccessful team of men cricket at Delhi Intercollegiate level. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 2(8), 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maleki, M., Mohammadi, S., & Nazarian, A. (2014). The difference of mental skills in superior basketball players and gymnasts with different levels of experience. Open Access Library Journal, 1, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1100591

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malekzadeh, R., & Hadavi, F. (2018). Identifying factors perceived to influence the talent identification in Iranian futsal players. International Journal of Sport Studies for Health, 1(2), e69865. https://doi.org/10.5812/intjssh.69865

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marwat, N. M., Islam, S. Z., & u., Luqman, M. S., Manzoor, M., & Irfanullah. (2021). Effect of competition anxiety on athletes sports performance: Implication for coach. Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews, 9(3), 1460–1464. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2021.93146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra, P., Pandey, C. M., Singh, U., Gupta, A., Sahu, C., & Keshri, A. (2019). Descriptive statistics and normality tests for statistical data. Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia, 22(1), 67–72. https://doi.org/10.4103/aca.ACA_157_18

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mottaghi, M., Atarodi, A., & Rohani, Z. (2013). The relationship between coaches’ and athletes’ competitive anxiety, and their performance. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 7(2), 68–76.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Muangnapoe, P. (1998). The effect of meditation on anxiety in sport. Doctoral dissertation Victoria University of Technology https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15313/.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pluhar, E., McCracken, C., Griffith, K. L., Christino, M. A., Sugimoto, D., & Meehan, W. P. (2019). Team sport athletes may be less likely to suffer anxiety or depression than individual sport athletes. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 18, 490–496.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigues Alves, M. A., Oliveira, A. D. S., Paes, M. J., & Facco Stefanello, J. M. (2022). Psychological aspects of soccer and futsal players: A systematic review. Suma Psicológica, 29(2), 30–47. https://doi.org/10.14349/sumapsi.2022.v29.n1.4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shrestha, N. (2020). Detecting multicollinearity in regression analysis. American Journal of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 8(2), 39–42. https://doi.org/10.12691/ajams-8-2-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. E., Schutz, R. W., Smoll, F. L., & Ptacek, J. T. (1995). Development and validation of a multidimensional measure of sport-specific psychological skills: The athletic copings inventory-28. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17(4), 379–398. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.17.4.379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stavrou, N. A., Zervas, Y., & Karteroliotis, K. (2007). Flow experience and athletes’ performance with reference to the orthogonal model of flow. The Sport Psychologist, 21, 438–457. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.21.4.438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vicar, M. (2018). Self-confidence, commitment and goal-setting in Czech athletes at different performance levels. Acta Gymnica, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5507/ag.2018.018

  • Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology ((7th ed.). ed.). Human Kinetics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeemin, W., Kemarat, S., & Theanthong, A. (2018). Psychological factors and strategies of elite futsal athletes in training: Classified by playing positions. Journal of Sports Science and Technology, 18(1), 59–67.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research was funded by the Thammasat University Research Fund, Contract No. TUGR 2/49/2562.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, 99 Moo.18 Phahonyothin road, Khlong Nueng, Khlong luang, Pathumthani, 12121, Thailand

    Supatcharin Kemarat, Apiluk Theanthong, Wichai Yeemin & Sutima Suwankan

  2. Faculty of Sports Science, Kasetsart University, Nakhonpathom, Thailand

    Niromlee Makaje

Authors
  1. Supatcharin Kemarat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Apiluk Theanthong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wichai Yeemin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sutima Suwankan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Niromlee Makaje
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Supatcharin Kemarat.

Ethics declarations

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study (research ethical approval by the Ethics Review Sub-Committee for Research Involving Human Research Subjects of Thammasat University: number 040/2562).

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kemarat, S., Theanthong, A., Yeemin, W. et al. Influence of Mental Skills on Competitive Anxiety in Professional Futsal Players: Difference by Successful and Unsuccessful Players. Trends in Psychol. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-023-00330-7

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-023-00330-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation