Comparison of Mental Skills of Elite and Non-Elite Athletes

Sertaç Erciş

doi:10.11114/jets.v6i4a.3425

Abstract

The main purpose of this reseach was to compare mental skills of elite and non-elite boys team athletes by Ottawa Questionnare. The reseach study was a descriptive-applied one. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire based on Ottawa questionnare that measured some mental skills factors. The subjects were 40 elite athletes and 40 non-elite athletes that they were randomaly taken up of basketball, volleyball, handball and futsall sport tournaments. T independent test was applied in order to analyze the related data to compare the results at p<0.05 level. The results indicated that the rate of Goal setting, self-confidence, Commitment, Stress reactions, Relaxation, Fear control, Activation, Focusing, Imagery, Competion planning, Mental practice and Refocusing skills is higher in elite athletic boy students in compare to non-elite ones.

Highlights

Sport psychology has been established in many different advanced countries as a high potential establishment and is taught in many various universities as an independent field
The context of the mental readiness plans is different in sport fields, it seems that the whole of these plans have got common topics such as goal setting, self-confidence, commitment, stress reactions, relaxation, fear control, activation, focusing, imagery, competion planning, mental practice and refocusing skills
According to the results of table 1, the rate of goal setting, self-confidence, commitment, stress reactions, relaxation, fear control, activation, focusing, imagery, competion planning, mental practice and refocusing in elite students is significantly higher than non-elite students

Summary

Introduction

Sport psychology has been established in many different advanced countries as a high potential establishment and is taught in many various universities as an independent field. Winter (2017) showed that the pattern of mental skills is not the same among wrestling, yachting and running athletes (Şahin, 2014) It seems that this difference exists between the individual and team sport athletes; it is obvious that the ignorance of these skills and the lack of accurate planning will lead to weaken the performance of the whole athletes in this regard. The present study has a great impact on the recognition of the elite athletes’ mental readiness in the university atmosphere providing a pattern for the whole athletes in this pavement. This makes them to develop their mental readiness potentially at their various sport fields.the researcher is to evaluate whether the elite athletes’ mental skills is significantly higher than non-elite athletes. Nasi (2011) in an evaluation of the impact of mental skills on the jumpers’ performance in Finland athletes found that the mental readiness can influence on athlete’s performance leading to the recovery of the same athlete during tournaments

Data Collection Instrument

Statistical Community

Reliablity and Validity of Quastionnar

Results

Discussion and Conclusion