Competitive Performance Correlates of Mental Toughness in Tennis

2016 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 341-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Cowden
Keyword(s):  
Sport Performance ◽  
Mental Toughness ◽  
Competitive Performance ◽  
Performance Indices ◽  
Successful Performance ◽  
Critical Moment ◽  
Tennis Match

This study investigated relationships between mental toughness and measures of competitive performance in tennis. Forty-three male ( N = 25) and female ( N = 18) players ( M age = 13.6 years, SD = 2.4) completed the mental toughness inventory, and the point-by-point outcomes recorded during a competitive tennis match (singles) were used to generate performance indices for each athlete. The results indicated that mental toughness was associated with several, but not all, macro, micro, and critical moment performance indices. The findings suggest mental toughness may contribute to successful performance during tennis competition, although the importance of the construct appears to depend on specific match situations. Future mental toughness research should consider a range of factors related to sport performance, including athletes’ and opponents’ physical, technical, and tactical abilities.

scholarly journals Understanding key constraints and practice design in Rugby Union place kicking: Experiential knowledge of professional kickers and experienced coaches

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 631-641
Author(s):  
Chris Pocock ◽  
Neil E Bezodis ◽  
Keith Davids ◽  
Ross Wadey ◽  
Jamie S North
Keyword(s):  
Sport Performance ◽  
Rugby Union ◽  
Experiential Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Constraints ◽  
Competitive Performance ◽  
Task Constraints ◽  
Performance Time ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Simulated Game ◽  
Kicking Performance

Place kicks present valuable opportunities to score points in Rugby Union, which are typically performed under varying constraints in competitive performance environments. Previous quantitative studies suggest these interacting constraints can influence fluctuations in place kick success. To further the understanding of how fluctuations in place kicking success emerge, our aim was twofold: i) to explore and identify the key constraints that professional place kickers and experienced place kicking coaches perceive to influence the difficulty of a place kick and ii) to understand the level to which current place kicking practice environments represent these key constraints experienced in performance environments. Six professional place kickers and six experienced place kicking coaches were interviewed. Using a deductive thematic analysis, 11 key constraints were identified: individual constraints of expectation for success and fatigue, task constraints of angle and distance to goalposts, environmental constraints of wind, weather, pitch, and crowd, and situational constraints of previous kicking performance, time remaining and current score margin. Place kicking is typically practised individually or with a small number of place kickers in isolation from team sessions. Where possible, coaches should be encouraged to include place kicking in simulated game scenarios during practice to represent key constraints from performance environments. Our study demonstrates how experiential knowledge can enrich the understanding of sport performance and inform the design of practice environments which simulate relevant constraints of competitive performance to enhance skill adaptation of athletes.

A Cross-National Analysis of Mental Toughness and Hardiness in Elite University Rugby League Teams

2009 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sheard
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Rugby League ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Mental Toughness ◽  
Psychological Performance ◽  
Elite University ◽  
Elite Level ◽  
National Analysis ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Australian Universities

The relation between nationality and selected indicators of psychological performance in rugby league football was examined. Mental toughness was assessed using the alternative Psychological Performance Inventory (PPI–A) and hardiness using the Personal Views Survey III–R (PVS III–R). Participants ( N = 49, M age = 21.7 yr., SD = 2.3) were male elite-level university rugby league footballers representing Australia and Great Britain. Participants completed the questionnaires in training camp in Sydney, Australia, one week prior to the commencement of an international tournament there in 2006. Multivariate analyses revealed that the Australian Universities players had significantly higher mean scores on Positive Cognition, Visualization, Total Mental Toughness, and Challenge than their opponents from Great Britain. The Australian Universities players were also the tournament winners. The findings concur with previous research indicating superior mental toughness and hardiness are related to successful sport performance. Practical implications focus on the potentiality of ameliorative cultural environments.

scholarly journals Collegiate Athletes’ Expectations and Experiences With Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin G. Mistretta ◽  
Carol R. Glass ◽  
Claire A. Spears ◽  
Rokas Perskaudas ◽  
Keith A. Kaufman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Performance Improvement ◽  
Interrater Reliability ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Collegiate Athletes ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Mental Toughness ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Positive Experience ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Constructive Feedback

Although mindfulness training for athletes is an area of increasing interest, few studies have focused on the qualitative experiences of athletes in such programs. Before beginning six sessions of mindful sport performance enhancement (MSPE) training, 45 mixed-sport collegiate athletes reported what they hoped and expected to get from the training, and responded afterward to open-ended questions about their experiences. Participants’ responses were coded for themes, with high interrater reliability. Athletes initially hoped to gain psychological benefits in both sport and everyday life, such as relaxation and less stress or anxiety, better emotion regulation, mental toughness, and self-awareness, as well as sport performance improvement. Overall, they found MSPE to be a positive experience and reported many of the same benefits that they expected. Participants also provided constructive feedback and recommendations for future MSPE training. Finally, there was evidence to suggest that athletes’ expectations predicted similar improvements in outcome measures.

scholarly journals Impact of emotional and motivational regulation on putting performance: a frontal alpha asymmetry study

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tai-Ting Chen ◽  
Kuo-Pin Wang ◽  
Ming-Yang Cheng ◽  
Yi-Ting Chang ◽  
Chung-Ju Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Progressive Increase ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Asymmetry Index ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Successful Performance ◽  
Alpha Asymmetry ◽  
Motivational Regulation ◽  
Frontal Alpha Asymmetry ◽  
Shed Light

Background The efficacy of emotional and motivational regulation can determine athletic performance. Giving the short duration and fast changing nature of emotions experienced by athletes in competition, it is important to examine the temporal dynamics of emotional and motivational regulation. The aim of this study was to investigate emotional and motivational regulation as measured by frontal alpha asymmetry in skilled golfers during putting performance after a performance failure. Methods Twenty skilled university golfers were recruited and requested to perform 40 putts at an individualized difficulty level of 40–60% successful putting rate. Trials immediately after a failed putt were selected for analysis. Successful performances were those trials where a hole was and unsuccessful performances were those that failed. The frontal alpha asymmetry index of LnF4-LnF3 was derived for statistical analysis. Results (1) Successful performance was preceded by a larger frontal alpha asymmetry index at T2 than that of T1, and (2) a larger frontal alpha asymmetry index was observed for unsuccessful performance than for successful performance at T1. Discussion The results suggest that successful emotional and motivational regulation was characterized by a progressive increase of frontal alpha asymmetry, which led to subsequent putting success when facing an emotionally provocative putting failure. These findings shed light on the application of frontal alpha asymmetry for the understanding and enhancement of emotional and motivational regulation during sport performance.

scholarly journals Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Stress, Anxiety and Depression

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Răzvan Kalinin ◽  
Róbert Balázsi ◽  
Imre Péntek ◽  
Iacob Hanțiu
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Mental Toughness ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Psychological Construct ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Reducing Stress ◽  
Skewness And Kurtosis

ABSTRACT. Introduction. Mental toughness (MT) is defined by some authors as being fundamental to success in life. In terms of sport at the highest level, is based on the athlete's ability to perform at optimal levels under conditions considered very demanding. MT is considered one of the most important psychological construct underlying sport performance, and is seen as an umbrella concept that encompasses a large number of psychological factors / features connected to each other. Objective. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between mental toughness, stress, anxiety and depression among a sample of athletes. Methods. The sample in this study consisted of 47 participants. There were 57.4% males and 42.6% females. Their age ranged from 19 to 30 years with M= 21.89 (SD = 2.72). 68.1% of them being performance athletes (from different sports) and 31.9% are students of the faculty of physical education. Results. Distribution indicators were evaluated against standard skewness and kurtosis criteria. There was no significant deviation from the standards. Correlation between Mental Toughness Inventory and Dass21 overall score was r= -.53; and between MT and stress, anxiety and depresion ranged between r= -.49 and r= -52. Correlation between Dass21 dimension ranged between r=.85 and r=.98. Conclusions. The results of the current study highlighted the relationship between mental toughness stress, anxiety and depresion. Higher levels of MT have a significant impact in reducing stress, anxiety and depression which can help athletes perform better.

The biochemistry of drugs and doping methods used to enhance aerobic sport performance

2008 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 63-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris E. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Uptake ◽  
Oxygen Content ◽  
Oxygen Delivery ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Blood Substitutes ◽  
Altitude Training ◽  
Blood Oxygen ◽  
Oxygen Carriers ◽  
Sports Performance ◽  
Blood Doping

Optimum performance in aerobic sports performance requires an efficient delivery to, and consumption of, oxygen by the exercising muscle. It is probable that maximal oxygen uptake in the athlete is multifactorial, being shared between cardiac output, blood oxygen content, muscle blood flow, oxygen diffusion from the blood to the cell and mitochondrial content. Of these, raising the blood oxygen content by raising the haematocrit is the simplest acute method to increase oxygen delivery and improve sport performance. Legal means of raising haematocrit include altitude training and hypoxic tents. Illegal means include blood doping and the administration of EPO (erythropoietin). The ability to make EPO by genetic means has resulted in an increase in its availability and use, although it is probable that recent testing methods may have had some impact. Less widely used illegal methods include the use of artificial blood oxygen carriers (the so-called ‘blood substitutes’). In principle these molecules could enhance aerobic sports performance; however, they would be readily detectable in urine and blood tests. An alternative to increasing the blood oxygen content is to increase the amount of oxygen that haemoglobin can deliver. It is possible to do this by using compounds that right-shift the haemoglobin dissociation curve (e.g. RSR13). There is a compromise between improving oxygen delivery at the muscle and losing oxygen uptake at the lung and it is unclear whether these reagents would enhance the performance of elite athletes. However, given the proven success of blood doping and EPO, attempts to manipulate these pathways are likely to lead to an ongoing battle between the athlete and the drug testers.

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