Can the mind enhance sport performance? : the effect of being a mentally-tough athlete

Abstract

This quantitative research aimed to investigate the practice of mental training by local athletes. It sought to explore which mental skills are employed by sport participants, and whether they attribute their successes and/or failures to their degree of mental training. This study also tried to determine whether there are mental training differences between athletes of varying ages and gender, as well as differences in the amount of time spent on mental practice by 'top' and 'average' athletes. Such an endeavour could shed light on mental practices undertaken by local athletes, and can demonstrate whether foreign practices that were found to be successful are being used by local sport performers. The sample was composed of forty 'top' and ninety-nine 'average' athletes (N=139) from twelve different disciplines, namely Athletics, Basketball, Cycling, Football, Gymnastics, Judo, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table-Tennis, Tae-Kwon-Do and Tennis. The "Mental Training Among Local Athletes" questionnaire, an adaptation of the one used by Grima (1998), was utilised to gather the data. The most practiced mental skills were Goal-Setting, Motivation and Concentration. Significant differences on Goal-Setting and Imagery Ability were found among the age groups. In addition, significant variations between male and female athletes were found on Goal-Setting, Motivation, Relaxation Ability and Self-Confidence. No difference was found in the frequency and duration of mental training by 'top' and 'average' athletes. Such findings hold implications for relevant authorities to become more knowledgeable on mental training, and educate local athletes on the effect that mental training can have on athletic performance.