The impact of Mindfulness and Mental Skills Protocols on Athletes' Competitive Anxiety

Abstract

Study aim: This study aims at examining the impact of Mindfulness and mental skills on competitive anxiety in athletes. Material and methods: The present study is quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design. Participants were 45 19-30 years old male shooters randomly assigned to three groups with 15 people. The test consisted of six 60-minute mindfulness training/Mental skills/control that lasted six weeks. Measurements included competitive state anxiety based on the competitive state anxiety inventory in two pretest and post-test stages. Data were analyzed using statistical software at a confidence level of 0.05 using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The results showed that cognitive interventions of Mindfulness and mental skills reduced competitive state anxiety (P < 0.05), but there was no difference between the effectiveness of these methods. (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Six weeks of mindfulness and mental skills training can help improve athletic performance by reducing anxiety levels.