Psychological barriers of young athletes and importance of sports psychologist in youth sports

Abstract

Background:The objective of the study is to discuss the different psychological barriers involved in youth sport. The study determines the factors which can lead young promising athletes to give up on sport or facing serious injury. The study also evaluates the importance of sports psychologist in the field of youth sports. Some of the most important implications of sport psychology are found in the children’s sports arena, where participants are plentiful and are highly involved.Methods: The following study is a qualitative analysis of the responses which has been collected through Martens (1977) Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT). The age group selected for this study ranging from 14 years to 18 years old.Results: It was found that young and promising athletes tend to go through competition anxiety, stress and self doubt which may further results into opting out of the sport or physical injury which disrupts their performance. Conclusion: A sports psychologist can help those young athletes to deal with different psychological setbacks and enhance their performance. Findings reinforce the importance of educating those responsible for the development of youth sport in the country about the role of sports psychology in youth sport.