Enhancing Youth Athletes’ Self-Efficacy, Mental Skills, Emotional Management, and Rugby-Specific Skills through the SUPER Rugby Program

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of the SUPER Rugby Program in enhancing youth athletes’ self-efficacy, mental skills, emotional management, and rugby-specific skills. The program implemented as an eight-week intervention, integrated rugby-specific training with mental and emotional skill development. The study objectives included examining participant engagement, learning outcomes, and program applicability, as well as analysing pre-and post-test results for both experimental and control groups. Utilizing a randomized experimental design, the research involved 30 male youth rugby players aged 13-15, evenly assigned to experimental and control groups. Assessment tools comprised the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale (PSES), Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool-3 (OMSAT-3), Life Skills Transfer Survey (LSTS), and rugby skill evaluations. Results demonstrated that participants in the experimental group experienced statistically significant improvements in self-efficacy (t = -33.23, p < 0.001), mental skills (t = -58.92, p = 0.001), emotional management (t = -8.08, p < 0.001), and rugby-specific skills (t = -20.03, p < 0.001) compared to the control group. While some participants noted variability in enjoyment and the quality of program presentation, high levels of learning and practical application of acquired skills were reported. In conclusion, the SUPER Rugby Program effectively enhanced both the physical and psychological competencies of youth athletes. Future studies should investigate the program’s long-term impact and consider refining its visual and instructional components to further improve participant engagement and overall enjoyment.