Comparison of Level of Anxiety between Male and Female Table Tennis Players
A Comparative Study of Anxiety Levels in Male and Female Table Tennis Players
by Dr. Pushpendra Purashwani*,
- Published in International Journal of Physical Education & Sports Sciences, E-ISSN: 2231-3745
Volume 8, Issue No. 15, Jul 2015, Pages 0 - 0 (0)
Published by: Ignited Minds Journals
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to compare the level of competitive trait anxiety prior to a competition between male and female table tennis players. The Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) developed by Martens, Vealey and Burton in 1990 was considered as criterion measures for the study. A total of 40 table tennis players (20 male 20 female) were selected to serve as subjects for the study. Their age was ranging between 17 to 25 years. The data was collected during the Central Zone Inter- University Table Tennis Tournament held at Raipur, Chhattisgarh in the year 2013-14. Analysis showed a significance difference between male and female table tennis players. Male table tennis players were found to be less anxious than the female table tennis players. However, both of the groups possessed an average degree of competition anxiety.
KEYWORD
level of anxiety, male, female, table tennis players, competitive trait anxiety, Sport Competition Anxiety Test, Martens, Vealey, Burton, subjects, age, Central Zone Inter-University Table Tennis Tournament, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, difference
INTRODUCTION:-
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines anxiety as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.” Anxiety is a natural human reaction to stressful situations, but becomes a condition when it frequently occurs without a trigger. Anxiety is a state consisting of psychological and physical symptoms brought about by a sense of apprehension of a perceived threat. However, levels of anxiety can differ according to situation and the individual. Trait anxiety relates to an aspect of personality in which nervousness is a stable personality trait. State anxiety refers to temporary feelings of anxiety in a particular situation. Pre-competition anxiety is commonly experienced by athletes at all levels of ability, but at events perceived as more intimidating, perhaps due to the nature of the competition, anxiety levels can fluctuate. Competitive anxiety is something that nearly every athlete faces some time in his or her career. When the demands of training or competition exceed an athlete's perceived ability, their stress level elevates. Anxiety is the inevitable outcome. It is usually seen that during tournaments, a pressure of performing good skills is always there on the players. This pressure is doubled with the presence of large number of audience and when contest is of equal level. Each player wish to win the competition that normally put players under stress. To analyze this stress on male and female table tennis players it was necessary to attempt to find out the competitive anxiety and to compare it between male and female table tennis players.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
A total of 40 table tennis players (20 male & 20 female) were selected to serve as subjects for the study. Their age was ranging between 17 to 25 years. The data was collected during the Central Zone Inter- University Table Tennis Tournament held at Raipur, Chhattisgarh in the year 2013-14. The test was completed before to the start of the competition. Though the sports competition anxiety can be measured through different means and specific tools, but in this study, the Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) developed by Martens, Vealey and Burton in the year 1990 was considered as criterion measures to analyze the competitive trait anxiety (A-Trait) of male and female players. This tool is a self-report psychometric inventory of A-Trait consisting of 15 items, 5 of them being spurious items. To conduct the test each player was personally approached and explained that the purpose of the test. Players were also motivated to be as honest as
RESULTS :
To analyze the data collected during the Central Zone Inter- University Table Tennis Tournament held at Raipur, Chhattisgarh in the year 2013-14, t-test was employed to compare the means of level of anxiety between male and female table tennis players.
Mean Comparison of Level of Anxiety between Male and Female Table Tennis Players Groups Mean S.D. Difference between Mean (DM) ‘t’ ratio
Female Table Tennis Players
22.9 3.84 1.05 3.5 *
Male Table Tennis Players
18.7 2.79
„t‟ 0.05 (38) = 2.021 The SCAT values were analyzed by using t-test. The result showed the existence of a significant difference between two means (SCAT- female table tennis players - 22.85 and SCAT male table tennis players - 18.7) at 0.05 level of significance. The result also indicated that the male table tennis players were found to be less anxious than the female table tennis players. However, both of the groups possessed an average degree of competition anxiety.
DISCUSSION:
The main aim of the study was to describe the anxiety differences between male and female table tennis players before the competition. From this investigation, the results obtained were very significant (t > 0.05) and the male table tennis players were found to be less anxious than the female table tennis players. This may be attributed due to the level of confidence found in male players are greater than female players. It is also observed that the female players get more nervous while competing in tournaments. However, both of the groups possessed an average degree of competition anxiety. It is also presented by Mckay et. Al. (1997) that the trait anxiety has been found to be higher in competition than in practice.
REFERENCES:
https://believeperform.com/performance/a-guide-to-controlling-competition-anxiety/ https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety Jared L. Bleak and Christina M. Fredrick (1998). Journal of Sport Behavior, Vol. 21, No.1. Martens, R., Vealey, R. S., & Burton, D. (1990). Competitive anxiety in sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Mckay, J.M, Selig, S.E., Corison, J.S., and Mortis, (1997). Psychological Stress in Elite Golfer during Practice and Competition.
Corresponding Author Dr. Pushpendra Purashwani*
International Umpire, ITTF Racket Controller, Assistant Professor, Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior (MP) E-Mail – pushppurashwani@gmail.com
