Psychological Skills of Sports Children and Talented Sports Children: Comparative Study

Children Sports programs ranging from the community level to more advanced sports schools and academies, improvement in sports skills is also a major motivation for children and adolescents to be involved in Sports. (Coelho e Silva & Malina 2009; Siegel et al. 2009; Ewing & Seefeldt 1988). The importance of sports psychology in children sports is emphasized on children interest on sports. Due to the negative effect it can have on the dropout rate of children in sports, especially when too much focus is placed on the outcome of competition. Performance in sports is dependent on physical, morphological, environmental, perceptual-motor factors as well as psychological factors (Booysen, 2007:220). So a number of sport psychological skills have been identified to assist the sport participant in personal growth and reaching performance. Given the importance placed upon learning and refining Sports skills this will help children to learning skills from Sports and utilize in the day to day life. Sports participation will enhances physical, social and psychological characters of the children. For some children these physical, social and psychological developments will be more and those children are called Talented. Sports participation promotes the positive impact on children physically and also on their mental health. Talent is ironic, and talent development process is seldom understood and this often results in inappropriate practices (Gould & Carson, 2004). Gould, Dieffenbach, and Moffett (2002) had conducted a study on the development of psychological talent in Olympic champions. Specifically, 10 U.S. Olympic champions (winners of 32 Olympic medals) were interviewed, including one of the coaches (n = 10), a parent, a guardian, or significant other (n =10). A battery of psychological inventories was also administered to the athletes. It was found that the athletes were characterized with mental toughness, sports intelligence, and competitiveness, set to achieve goal, optimism and adaptive perfectionism. Results show that number of individuals and institutions influences the athletes psychological development. Katsikas et al. (2009:35) reported in his study that compared to non-talented athletes talented athletes are better. They have explained the sport psychological characteristics, which are goal setting, emotional control, imagery, activation, negative thinking and relaxation. Research undefined goals (Van Yperen, 009:318). Marije T. Elferink-Gemser haddone a study on “Multidimensional performance characteristics and standard of performance in talented youth field hockey players”. A longitudinal study, was conducted on 30 elite players and 35 sub elite players to assess the psychological characters. They have told that compared to sub elite players elite players are having better psychological characters.

To assess the psychological skills of the sport children and Talented sports children.

1. The aim of the study is to explore the psychological skills of the talented and sports children. 2. To compare the psychological skills of the sports children with talented sports children.

On the basis of previous studies the following hypothesis were framed: 1. There is a difference between psychological skills of the sports children and Talented sports children. 2. There is a gender difference in psychological skills of the sports children.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS:

et al. (1987), psychological skill inventory for sports (PSIS-R-5) was used to measure the psychological skills of the talented sports children.

1. Actively not participating in competitive sports. 2. School going children. 3. Age ranges from 9 to 14 years. 4. Not won medal/prize in state or national level competition.

1. Actively participating competitive sports. 2. School going children 3. Age ranges from 9 to 14 years. 4. Minimum State level, National level player.

1. Information schedule: Sports children age, socio economic status, education, level of participation in sports, level of competition, Type of sports, years of participation and etc. 2. The psychological skill inventory for sports. Developed by Mahoney et al.,(1987). It

(8 items), Anxiety control (8 items), Mental preparation (6 items), Team emphasis (7 items) and Concentration ( 9 Items). The options will range from 1 to 5, 1 is never and 5 is almost always. Items worded negatively (indicating a problem or concern) are transformed by reverse coding format. Higher the score on each scale correspondence to the psychological skill being present to a large. Procedure: Consent was obtained from each participant as well as from sports organizations for the study. Socio-demographic details of the participant were a collected.The questionnaire was given to the subjects and instructed the children to read the items carefully and to tick the appropriate option. But majority of the subjects were unable to understand the items. So researcher administrated the questionnaire personally for each children and explained each items. After filling the questionnaire, the response was collected back for further analysis.

any differences between the psychological skills t test were made. The t test score is 2.09. The obtained t-score show that there is a significant difference between Sports children and talented sports children. It is significant at 0.05 levels. The obtained shows that talented sports children have better goal setting, motivation, anxiety control, imagery and relaxation compare to sports children. Research studies show that talented sports children psychological skills are better compare to non-Talented sports children. The studies are, Anshel, (1997:104), studied on successful and unsuccessful athletes, in the study reported that successful athletes psychological skills is better compare to unsuccessful athletes. Anshel mention the psychological skills of the successful athletes and the psychological skill are self-confidence, a high level of achievement motivation, mental toughness, intelligence, sociability, creativity, stability and high self-image. which successful athletes lack or score low in were trait and state anxiety, tension, depression, mental fatigue, confusion and anger (Anshel, 1997:105).

Table 3 shows that psychological skills of the Girls and Boys sports children. The mean score of Girls is 128 and Boys mean score is 126. The result shows that there is a gender difference on psychological skills. To see the difference between boys and Girls t test has been calculated. The t score is 2.08. It is a that sport participants of different genders of similar ages (14.8 years, sd=1.5) outscored one another in sport psychological skills such as confidence, anxiety control, mental preparation, Team emphasis, Concentration where the males scored higher values and females gets lower values.

Motivation 22.33 17.56 Confidence 23.63 20.43 Anxiety Control 23.56 26.13 Mental preparation 17.43 16.93 Team Emphasis 21.3 21.8 Concentration 20.43 17

Table 4 shows the Psychological skills sub sample mean score of the sport children and talented sports children. In the psychological skills there are 6 sub scales. The sub scales are respectively, Motivation, Confidence, Anxiety control, Mental Preparation, Team emphasis and Concentration. Talented sports children Motivation mean score is 22.33 and sports children mean score is 17.56. In the motivation sub scale Talented Sports children scored better compare to sports children. The Mean score of 23.63 in the Confidence sub scale of the talented Sports children and mean score of the sports children is 20.43. In the Confidence sub scale Talented Sports children scored better compare to sports children. Talented sports children Anxiety control mean score is 23.56 and 17.43 in the mental preparation sub scale of the talented Sports children and mean score of the sports children is 16.93. In the Mental preparation sub scale Talented Sports children scored better compare to non-talented sports children. Talented sports children team emphasis mean score is 21.3 and sports children mean score is 21.8. In the team emphasis sub scale Talented Sports children scored better compare sports children. The Mean score of 20.43 in the Concentration sub scale of the talented Sports children and mean score of the sports children is 17. In the Concentration sub scale Talented Sports children scored better compare to sports children. Research studies show that talented sports children psychological skills are better compare to sports children. The obtained result supports the previous research Katsikas et al. (2009:35) reported that the sport psychological characteristics that discriminate between elite and non-elite track and field athletes are emotional control, goal setting, imagery, activation, negative thinking and relaxation.

Sub scale of the Psychological skills Gender Mean Motivation Boys 22.16 Girls 23.73 Confidence Boys 22.52 Girls 21.53 Anxiety Control Boys 25.86 Girls 23.83 Mental preparation Boys 16.9 Girls 17.46 Team Emphasis Boys 21.5 Girls 21.53 Concentration Boys 19.16

scales are respectively, Motivation, Confidence, Anxiety control, Mental Preparation, Team emphasis and Concentration. The boys sports children mean score in motivation subscale is 22.16 and Girls sports children mean score is 23.73. In the motivation sub scale boys scored better compare to girls‟ sports children. The Mean score of 22.52 obtained in the Confidence sub scale of the boys and mean score of the girls‟ sports children is 21.53. In the Confidence sub scale boys scored better compare to girls‟ sports children. Boys anxiety control mean score is 25.86 and girls‟ sports children mean score is 23.83. In the Anxiety control sub scale boys scored better compare to girls sports children. The Mean score of 16.9 in the mental preparation sub scale of the boys and mean score of the girls‟ sports children is 17.46. In the Mental preparation sub scale boys scored better compare to girls sports children. Boys team emphasis mean score is 21.5 and girls‟ sports children mean score is 21.53. In the team emphasis sub scale boys and girls scored equal. The Mean score of 19.16 in the Concentration sub scale of the boys and mean score of the girls‟ sports children is 18.26. In the Concentration sub scale boys scored better compare to girls sports children. The obtained result supports the previous research Nicholls et al., (2007) states that male adolescent sport participants in field hockey, basketball, volleyball, speed skating, and swimming achieved a significantly higher score regarding the use of imagery compared to their female adolescent sports participants. These results show that there is gender difference when developing the psychological skills.

1. Psychological skills of the sports children and talented sports children are differ. 2. There is a gender difference in psychological skills.

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