MENTAL CONDITIONING FOR PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SKILL TRAINING AMONG FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

Background: In contemporary football, there are constantly growing psychological pressures on the player as a result of the increased competition, pressures to perform, and to remain mentally strong in critical situations during matches. Psychological Skill Training (PST) is well known for its organised approach to mental skills that can have a beneficial impact on these factors and improve overall performance preparedness.

Purpose: The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Psychological Skill training among the men football players on key Psychological attributes especially during the pre-competitive phase.

Methods: 20 men football players aged between 18 to 25 were selected to accomplish the study. The chosen participants were engaged in a 6-week psychological skill training which comprised self-talk, imagery techniques, goal setting, and biofeedback strategies. Prominent psychological parameters, namely Self-confidence, Mental Toughness, and Group cohesion were enlisted for this study and they were assessed before and after the PST intervention. The collected scores from the participants were statistically analysed by using descriptive and paired T-test statistics methods.

Results: The final findings revealed that PST significantly developed psychological variables, namely Self-confidence, Mental Toughness, and Group cohesion, which denotes its potential as an effective pre-competitive intervention for enhancing psychological traits. The findings have implications for future training practices and can be used to maximize performance among football players and other athletes.