Abstract
In recent years, the importance of psychological skills training (PST) has been recognized, and the number of athletes using psychological training strategies has increased globally. While extensively utilized overseas, PST programs are seldomly conducted with Indian elite sportspersons and are generally not available to youth athletes. The present study examined the effects of a six?week psychological skills training (PST) program on mental toughness and sport anxiety. Sixteen youth national level target shooters (10 boys, 6 girls; M = 16.21 years) followed a PST program for 1 hour per week. The intervention consisted of goal-setting, concentration, relaxation, thought stopping, imagery and confidence building. Participants completed three inventories: Mental Toughness Inventory (MTI; Gucciardi, Hanton et al., 2015), Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2; Martens et al., 1990) and Mental Skills Questionnaire (Bull, 1986). Data were collected at three times evenly dispersed over the course of the six-week intervention: pre-, mid and post-intervention. Over the course of the intervention, mental toughness significantly improved, in addition to reductions in state anxiety. Positive significant relationships were observed between mental toughness and imagery ability, self-confidence, anxiety and worry management, concentration, relaxation ability.
Key words: Psychological skills training, mental toughness, state anxiety, target shooting.
