Use of Psychological Skills by Risk Sport Athletes

Authors

Patrick R. Young, Wingate UniversityFollow
Erin L. Knight, Appalachian State UniversityFollow

Abstract

Psychological skills can help athletes maximize their physical skills (Smith, Schutz, Smoll, & Ptacek, 1995) and overcome sport-related adversity. These skills may be especially beneficial to athletes performing within natural and unstable risk sport environments. The current study assessed psychological skills among risk sport athletes (N = 232) and the impact of experience on the use of such skills. Risk sport athletes of varying degrees of experience completed a modified version of the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI; Smith et al., 1995). Risk sport athletes exceeded the midpoint on all of the ACSI subscales, indicating psychological skills usage. Experienced athletes scored significantly higher (p < .05) on three of the subscales and the total score, then leisure and novice athletes. These findings suggest the use of psychological skills within unpredictable and dynamic risk sport environments.

Recommended Citation

Young, Patrick R. and Knight, Erin L. (2014) "Use of Psychological Skills by Risk Sport Athletes," Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments: Vol. 11 : Iss. 2, Article 2.
DOI: 10.7771/2327-2937.1061
Available at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jhpee/vol11/iss2/2