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Sports
Special Issues
Sports Psychology and Performance
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Sports Psychology and Performance

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 11021

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Antonio Hernández-Mendo

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Guest Editor
Psicología Social, Trabajo Social y Servicios Sociales y Antropología Social, University of Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Interests: observational methodology; mixed methods; sport psychology; hypnosis and sport psychology; computer science and sports psychology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Verónica Morales-Sánchez

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Guest Editor
Psicología Social, Trabajo Social y Servicios Sociales y Antropología Social, University of Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Interests: psychology of work and organizations; psychology of sports organizations; human resources; observational and qualitative methodology; mediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Coral Falco

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Guest Editor
Department of Sport, Food and Natural Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, 5020 Bergen, Norway
Interests: observational methodology; physiology; combat sports; biomechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rafael Enrique Reigal Garrido

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Psicología Social, Trabajo Social y Servicios Sociales y Antropología Social, University of Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Interests: sport psychology; leadership processes; neuropsychosociology of sport
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The analysis of the psychological variables that influence sports performance is currently a highly relevant topic of study. Previous literature has pointed out that psychological training in athletes increase their chances of success. Therefore, when planning their preparation processes, it is pertinent to include those psychological issues that will be crucial for their behavior in competition.

From scientific and applied sport psychology, the importance of regulating a wide range of psychological processes for a better preparation of the athlete has been highlighted. Above all, due to the high demands that both young and professional athletes have today.

Among others, factors such as competitive anxiety, motivation, self-confidence, emotional regulation, attention, executive functioning, decision making, processing speed, coping control, etc., have been studied.

However, progress is still needed in the study and knowledge of what type of psychological intervention is the most appropriate depending on the sport category or type of sport, as well as the interdependence of psychological variables when a set of them is explored. There are still questions to be resolved, and there is a need to clarify the weight that each psychological variable has in the set of factors present in the training of the athlete.

Therefore, this special issue is proposed. It is intended to increase the scientific evidence that contributes to offer adequate conclusions on these issues.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Antonio Hernández-Mendo
Dr. Verónica Morales-Sánchez
Dr. Coral Falco
Dr. Rafael Reigal Reigal-Garrido
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • competitive anxiety
  • motivation
  • self-confidence
  • emotional regulation
  • attention
  • executive functioning
  • decision making
  • processing speed
  • coping and control

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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8 pages, 263 KiB  
Article
Personality Traits vs. Sports Classes of Polish Representatives in Junior Sports Acrobatics
by Paweł Piepiora and Adrianna Naczyńska
Sports 2023, 11(10), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11100194 - 6 Oct 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1856
Abstract
The aim of this paper was to determine the influence of adolescence, training discipline, and training regime on the personality formation of adolescent sports acrobats. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to study the relationship between the personality traits and the sports [...] Read more.
The aim of this paper was to determine the influence of adolescence, training discipline, and training regime on the personality formation of adolescent sports acrobats. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to study the relationship between the personality traits and the sports classes of Polish junior sports acrobatics representatives. The respondents (N = 90) were juniors aged 18–19 and were divided into three samples: (1) n = 30 Polish representatives in sports acrobatics with a first or master sports class; (2) n = 30 kata athletes from Kyokushin karate and Shotokan karate as a reference sample from another sports discipline with gymnastic movement expression; (3) n = 30 high school students as a reference sample of non-athletic persons. The Big Five model was used, and the NEO-FFI personality questionnaire was used as a research tool. For the analyses of basic descriptive statistics, the Kruskal–Wallis test and Mann–Whitney test were performed to determine statistical significance (α = 0.05). It was noted that all athletes (the first and second samples) had personality traits at the same levels: low neuroticism, high extraversion, moderate openness to experience and agreeableness, and high conscientiousness in relation to non-athletes. In contrast, there were differences among the subjects in personality traits, except for agreeableness. Among the sports acrobats, master-class athletes showed lower neuroticism, greater openness to experience, lower agreeableness, and greater conscientiousness in relation to first-class athletes. It was found that there were differences between the personality traits and sports classes of junior sports acrobatics representatives in Poland in the four Big Five dimensions. But in general, sports acrobats and karate athletes had personality traits at similar levels, and at the same time, different from non-training people. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Psychology and Performance)
14 pages, 1674 KiB  
Article
The Impact of a Psychological Skills Training and Mindfulness-Based Intervention on the Mental Toughness, Competitive Anxiety, and Coping Skills of Futsal Players—A Longitudinal Convergent Mixed-Methods Design
by Daniel Vella-Fondacaro and Stephanie Romano-Smith
Sports 2023, 11(9), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11090162 - 29 Aug 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6277
Abstract
Despite the sport’s popularity, there is a paucity in futsal psychological interventional research. This study analysed the impact of a ten-session psychological skills training and mindfulness-based intervention (PSTMI) on the mental toughness, competitive anxiety, and athletic coping skills of national league futsal players [...] Read more.
Despite the sport’s popularity, there is a paucity in futsal psychological interventional research. This study analysed the impact of a ten-session psychological skills training and mindfulness-based intervention (PSTMI) on the mental toughness, competitive anxiety, and athletic coping skills of national league futsal players (n = 13). It also analysed whether these variables were predicted by playing experience. Pre-/post-intervention questionnaires were filled in and analysed (Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire, and Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28). Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with seven athletes; quantitative and qualitative data were integrated in a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Results revealed significant medium-to-large improvements in mental toughness, cognitive anxiety, and coping skills following the PSTMI. Years of playing experience positively and significantly predicted better self-confidence and coping skills. Thematic analysis generated five themes: (1) post-intervention enhancement in athletic performance and well-being; (2) the non-athletic commitments of futsal players; (3) diverse views on how to improve the intervention; (4) instilling social identity through sport psychology sessions; and (5) the impact of years of experience on skill learning. Results mirrored those from other sporting disciplines. The PSTMI was well-received and equipped athletes with beneficial psychological skills, stressing the need for more sport psychology resources in futsal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Psychology and Performance)
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Review

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12 pages, 1058 KiB  
Review
Effects of Exercise on Quality of Life in Subjects with Alzheimer’s Disease: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
by Mariana Mendes, Érica Correia, Anabela Vitorino, José Rodrigues, Luís Cid, Teresa Bento, Raul Antunes, Diogo Monteiro and Nuno Couto
Sports 2023, 11(8), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11080149 - 9 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1935
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that progressively affects memory, thinking, and behavior. It can interfere with daily activities and lead to a decline in cognitive abilities over time. Exercise-based interventions can complement Alzheimer’s disease treatment. Exercise is a valuable tool in [...] Read more.
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that progressively affects memory, thinking, and behavior. It can interfere with daily activities and lead to a decline in cognitive abilities over time. Exercise-based interventions can complement Alzheimer’s disease treatment. Exercise is a valuable tool in all healthcare settings and has shown promise as an effective cognitive improvement intervention for people with cognitive impairments. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to analyze the effect of physical exercise on the QoL of subjects with Alzheimer’s disease. A search was performed with the help of the electronic databases PubMed and Web of Science. Randomized controlled trials with exercise-based interventions were selected. Four studies met the inclusion criteria, which included interventions based on exercise. The effects were summarized using standardized mean differences (95% confidence intervals) using random-effect models. The results showed that exercise had no significant effect on the QoL of subjects with Alzheimer. Thus, the effect of exercise interventions on the QoL of patients with Alzheimer’s disease is not conclusive. More research is needed about this topic and the way in which the QoL is assessed; the necessity to conduct an objective way to assess the QoL in this population is mandatory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Psychology and Performance)
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