The Mental Toughness and Sports Competition Anxiety Management Among Athletes in the District of Binangonan III

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Pupil Athletes are under pressure to perform well. Self-imposed expectations or those of coaches, teammates or family members can lead to anxiety, depression, insomnia and other forms of stress. It does not matter if one is a professional or a weekend warrior, stress management techniques are important tools for any athlete. Nowadays, elementary schools in the Province of Rizal continuously train and develop athletes for interschool athletic competition It is believed that "grass root training is the discovery of a pool of would be national and international athletes. But the problem arises in dealing with diverse attitude and motivation. The study aimed to determine the extent of mental toughness and sports competition anxiety management among athletes in Binangonan District III during the school year 2018-2019.

METHODS

The study considered the winning athletes in every sports event in the said district. They were described in terms of age, sex, sibling position, monthly family income, parents' educational attainment, number of children in the family, and sports event engagement. The descriptive survey research design was applied to utilize a researcher made questionnaire checklist as a tool in gathering the needed data. The instrument was used to measure the extent of mental toughness and sports competition anxiety management with respect to attitudes, goal setting, motivation, and human relationship.

RESULTS

Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the demographic characteristics of the athletes such as age, sex, age, sibling position, monthly family income, parents' educational attainment and number of children inthe family are not predictors of the mental toughness of the athletes with respect to attitude, goal setting, motivation, and human relationship. However, the mental toughness of the athletes differs from their sports event engagement.

DISCUSSIONS

Considering the findings, the following recommendations are hereby offered: Continuous communication and support may be maintained by both coaches and athletes for a more harmonious relationship. Athletes may be trained to develop their goal-setting skills and to manage and check their progress. Coaches and athletes may continuously join sports competition in different events to reach the objectives of the sports development program of the school. Parallel studies may be conducted considering other aspects and variables.