Loading article...
Loading article...
Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
-
Paper ID:
IJSREM62990
Volume:
10 |
5 |
May 2026
Pages:
1-5
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Department of Physical Education
IIMT University, Meerut
Department of Physical Education
IIMT University, Meerut
Department of Physical Education
IIMT University, Meerut
Performance anxiety is a common psychological experience among athletes, especially at the amateur level where competitors may have limited exposure to formal competitive settings. Anxiety before competition can affect concentration, confidence, decision-making, physical coordination, and overall performance. This study examined the prevalence and variation of performance anxiety among amateur athletes before and after competition across six sports: football, basketball, tennis, swimming, athletics, and badminton. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample consisted of 180 amateur athletes aged 16 to 24 years, with 30 participants selected from each sport. Athletes were involved in school, college, or community-level competitions. The Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) was administered at two time points: 30 minutes before competition and within 30 minutes after competition. Anxiety scores were converted to a 0–100 scale for easier comparison. The findings showed that anxiety levels were higher before competition in all sports and decreased after the event. Football athletes recorded the highest pre-competition anxiety score at 75, followed by basketball at 72 and swimming at 70. Badminton athletes recorded the lowest pre-competition anxiety score at 60. Post-competition anxiety scores decreased across all sports, with badminton showing the lowest post-competition score at 40. The greatest reduction was observed in football, where anxiety decreased by 25 points. The results suggest that performance anxiety among amateur athletes is largely anticipatory and tends to decrease after competition. These findings highlight the need for pre-competition psychological preparation, including breathing techniques, positive self-talk, imagery, relaxation training, and structured warm-up routines. Coaches and sport educators should help amateur athletes understand and manage anxiety so that it does not negatively affect performance or long-term participation.
KEYWORDS
This study found that amateur athletes experienced higher anxiety before competition than after competition across all six sports. Football and basketball athletes showed the highest pre-competition anxiety levels, while badminton athletes reported the lowest anxiety levels. Anxiety decreased after competition in every sport, suggesting that performance anxiety is largely related to anticipation and uncertainty before the event. The findings highlight the importance of psychological preparation for amateur athletes. Pre-competition routines, relaxation strategies, imagery, positive self-talk, and supportive coaching may help athletes manage anxiety more effectively. Post-competition reflection should also be encouraged so that athletes can process their performance in a healthy and constructive way. Sport programs at school, college, and community levels should include mental skills training as part of regular athletic preparation. Supporting athletes psychologically can improve confidence, performance consistency, enjoyment, and long-term participation in sport.
Craft, L. L., Magyar, T. M., Becker, B. J., & Feltz, D. L. (2003). The relationship between the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 and sport performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25(1), 44–65. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.25.1.44 Jones, G. (1995). More than just a game: Research developments and issues in competitive anxiety in sport. British Journal of Psychology, 86(4), 449–478. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1995.tb02565.x Martens, R., Vealey, R. S., & Burton, D. (1990). Competitive anxiety in sport. Human Kinetics. Cox, R. H., Martens, M. P., & Russell, W. D. (2003). Measuring anxiety in athletics: The Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25(4), 519–533. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.25.4.519 Hanton, S., Mellalieu, S. D., & Hall, R. (2002). Re-examining the competitive anxiety trait-state relationship. Personality and Individual Differences, 33(7), 1125–1136. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00003-0 Mellalieu, S. D., Hanton, S., & Fletcher, D. (2006). A competitive anxiety review: Recent directions in sport psychology research. In S. Hanton & S. D. Mellalieu (Eds.), Literature reviews in sport psychology (pp. 1–45). Nova Science Publishers. Patel, D. R., Omar, H., & Terry, M. (2010). Sport-related performance anxiety in young female athletes. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 23(6), 325–335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2010.04.004 Raglin, J. S., & Hanin, Y. L. (2000). Competitive anxiety. In Y. L. Hanin (Ed.), Emotions in sport (pp. 93–111). Human Kinetics. Smith, R. E., Smoll, F. L., & Schutz, R. W. (1990). Measurement and correlates of sport-specific cognitive and somatic trait anxiety: The Sport Anxiety Scale. Anxiety Research, 2(4), 263–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/08917779008248733 Woodman, T., & Hardy, L. (2003). The relative impact of cognitive anxiety and self-confidence upon sport performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 21(6), 443–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/0264041031000101809
Publication Date
5/9/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
Documents
Article Views
1
Total views since publication
PDF Downloads
3
Total downloads since publication
Geographic Reach
5
Digital Preservation: This article is permanently archived on Zenodo and complies with all data preservation standards across major indexing platforms.
Plagiarism Screening
This manuscript has been checked for plagiarism using TurnitinPlagiarismChecker software.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this research work.
Funding Information
No funding information available for this research.
Related research in the same subject area
Loading similar articles...