Effect of a Four-Week Soccer Training Program Using Stressful Constraints on Team Resilience and Precompetitive Anxiety

Juan Martin Tassi, Jesús Díaz-García (), Miguel Ángel López-Gajardo, Ana Rubio-Morales and Tomás García-Calvo
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Juan Martin Tassi: Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Jesús Díaz-García: Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Miguel Ángel López-Gajardo: Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Ana Rubio-Morales: Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Tomás García-Calvo: Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-9

Abstract: The present study examined the effects of stressful constraints during soccer trainings on psychological skill development and internal load when compared with control (nonstressful) trainings. A total of 51 elite male youth soccer players (27 in the experimental group, M = 16.54 years; 24 in the control group, M = 15.44 years) participated in the study. In a 12-week longitudinal survey, team resilience, using the Spanish version of the Characteristics of Resilience in Sports Teams Inventory, and anxiety, using the Sport Anxiety Scale, were measured at baseline (after 4 weeks of regular trainings), postprotocol (after 4 weeks of control or experimental trainings), and follow-up (after 4 weeks of regular trainings). Results show that, when compared with the control group, a program with stressful constraints helped young soccer players to develop better psychological skills: specifically, increased ability to cope with impairments in resilience (both resilience characteristics and team vulnerability under pressure; p < 0.001). Increases in anxiety ( p = 0.06) and decreases in preoccupation ( p < 0.001) and lack of concentration ( p < 0.001) were also observed. The adaptation of human behavior to specific trainings may explain these results. In conclusion, the regular exposure of young soccer players to stressful situations during trainings shows benefits for their psychological skill development in soccer. Then, benefits on internal load were also observed.

Keywords: cognitive exertion; stress; internal load; mental demands; soccer constraints; football; team sports (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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