A study on mental skill ability of different age level cricket players

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the mental-skills ability of the cricket players as per different age level categories. The study sample included 410 cricketers from different division club universities and cricket coaching centers of West Bengal, India. Mental skills ability was assessed by means of the Bull’s Mental Skills Questionnaire (Bull et al., 1996). One-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) indicated that there were significant differences between the cricket players of different age level categories. Significant difference also found in regards of their performance on the various mental-skills subscales. A definite psychological-skills status did come to the front, indicating that senior age category players, regardless of other age category, expressed high proficiencies in Self-Confidence, Anxiety and Worry Management, Relaxation Ability and Motivation. The essential conclusion was that there are significant differences in mental-skills ability between the various age category cricket players. Study did reveal the fact that age may be the predictor of mental skill ability of the cricket players.