Analyzing mental toughness in u-17 male combat sports athletes: A comparative study of judo and boxing

Abstract

Background of the study: In applied sport psychology, mental toughness (MT) is one of the most used but misunderstood concept (Goldberg, 1998). It is critical to realise that cultivating mental toughness is a learned skill, that it is crucial for all athletes to master, and that it demands consistent, serious training, just like your physical body does. Sports psychologists have examined MT extensively because of its strong correlation with athletic success and general resilience. Purpose of the study: The purpose is to compare the levels of mental toughness between U-17 boys in Judo and Boxing, both of whom are combat sports participants. Those students have taken part in the 52nd KVS regional competition. Method: A total of 50 players are part of 52nd KVS Bhopal regional competition at LNIPE, Gwalior, in India during the academic year 2023-2024. The age of the subjects were ranging from 14-17 years. Among the 50 subjects, there are 25 Judo players and 25 Boxing players. Mental Toughness Comparison was made between Judo and Boxing players. Latest Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (Sheard et al., 2009) of Michael Sheard, Jim Golby and Anna van Wersch was administered. The questionnaire consists of 14 statements and three sub scales namely: Confidence, Constancy and Control. T- Test was applied to compare means between the groups. Statistical significance was set at 0.05 levels. Results: T-Test failed to reveal significant difference on mental toughness (MT) between 52nd KVS Bhopal regional competition Judo and Boxing athletes (p-value=0.529 >.05). No significant differences were found on other sub- scales (confidence, Constancy and control) of mental toughness between Judo & Boxing players. Conclusion: There were no significant differences on confidence, Constancy, and Control mental toughness 52nd KVS regional boys Judo and Boxing Players. There were no significant variations in confidence, consistency, control, and general mental toughness among 52nd KVS regional boys Judo and Boxing players.