Mental toughness of elite judo athletes

Abstract

Introduction: The concept of mental toughness, which is one of the psychological characteristics, is an important factor for the success of elite athletes. Mental toughness contains four critical features, which are motivation, coping with pressure, concentration and confidence. In elite sports competitions where high performance exists, there are not many factors as important as mental toughness in achieving competitive advantage and success. The aim of this study is to determine the mental strength of Turkish elite judo athletes and to investigate according to different variables. Material and method: The research was conducted using quantitative research methods. The study group consists of 117 elite judo athletes, (54 women and 63 men) in different age (M age= 20.65, SD= 5.25) groups in Turkish national judo team. Data collection tool, 11 items and one-dimension mental toughness scale, which was adapted to Turkish by Erdogan were used. One Way Anova was used for groups with more than two variables, and T test analyses were used for groups with more than two variables. Results: According to the results of the data obtained, the mean scores of the participants were determined as 4,12. According to the results of the analysis, the mean scores of male participants were higher than female participants. Also, mean scores of the university-educated participants were found to be higher than the high school-educated participants. In addition, mean scores of the university-educated Judo Athletes were found to be higher than the high school-educated Judo Athletes. Conclusion: In conclusion, it was found that the participants' mental toughness levels were high and age education level and gender variable showed differences.