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Pre-competitive anxiety, self-confidence, and technical-tactical performance in professional kickboxing athletes:
Jonatas Deivyson Reis da Silva Duarte1,2, Johan Robalino3,4, Gennaro Apollaro5
1Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Brazil.
Purpose:
To compare pre-competitive anxiety and self-confidence levels, as well as technical-tactical aspects, between winning and defeated professional kickboxers, and to examine the association of these variables with match outcomes.
Methods:
Twenty professional kickboxers (19 males and 1 female) participated in the study, including 10 winners and 10 defeated athletes. Somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety, and self-confidence were assessed using the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2). Technical-tactical variables (attacks, efficiency, and efficacy) were analyzed using video recordings of the matches. Data were analyzed using parametric and non-parametric tests, linear mixed models for repeated measures, and binary logistic regression, with effect sizes and reliability indices reported.
Results:
There were no significant differences between winners and losers in psychological variables (p > 0.05). However, winners demonstrated a higher attack volume (p = 0.040; Cohen's d = 0.98) and greater efficacy (p = 0.024; d = 1.10), while no differences were found in efficiency between groups (p > 0.05). Additionally, offensive output was descriptively lower in the final round in both groups, although this reduction did not reach statistical significance. Finally, only attack volume showed a trend toward association with victory (p = 0.052), corresponding to an approximately 2% increase in the odds of victory (95% CI 1.000 to 1.042).
Conclusion:
Competitive success in professional kickboxing is related to greater offensive volume and efficacy, whereas striking efficiency and pre-competitive psychological variables do not differentiate winners from defeated athletes in our sample universe.
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