The Effect Of Growth And Maturation On Mental Skills Of Junior Elite African Soccer Players

The study investigated if a difference exist in mental skills of junior elite African players of different maturity levels. A total of 155 male soccer players with an average age of 16.3 years, representing 11 countries in Africa formed part of this study. A Biological maturation questionnaire was c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medicine and science in sports and exercise 2012-05, Vol.44 (5S), p.465-466
Main Authors: Van den Berg, Linda, Jooste, Julius
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The study investigated if a difference exist in mental skills of junior elite African players of different maturity levels. A total of 155 male soccer players with an average age of 16.3 years, representing 11 countries in Africa formed part of this study. A Biological maturation questionnaire was compiled to ascertain biological maturation, and accordingly classified the group into early (ED, n = 29), average (AD, n = 77) and late developers (LD, n = 46). Descriptive results indicated that for most of the sub components, the LD showed better results than the ED and the AD. Despite this tendency, statistically significant differences could only be found for Imagery ability (p=o.oo), relaxation (p=0.36), Coping with adversity (p=0.01) and goal setting and mental preparation (0.007), with LD showing better results than the ED.
ISSN:0195-9131