Mental Skills Training Program Implementation and Its Impact on Performance Enhancement among Long Distance Runners in Ethiop ia
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Date
2010-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the Mental Skills Training Program
Implementation and Its impact on Perfo/mance Enhancement among long
distance runners of Ethiopia.
The methodology employed was descriptive study method. 1 00 athletes were
selected from 10 firs t division long distance athletics sport clubs. And the
athletes from each club were selected by simple random method of sampling. A
Ques tionnaire with a total of 25 questions was distributed to the sampled
athletes and was retumed after properly filled. Focus group discussion
interviews also conducted with 30 alillpres who were purposefUlly selected from
5 clubs of the 10 athletics clubs of reseu rch sample. 10 coaches of selected clubs
and five lecturers of sport science from AAU & KeTE were also participating in
the interview. The res ults of the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive
s tatistics; frequency counts, percentage, mean, and grand mean and simple
narratives were used as data analysis techniques.
The results of the s tudy indicates, there is a problem related to mental skills
training program in giving emphasis to it parallel with the physical aspect of
sport training by coaches. And the coaches are not aware about MST. Moreover
the re is no efficient use of MST by the athletes due to less support from their
coaches. This is firstly due to lacle of awareness and attitude of the coaches and
secondly the sport administrators' low attitude and less emphasis to the MST
program.
Based on these findings, the possible solutions are the lack of awareness and
a ttitudes about MST by coaches and sport. administrators should be changed
through consistent seminars and awareness creating trainings. The researcher
concludes that the re is lacle of awareness and attitude about the MST program
implementation and its impact in performance improvement. Due to the failure of
unde rstanding how to implement MST program, the athletes fail to solve different
psychological injuries and problems which happen during/ after training or
competition.
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Keywords
Performance Enhancement among Long Distance Runners in Ethiop ia