The relationship between sources of sport confidence and athletic performance in young Iranian elite wrestlers

Document Type : Original Article

Abstract

Self-confidence can be defined as the belief in one‟s abilities to achieve success, and it often has been 
identified as a most important mental skill for success in sport by individuals engaging in competitive sports, 
including athletes and coaches. This study examined the relationship between sources of sport confidence and 
athletic performance in young Iranian elite wrestlers. The participants were 148 elite wrestlers of 17 to 20 year
olds (M=18.60, SD=0.98) participating the country championship in 2009, who completed the Sources of Sport 
Confidence Questionnaire (SSCQ). Athletic performance of young wrestlers, which acquired their rank in the 
championship, was taken into account. The results showed a significant positive relationship between coaches‟ 
leadership, mastery, environmental comfort, demonstration of ability, physical/mental preparation, physical 
self-presentation and athletic performance. The results of a stepwise regression analysis showed that coaches‟ 
leadership was the strongest predictor of athletic performance. Our findings suggest that coaches‟ behaviors
may greatly influence athletes‟ self-confidence and can be an important social factor that influences athletes‟ 
cognition and behavior

Keywords

• sport confidence
• Iranian elite wrestlers
• athletic performance

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