Abstract
The present study was conducted to compare sports competition anxiety among university-level volleyball players belonging to different playing positions namely libero, attacker, and setter. Psychological preparedness plays an important role in modern competitive sports, particularly in volleyball where players are continuously exposed to pressure situations and rapid tactical demands. The study aimed to identify whether significant differences existed in sports competition anxiety among volleyball players according to their positional responsibilities.
For the purpose of the study, 105 male university-level volleyball players from different universities of Chhattisgarh were selected as subjects. The age of the participants ranged between 18 and 27 years. The subjects were equally divided into three groups consisting of 35 libero players, 35 attacker players, and 35 setter players. Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) developed by Martens (1977) was used for the collection of data. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were calculated, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was employed to determine significant differences among the groups. Post Hoc analysis was also conducted to identify pairwise differences.
The findings revealed significant differences among libero, attacker, and setter volleyball players with respect to sports competition anxiety. Attacker players demonstrated the highest anxiety levels, followed by setters, whereas libero players showed the lowest anxiety scores. The results suggested that positional responsibilities and competitive demands significantly influence anxiety levels among volleyball players.
The study concluded that sports competition anxiety varies according to playing positions in volleyball and emphasized the importance of position-specific psychological training and anxiety management programs for university-level players.
Key Words: Sports Competition Anxiety, Volleyball, Playing Positions, Setter, Attacker, Libero, Sports Psychology
Author: Omprakash Gangey
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