PhD, Associate Professor G.R. Shagivaleeva¹
PhD, Associate Professor G.K. Biserova¹
PhD, Associate Professor G. M. Ldokova^1
1Elabuga Institute of Kazan Federal University, Elabuga

Keywords: volitional self-control, success motivations, competitive performance, taekwondoka.

Background. Modern sports psychology ranks volitional self-controls among the key factors of influence on the competitive progress and accomplishments (G. D. Babushkin, 2012; A.V. Batarshev, 2014; V.A. Ivannikov, 2014; E.P. Ilyin, 2012; L.I. Lubysheva, 2010). Sporting careers in their turn are believed to facilitate the personality progress in social integration, self-assertion and willpower development aspects [5]. Willpower – that may be interpreted as the conscientious behavioral self-control capacity – contributes to the individual ability to meet challenges and make solutions on the way to success. Volitional self-control helps cope with the internal and external barriers for progress and take and implement the progress solutions. As defined by V.A. Ivannikov, volitional self-control is the independent personality self-regulation mechanism with the relevant behavioral control toolkit [2].

Volitional self-control is known to be age-specific, with the adolescent volitional self-control, as reported by G.D. Babushkin, fast progressing with age in every volitional quality, self-assertion and self-management aspect [1]. Furthermore, E.P. Ilyin considers every personality quality, including volitional control, a phenotypic characteristic of the individual available mental resource, a sort of alloy of the inborn and acquired qualities; with the inborn resource composed of the natural congenital abilities and the acquired resource of those developed in the individual ontogenesis based on the accumulated experience [3]. For a competitive progress in modern sports, one have to develop high perseverance, self-control, courage, psychological fitness with the must-win agenda and the ability to mobilize the individual resource to attain every progress goal [4].

Objective of the study was to rate and analyze volitional self-control correlation with the competitive performance in the 11-12 year old taekwondo groups.

Methods and structure of the study. Sampled for the study were teenage taekwondokas (n=50) from Sports School No. 2 in Elabuga Municipal District, Republic of Tatarstan, split up into the actively competing Experimental Group (EG, n=25) including winners and runner-ups of the national and Republican competitions; and Reference Group (RG, n=25) of their non-competing although actively trained peers. The study was run using the following common research methods: theoretical analysis of the problem; and empirical test and survey methods including the T. Ehlers Motivation to Success Test; A.V. Zverkova and E.V. Aidman Volitional Self-Control Test method; C.D. Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (with the state and trait anxiety tests in the Russian version adapted by Y.L. Khanin); plus a standard statistical test data processing toolkit.

Results and discussion. Tests of perseverance ranked among the key personality motivational-volitional components found insignificant intergroup difference  (p = 0.96), with the EG and RG rated 84% and 88% high (and 16% and 12% low) on the perseverance scale, respectively. Dominance of the high perseverance test rates in both of the groups may be due to the coaches being equally demanding to every athlete in the willpower development aspects.

Furthermore, 32% and 12% of the EG and RG were rated low (and 68% and 88% high) on the self-restraint test scale, respectively, with the RG showing a statistically insignificant (р=0.048) advantage. The somewhat lower standing of the EG may be due, as we believe, to the group being more exposed to the competitive stressors of detrimental effect on the volitional self-control standards. This assumption was verified by the strong correlation (r=0.46) between the state anxiety and self-restraint in the sample on the whole (n=50). The EG competitive progress was tested somewhat more sensitive to uncertain situations (thus the state anxiety in the EG was found increased by the psychological test procedure). The non-competing RG was tested less exposed to the state anxiety i.e. a bit higher on the self-restraint scale.

92% and 80% of the EG and RG were tested high (and 8% and 20% low) on the self-control test scale, with the intergroup difference being statistically insignificant (р=0.3). The basically high standings of both groups on the scale may be due to the fact that modern taekwondo is the highly competitive full-contact sport discipline that requires perfect volitional self-controls and fighting spirit for competitive success.

On the motivation to success test scale, 56% and 20% of the EG and RG were tested high (and 44% and 80% low), with the intergroup difference rated statistically significant (p=0.011). This means that the actively competing and winning athletes appear to be more motivated than the non-competing ones. Standing aloof from active competitions, the RG has little if any means to objectively test the own qualities, skills and resources in real bouts and, hence, its success motivations may show regress with time.

On the state anxiety test scale, 88% and 12% of the EG were tested with moderate and expressed state anxiety, respectively; and 0%, 56% and 44% of the RG with the expressed, moderate and no state anxiety, respectively; with the intergroup differences rated statistically significant (p≤0, 001). It should be emphasized that the test process as such was found to spur up the state anxiety in the EG. As for the trait anxiety, it was tested moderate in 84% and 92% of the EG and RG, respectively, with the intergroup difference rated statistically insignificant.

We believe that willpower in the adolescent period is formed mostly in the training process and this is the reason why no significant differences could be found between the actively competing and non-competing athletes. Success motivations of the actively competing group are explainable by rather the external factors of influence than the congenital volitional self-control levels – as verified by the Pearson correlation analysis of the success motivations versus the willpower test rates. The study data appear to demonstrate the age-specific competitive progress agendas being determined mostly by the external factors of influence (including the trainer’s appreciation, support from families, peer recognition etc.) than the background volitional self-control qualities as such.

Conclusion. The study data and analyses found the key volitional qualities including perseverance and overall self-controls being highly developed in the 11-12 year-old taekwondo sample, with insignificant (by the Student t-criterion) intergroup differences found between the actively competing and non-competing athletes; although the latter were tested with a insignificantly higher self-restraint qualities. Success motivations were tested higher in the actively competing group, although it was found more exposed to state anxiety – including the one triggered by the psychological test procedure. Active competitive schedule, as we found, appears to step up the competing group’s success motivations albeit suppress the self-restraint capacity (r=0.46). It should be emphasized that adolescents are highly sensitive to emotional impacts due to the age-specific hormonal transformations, and this may be the reason why the individual volitional self-control qualities are still of little contribution to their competitive progresses. Their success motivations were found dominated by external factors of influence including the trainer’s appreciation, support from families, peer recognition etc., rather than the background volitional self-control qualities as such.

References

1. Babushkin G.D. Individual's psychodiagnostics during physical education and sport sessions. Omsk : SibSUPC publ., 2012. 328 p.
2. Ivannikov V.A., Barabanov D.D., Monroz A.V., Shlyapnikov V.N., Eidman E.V. The place of the concept of “will” in modern psychology. Voprosy psikhologii, 2014, no. 2, pp. 15-22.
3.  Ilyin E.P. Psikhologiya sporta [Sports Psychology]. St. Petersburg: Piter publ., 2012. 352 p.
4. Ismailova N.I., Biserova G.K., Ljdokova G.M. University athletes' competitive success versus their affective tolerance and stress-tolerance rates. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2018. no. 3. pp. 3-5.
5. Lubysheva L.I. Sociology of Physical Culture and Sports. Study guide. Moscow: Akademiya publ., 2010. 272 p.

Corresponding author: guzel-shagivalee@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to rate and analyze volitional self-control correlation with the competitive performance in the 11-12 year old taekwondo groups.
Methods and structure of the study. Sampled for the study were teenage taekwondokas (n=50) from Sports School No. 2 in Elabuga Municipal District, Republic of Tatarstan, split up into the actively competing Experimental Group (EG, n=25) including winners and runner-ups of the national and Republican competitions; and Reference Group (RG, n=25) of their non-competing although actively trained peers. The study was run using the following common research methods: theoretical analysis of the problem; and empirical test and survey methods including the T. Ehlers Motivation to Success Test; A.V. Zverkova and E.V. Aidman Volitional Self-Control Test method; C.D. Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (with the state and trait anxiety tests in the Russian version adapted by Y.L. Khanin); plus a standard statistical test data processing toolkit.

Results and conclusions. The study data and analyses found the key volitional qualities including perseverance and overall self-controls being highly developed in the 11-12 year-old taekwondo sample, with insignificant (by the Student t-criterion) intergroup differences found between the actively competing and non-competing athletes; although the latter were tested with a insignificantly higher self-restraint qualities. Success motivations were tested higher in the actively competing group, although it was found more exposed to state anxiety – including the one triggered by the psychological test procedure. Active competitive schedule, as we found, appears to step up the competing group’s success motivations albeit suppress the self-restraint capacity (r=0.46). It should be emphasized that adolescents are highly sensitive to emotional impacts due to the age-specific hormonal transformations, and this may be the reason why the individual volitional self-control qualities are still of little contribution to their competitive progresses. Their success motivations were found dominated by external factors of influence including the trainer’s appreciation, support from families, peer recognition etc., rather than the background volitional self-control qualities as such.