Psychological factors are one of the contributing factors that could influence an athlete's performance in any sporting events. The survey-based study is aimed at evaluating pre-competition anxiety levels of sixty-four under eighteen male track and field athletes from different rural areas of Sabah. The evaluation instrument used in this study is the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2). The findings showed that there was a significant difference in pre-competition anxiety levels between track and field athletes (t = 2.088, df = 62, p
Athletes born at the beginning of the year may present advantages in terms of physical characteristics, motor ability or cognitive knowledge that could increase their chances for selection against their peers. This circumstance could lead to the over-representation of older athletes in an age-defined competition, a phenomenon commonly referred to as relative age effect (RAE). Although, a number of studies have demonstrated that RAE is apparent in youth soccer, such studies rarely investigate the performance advantage that likely exists across the birth month of the athletes. The current study aims to determine the presence of RAE in the under 16 Asian Football Confederation Championship (AFC); investigate the effect of RAE on the team qualification success; as well as ascertain the existence of RAE in choice of playing position amongst the soccer players. Data for the 2018 AFC under 16 qualifications matches were obtained from the AFC. A total of 719 players from 32 countries participated in the qualification competitions. Chi-square for goodness fit is used to determine the existence of the RAE across the players’ month of birth while logistic regression is applied to analyze the differences of the quartiles’ distribution with respect to the quartile, qualification status (qualifier or non-qualifier) as well as the playing position of the players. The results demonstrate the presence of RAE in the AFC under 16 soccer tournaments [χ2(4) = 21.53; p < 0.001] with the largest number of older players dominating the qualified team. Likewise, a substantial difference is observed with regards to the quartile and various playing positions of the players at p < 0.05.
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of modified equipment on skill acquisition among novice badminton players. The participants (24 boys, 16 girls) aged between 7 – 9 years old, without any prior formal badminton experience, were randomly divided into four groups: standard racquet with standard court (SRSC), standard racquet with modified court (SRMC), modified racquet with standard court (MRSC) and modified racquet with modified court (MRMC). Children’s hitting opportunities and stroke effectiveness were tabulated using videotaped and notated during a minicompetition after a five-week training program. The result showed that there was a significant difference in hitting opportunities between the groups, F (3, 36) = 5.178, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.301. The results in terms of stroke effectiveness also showed that there were significant differences between groups F (3, 36) = 4.178, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.258. Based on the results, the children who practiced using modified racquet with the modified court (MRMC), recorded the highest hitting opportunities and stroke effectiveness compared to the others groups. The participants who practiced using the standard equipment recorded less hitting opportunities and stroke effectiveness during the minicompetition. This study demonstrated the advantages for children playing using modified equipment with a smaller court. By manipulating the task constraints, skill acquisition can be enhanced among children.
Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji kesan pengubahsuaian raket badminton dalam prestasi kemahiran kanak-kanak. Saiz raket badminton yang digunakan oleh kanak-kanak telah dikecilkan bagi membolehkan mereka bermain mengikut ciri-ciri fizikal mereka. Seramai 40 orang kanak-kanak berusia antara 7 hingga 9 tahun, yang tidak mempunyai pengalaman dalam bermain badminton telah menyertai kajian ini. Kanak-kanak telah dibahagikan kepada dua buah kumpulan secara rawak iaitu kumpulan raket yang diubahsuai (RU) dan kumpulan raket piawai (RP). Kedua-dua buah kumpulan telah menjalani program latihan selama lima minggu, yang telah dikendalikan oleh seorang jurulatih yang berkelayakan. Prestasi pukulan hadapan peserta telah diukur dan dianalisis menggunakan ujian-t sampel bebas. Hasil ujian mendapati terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan terhadap penggunaan raket bersaiz piawai antara kumpulan RU dan kumpulan RP, t (38) = 2.51, p < .05. Manakala bagi penggunaan raket yang diubahsuai juga menunjukkan terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan antara kumpulan RU dan kumpulan RP, t (38) = 4.53, p < .05. Dapatan kajian turut mendapati bahawa kumpulan RU mempunyai prestasi pukulan hadapan yang lebih baik berbanding kumpulan RP apabila menggunakan raket yang diubahsuai dan raket piawai. Keputusan ini menunjukkan bahawa kumpulan RU mempunyai proses pemindahan pembelajaran kemahiran yang lebih baik semasa menggunakan raket yang diubahsuai dan raket piawai berbanding kumpulan RP. Kesimpulannya, pengubahsuaian saiz raket dapat meningkatkan prestasi kemahiran di kalangan kanak-kanak dalam sukan badminton.