"Better people make better players": exploring the role of character in rugby union talent identification

Character and rugby union are historically linked with governing bodies, stakeholders and media all citing its importance for rugby union performance. Recent years have seen an increase in the prevalence of talent identification programmes in professional sports, rugby union included. However, little is known about the importance of psychological characteristics, less so character in rugby union talent identification. A literature review of psychological components of talent identification was conducted, with a focus on the application to Rugby Union. A more concerted effort needs to be made by researchers to define and differentiate the psychological components clearly to allow for more diverse research methodologies to take place and further the rugby union talent identification literature. To investigate the role character in the talent identification process in rugby union, a qualitative design was used. Interviews were conducted with 9 rugby union talent identification experts which focused on the components of character they valued most in potential professional players. A multidimensional understanding of character was used to analyse the aspects most valuable. No unified understanding of character exists in rugby union. However, it was deemed as especially important by stakeholders especially performance character virtues such as industriousness, resilience, and perseverance. Moral character was second most valued by participants including virtues, self-regulation, self-awareness, and honesty. These findings were then discussed in relation to current practices and further research directions were outlined

Development and initial validation of an indirect measure of transformational leadership integrity

An indirect measure of transformational leadership integrity was developed across three studies. In Study 1, the transformational leadership integrity implicit association test (TLI-IAT) was developed and tested with 65 leaders across heterogeneous organizational contexts. Study 2 involved 51 coaches from 18 sports. Results from Studies 1 and 2 supported the construct validity of the instrument, providing evidence of the instrument's convergent and discriminant validity. Study 3 involved 32 coaches and 133 players from six sports. Findings supported the criterion validity of the measure, providing evidence for the instrument's predictive validity. In sum, evidence is presented that supports the TLI-IATs construct and criterion validity. As such, the present research has made significant advancements to the transformational leadership integrity literature and provides researchers with an indirect measure of automatic transformational leadership integrity self-attitudes

A Qualitative case study of an NCAA division III female tennis player\u27s self-regulation prior to, during, and after a singles tennis match

To gain an in depth understanding of the self-regulatory techniques and strategies used by a tennis player prior to, during, and after a singles match, an NCAA Division III female tennis player (n=1) was purposefully selected for the present case study. [This is an excerpt from the abstract. For the complete abstract, please see the document.

The Role and the Experiences of the Sports Team Captain

The role of the sports team captain is often underestimated in terms of the responsibility involved, the essential attributes and knowledge required. The qualities and expertise of the captain can potentially have a great effect on the performance of the team. To date there has been very little research conducted on the role and experiences of the sports team captain. The purpose of this study is to outline the role and the experiences of the sports team captain, with particular emphasis on the responsibilities, the influencing factors and the power of the captain. Ten former or current captains of state and national sports teams currently residing in Perth, Western Australia, were each interviewed using an open ended, flexible interview schedule. A combination of inductive and deductive content analysis of the verbatim interview transcripts was used to establish common and unique themes pertaining to the role, attitudes and experiences of the sports team captain. The major theme to emerge from the data was be yourself\u27\u27. The findings demonstrated that· the duties of the captain are primarily determined by the role and nature of the coach. Other factors including the nature and profile of the sport, type and level of competition, number of support personnel, team stability and length of the playing season also influenced the extent of the captain\u27s responsibilities. With ii the exception of cricket, the captain has little authority or involvement in team selection and strategies. The major duties of the captain involve (a) representing the team in either a public relations capacity or in discussions with the coach and management, and (b) identifying and solving problems within the team

Mental toughness in Scottish Rugby Union

The purpose of this doctoral thesis was to develop a comprehensive understanding of mental toughness within Scottish Rugby Union (SRU). This aim was achieved through a considered and evidence-based analysis of the construct, with the first experimental chapter assessing the levels of mental toughness present within semi-elite and elite rugby union players in Scotland. It was concluded that mental toughness is an important psychological construct associated with rugby union performance, as it discriminated between semi-elite and elite rugby union players. The range in levels of self-reported mental toughness present within this cohort, warrants the development of an effective intervention. The next experimental chapter promoted the use of an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) to explore what it means to be mentally tough with professional rugby union in Scotland. Participants included players and support staff, conclusions from within this chapter provided a theoretical basis for the subsequent experimental chapters. Rugby specific, mentally tough behaviours were identified from this qualitative analysis and the next experimental chapter sought to identify and measure these mentally tough behaviours. These behaviours were positively correlated with self-reported scores of mental toughness, highlighting the value of measuring psychological constructs using notational analysis. The final experimental chapter investigated the feasibility of the Mindfulness Acceptance and Commitment (MAC) approach to enhance mental toughness in a group of semi-elite rugby union players. Consistent with the view that mental toughness is a complex psychological construct, a feasibility study completed as it was a fundamental step to ensure the success of any future intervention efforts. The development of such an intervention would have a positive impact upon the mental toughness, performance and potentially the mental health of professional rugby players

Measuring Greatness in the NBA

The “greatest player ever” debate stems from the controversy of how to measure a player’s effectiveness and contributions. Some analysts focus their arguments on a player’s statistics and advanced analytics. Another analyst may argue that awards play the largest role in a player’s worth to a team. Even though the tendency is to focus on one category of comparison, a player’s career is too complex to use only one category to rank players. In basketball, there are also so many exceptions in these points of comparison due to the team aspect of the sport. These factors all play a role in determining who is the greatest NBA player of all-time

Mediating variables in the relationship between 2D: 4D digit ratio and sports achievement rank

This study investigated the extent to which 2D: 4D digit ratio, mental rotation ability and the personality variables of social-potency, achievement, harm-avoidance and control are effective predictors of achievement rank in team sports and also whether the relationship between digit ratio and rank can be explained by the influence of these predictor variables. The extent to which these correlations are moderated by participant sex and sport contact intensity was also investigated. Basketball, football and rugby players (ranging in standard from 'social' to 'international' level) as well as non-sport participants were recruited from four universities in the north-east of England. Each participant completed an inventory of personal details (such as age, weight, height and ethnicity), a personality inventory and a mental rotation test. Right-hand photocopies were taken to allow calculations of the participants' digit ratios. Non-sports players' scores did not significantly differ from the sports participants, with the exception of digit ratio and weight. Digit ratio, social-potency, height and weight were found to be significant discriminators of the sports players' rank and sex. The influence of digit ratio upon athlete achievement rank was found to be highly independent of the other predictor variables. The 'years played' and 'hours spent training/playing per week' of the sports participants, were found to be the best predictors of athlete achievement rank as well as having the greatest mediating influence on digit ratios correlation with rank, of all the other variables (digit ratio was still significantly associated with rank after removing these effects)

Sources of Acute Stress and Psychological Skill Training Methods among Czech Elite Soccer Players

The purpose ofthis research was twofold: first, to identify the sources ofacute stress among Czech Elite Soccer Players (CESPs) by investigating their perceived intensity and appraisal direction and second, to investigate the psychological skill training (PST) methods used by Czech elite soccer players. "Stress Intensities, Appraisals and PST methods Questionnaire" was created under the conceptual framework of stress process concluded from literature review to serve the purpose. Total 83 players from 5 teams competing át Czech premier soccer league (Gambrinus liga) completed the questionnaire. The main findings from the questionnaire were: 1) All the pre-competition stressors which were perceived with high intensity were all appraised strongly positive; 2) Cheers from spectators was the major facilitative in- competition stressor while making a goal-relevant game error was the major debilitative one; 3) "Team dynamics" has profound influence on the appraisal direction of stressors; 4) Defenders tend to be more aroused by negative stressors while Forwarders by positive ones; 5) Teams with higher performance level use PST methods more frequently and team's strategies such as "Team's goal setting", "Coach's pep talk" are more frequently used than individua} ones. The results of the research were...Cílem této práce bylo za prvé identifikovat zdroje akutního stresu u českých elitních fotbalových hráčů, vnímanou intenzitu a směr subjektivního hodnocení u těchto stresorů. Za druhé práce popisuje metody psychologické přípravy používané těmito hráči. Na základě studia literatury z oblasti Yýzkumu procesů stresu byl vytvořen dotazník "Stress Intensities, Appraisals and PST methods Questionnaire," který zjišťuje intenzitu stresu, jeho subjektivní hodnocení a použití metod psychologické přípravy. Dotazník vyplnilo celkem 83 hráčů z 5 týmů české Gambrinus extraligy. Hlavními závěry dotazníkového průzkumu jsou: 1) Všechny předsoutěžní stresory vnímané jako vysoce intenzivní byly zároveň hodnoceny v)·razně pozitivně. 2) Povzbuzování fanoušků bylo hlavním facilitativním soutěžním stresorem, zatímco udělat chybu, která vede ke gólu, hlavním negativně hodnoceným stresorem. 3) Týmová dynamika má velký vliv na směr hodnocení stresorů. 4) Obránci mají tendenci být více aktivováni negativními stresory zatímco útočníci pozitivními. 5) Týmy vyšší výkonnostní úrovně používají častěji metody psychologické přípravy, t) mové metody jako např. plánování t)mových cílů a promluva trenéra jsou používány častěji než individuální metody. Výsledky práce byly prezentovány a diskutovány s trenéry, na jejich základě byly...Pedagogika, psychologie a didaktikaFakulta tělesné výchovy a sportuFaculty of Physical Education and Spor

Coordination and agility: How is the correlation in improving soccer dribbling skills?

Investigation that was raised in this study was to improve dribbling skills. One form of training that must be done is coordination training and agility training for the players of the Tunas Muda Medan Football School (SSB TMM). Furthermore, it is expected that discoveries can be made that can improve dribbling skills with other training components for soccer players in soccer schools. This study aims to improve the skills of dribbling SSB TMM players in the city of Medan, North Sumatra Province by using coordination training and agility training. The experimental population was all SSB TMM players with a sample of 22 people. The research method used is descriptive with a correlational process, the analysis system is used to test the hypothesis which is the normality test, linearity test, and correlation test. From the end of the first hypothesis correlation test, a significance value of 0.046 <0.050 is obtained, so there is a significant relationship between coordination on the results of the ability of dribbling ball. The achievement of the second hypothesis test has a significance value of 0.037 <0.05, so there is a significant relationship between agility and the results of the ability to dribble a ball. Based on the multiple regression test, it is known that the significance is 0.037 <0.05, then H0 is not accepted and Ha is accepted. Thus, the two components of coordination and agility simultaneously have a significant relationship with the ability to dribble a ball