Functional Choking Under Pressure in Volleyball: The Effect of Skill Level and Gender on the Functional and Mental Performance of Young Players
Keywords:
choking, gender, skill level, functional ability, mental skill, volleyballAbstract
Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of gender and skill level on the functional and psychological performance of young Iraqi volleyball players under experimentally induced psychological pressure.
Methods and Materials: This causal–comparative field study employed a 2×2 factorial design, with gender (male/female) and skill level (high/low) as independent variables. Forty right-handed university volleyball students (20 males, 20 females) were selected through purposive sampling after initial screening with the SCAT. Functional performance was assessed using vertical jump and reaction time tests based on the Repeated Effort protocol, while psychological performance was measured using the CSAI-2 and the OMSAT-3. Psychological pressure was induced using the virtual comparison method, informing participants that their performance would be evaluated in relation to peers and used for team selection and monetary reward decisions. Data were analyzed using mixed two-way ANOVA with significance set at p < .05, and effect sizes and statistical power were calculated.
Findings: Analysis showed a significant main effect of gender on vertical jump height under pressure (F=238.45, p<.001, η²=.86), with males outperforming females, while skill level had no significant effect (p=.41). Reaction time was significantly influenced by both gender (F=58.08, p<.001) and skill level (F=5.37, p=.02), with a significant interaction (F=9.53, p=.004) indicating greater skill-based differences among males. For basic mental skills, neither gender nor skill level alone reached significance (p=.11 and p=.08, respectively), but their interaction was significant (F=5.50, p=.02). Psychomotor skills showed a significant gender effect (F=22.63, p<.001) but no significant effect of skill level (p=.94) or the interaction (p=.36).
Conclusion: Functional and psychological performance under pressure is shaped by a complex interplay of gender, skill level, and cognitive–emotional factors, underscoring the importance of integrating targeted mental skills training into volleyball development programs to reduce performance decrements under stress.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Hassan Abdulrazzaq Hassan Al-Hargani (Author); Hamid Zahedi; Amer Rashid Shayyal Al-Zubaidi, Rokhsareh Badami (Author)
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