The evaluation of a psychological skills training programme for rugby players

Abstract

Evaluation of a psychological skills training programme with a group of nine South African Under-21 provincial rugby players revealed its general effectiveness. An age-matched quasi-experimental control group design was used. Over a period of four months, rugby players improved in psychological skills and psychological well-being as assessed on standardized measures and as experientially evaluated. Comparisons with a matched control group indicated significant differences between rugby players and control group’s perceptions of improvement in total psychological skills and especially those involving mental preparation, as well as anxiety and worry management. In terms of psychological wellbeing, the rugby group perceived themselves to have improved significantly more than the control group with regard to personal growth. Its adaptability and comparisons with related studies indicate ready transferability of the programme in sport, health and related community contexts.