Psychological features of female ice hockey players at start of their sports careers

ˑ: 

MD, аssociate professor Yu.K. Rodygina1
MD, рrofessor A.A. Potapchuk1
MD, рrofessor S.V. Matveev1
MD, professor M.D. Didur1
1Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “The First
2St. Petersburg State Medical University” named after academician I.P. Pavlov of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, St. Petersburg

bjective of the study was to determine psychological and psycho-physiological features of girls during competitions at the start of their sports careers in order to obtain data about the dynamics of changes of these factors and developing guidelines regarding psychological training in women’s ice hockey.
Methods and structure. In order to achieve our study aims we conducted psychological and psycho-physiological examination of 28 girls playing for the team SKA Aurora (St. Petersburg) (both the first and the second strings of players), average age 9,1 y.o., with up to 1 year exposure to ice hockey training. In order to determine psychological and psycho-physiological factors of girls as compared to boys we conducted a comparative experiment with the participation of 17 boys – ice-hockey players, aged 8-9, born in 2009 (team SKA Strelna, St. Petersburg).
All techniques used were based on the computer software “Psychotest” by Neurosoft.
Results and conclusion. Standardized psychological techniques were used during the ascertaining experiment, which revealed that girls are less aggressive than boys (p<0,05), do not tend to be very competitive and aggressive in everyday life and on the hockey pitch. At the same time, they have a higher anxiety level, are more sensitive and introverted. The children from the two groups under comparison possess the same degree of emotional instability and motivational changeability. Inhibitory reactions prevail in psycho-physiological characteristics of girls-hockey players, at the level of high statistical significance compared to boys. Psychological training should be based on comprehensive positive reinforcement of achieved results, as well as the control of actual working capacity and the training aimed at the development of the degree of neural processes excitement.

Keywords: women’s ice hockey, psychological and psycho-physiological factors of female ice hockey players, start of sports career.

References

  1. Ilyin E.P. Psychophysiology of Human Conditions. St. Petersburg: Piter publ., 2005. 415 pp.
  2. Marishchuk V.L., Bludov Y.M., Serova L.К. Psychodiagnostics in Sports. Мoscow: Prosveshchenie publ., 2005. 349 p.
  3. Mikhno L.V. [ed.] Russian Ice Hockey in the Changing World: from the Present through the Past to the Future. St. Petersburg: Aleteya publ., 2016. 384 p.
  4. Safonov V.K. Aggression in Sports. St. Petersburg.: St. Petersburg State University Publ. 2003. 159 p.
  5. Stambulova N.B., Ryba T.V. Athletes’ Careers Across Cultures. Routledge. 2013. 288 p.