The relation between anxiety, reaction time and performance before and after sport competitions

Abstract

Abstract We aimed to evaluate the relationship between anxiety, reaction time and motor performance before and after sports competitions. We conducted a correlational study (N = 70 men, mean age 20.3 years, athletes) and we used as instruments The Anxiety Inventory - STAI, proposed by Spielberger et all., a software for measuring the simple reaction time to the appearance of a visual stimulus on the screen and a motor performance assessment test. Our findings suggest the importance of psychological monitoring of elite athletes and the necessity of including of the tested variables in a psychological training program.