Psychological Flexibility and Its Relationship to Competition Anxiety among Coaches of Iraqi First-Class Football Clubs

Abstract

Hayder Talib Jasim*, Sanaa Rabeea Abed and Samer Saad Ibrahim

The purpose of this paper is to identifying the level of psychological flexibility and the level of competition anxiety and the relationship between the two variables among the coaches of first-class football clubs for the season 2022-2023, as the researchers assumed the existence of a statistically significant correlation between the level of psychological flexibility and competition anxiety for the coaches, and the researchers used the descriptive approach in the manner of correlations to suit it with the nature of the research The research community was identified with coaches and assistant coaches working in first-class football clubs, who number (66) coaches, and they represent the research community and sample, as they were chosen by the intentional method and the tools used in the research, measures of psychological flexibility and competition anxiety. Football has low psychological flexibility and high psychological anxiety, and that there is a relationship between psychological flexibility and competition anxiety among the coaches of the first-class clubs in Iraq for football, and the researchers recommended the need to use the two research measures as a means by the federation to identify the psychological flexibility and competition anxiety possessed by the coaches on a regular basis. Also, the need for coaches to pay attention to their psychological preparation in order to control the level of psychological flexibility and competition anxiety and make it at a good level, which directly helps in controlling the behavior of the coach during exposure to great pressures, and this directly helps in achieving athletic achievement.