Psychological demands of international rugby sevens and well-being needs of elite South African players
| dc.contributor.author | Kruyt, Ninette | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Grobbelaar, Heinrich W. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-05-10T13:59:18Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-05-10T13:59:18Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019 | |
| dc.description | CITATION: Kruyt, N. & Grobbelaar, H. 2019. Psychological demands of international rugby sevens and well-being needs of Elite South African Players. Frontiers in Psychology, 10:676, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00676. | en_ZA |
| dc.description | The original publication is available at https://www.frontiersin.org | en_ZA |
| dc.description | Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Rugby sevens was included in the 2016 Olympic Games, with South Africa’s Blitzboks winning bronze. They also won the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 World Rugby Sevens Series. Whilst peak performance is paramount at the elite level there is a growing responsibility to address player well-being and off-the-field player needs. This study explored the psychological demands of international rugby sevens and the well-being needs of elite players. Twenty professional players (age range: 21–33 years) participated in semi-structured interviews. Qualitative content analysis yielded five categories of psychological demands: (1) tournament structure, (2) resilience, (3) cope with physicality, (4) perform when fatigued, and (5) perform under pressure. The prevailing team culture included: (1) team cohesion, (2) clear purpose, (3) work ethic, (4) team values, (5) happy environment, (6) relationships with coaching staff, and (7) faith. Various psychological skills [(1) goal-directed behavior, (2) compartmentalization, (3) deal with anxiety, (4) motivation, (5) imagery, and (6) self-confidence] and mental strategies [(1) coping, (2) “back-to-zero,” (3) creativity, and (4) cognitive triggers] utilized by the players are discussed. Their general well-being and individual needs were: (1) physical needs, (2) financial concerns/needs, (3) preparation for life after rugby career, (4) support structures, and (5) mental (ill) health. This information could be useful to develop an integrated sport psychological and well-being program aimed at improving performance and facilitating psychological well-being both during and after retirement from elite sport. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.uri | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00676/full | |
| dc.description.version | Publisher's version | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | 9 pages | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Kruyt, N. & Grobbelaar, H. 2019. Psychological demands of international rugby sevens and well-being needs of Elite South African Players. Frontiers in Psychology, 10:676, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00676 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1664-1078 (online) | |
| dc.identifier.other | doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00676 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/106262 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Frontiers Media | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Authors retain copyright | |
| dc.subject | Rugby football players -- Performance -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Rugby football players -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Rugby football players -- Strategic planning -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Rugby football players -- Physiology -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Rugby football players -- Mental health -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Rugby football players -- Well-being -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Psychological demands of international rugby sevens and well-being needs of elite South African players | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Article | en_ZA |