The Effect of Resistance Training on Resilience and Mental Toughness in Elite Karate Players in Isfahan

Developing psychological indicators are important to improve athletic performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of resistance training on resilience and mental toughness in elite Karate players in Isfahan.

In this quasi-experimental study, which was performed as a pretest-posttest with a control group, 30 Karate players with an age range of 18-24 years were selected by a purposeful sampling method and randomly divided into two groups of experimental (n=15) and control (n=15). The resistance training program was performed for 8 weeks, three sessions per week with exercise intensity 40% to 70% of 1RM, and 60 minutes each session for the experimental group. At the beginning and the end of the training program, resilience and mental toughness in both groups were evaluated using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (2003) and Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (Shired et al, 2009). Data were analyzed using covariance and multivariate covariance analysis.

The results showed that resistance training had a significant effect on resilience in elite Karate players (P≤0.05). Also, there was observed significant development in mental toughness and confidence, constancy and control subscales (P≤0.05).

This study showed that can be used resistance training for improvement and reinforcement to resilience and mental toughness psychological indicators in athletes.