Compilation of an Educational Program for Training Mental Skills and Its Effectiveness on the Psychological and Cognitive Characteristics of Teenage Soccer Players in the Competition Season: An Action Research Study

 The mental skills of athletes are the factors that cause differences in the optimal level of performance of athletes during the competition season. The purpose of this research was to compile an educational program for training mental skills and assess its effectiveness on the psychological and cognitive characteristics of teenage football players in the competition season.

 For this purpose, 21 male adolescent athletes with an age range of 11 to 13 years from a specialized football academy who participated in the Isfahan City premier league were selected as participants in this study. The study method used was action research and the data collection method was qualitative. For this purpose, data were collected by monitoring verbal and non-verbal behaviors of the players, and semi-structured interviews with the coaches and parents of the athletes to understand the thoughts, feelings, and attitudes of the participants. The collected data were carefully implemented and analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method.

 Research findings consisted of the 8 global themes of team cohesion, positive self-talk, self-care, low self-confidence, acceptance of football rules, concentration and recovery of concentration, performance under pressure (routine), and prevention of distractions.

 Mental skills training differs based on the needs of athletes in the competition season. Since paying attention to identified needs and mental skill programs during the competition season is important for athletes, it is necessary that coaches, psychologists, and sports managers pay attention to environmental and individual factors to develop an effective mental skills program.