Abstract:
The stressful nature of elite sport and the competitive environment surrounding it places many demands on participating players resulting in varying levels of anxiety and self-confidence. Players who have similar skill level often rely upon their psychological ability to gain an advantage over their opponents. This study sought to investigate the influence of demographic factors (age, experience, position), anxiety and self-confidence on penalty kick performance among Ebusua Dwarfs players in the Ghana Premier League. A quantitative descriptive survey design was used to collect data for this study. All 30 registered players of Ebusua Dwarfs, a Cape Coast based professional premier league club, participated in this study. Data was analyzed using one-way mixed repeated measures ANOVA and multiple regression. Findings from the study revealed no interaction effect between age, experience and position and changes in anxiety and self-confidence levels on penalty kicks (F (6, 22) = 0.70, p > 0.05, Wilks’ Lambda = 0.08, η2 = 0.72). However, the age of the players was significant in predicting the success or failure in penalty kick (β = .53, t = 2.42, p<.05) with older players (25 and above) executing their kicks successfully. It was concluded that the subjective feelings of anxiety and self-confidence that players experience during penalty kicks influence their perceived control over the situation. It was therefore recommended that coaches select older players to execute the penalty kick since they are able to concentrate on important cues to be successful.
