Examining perfectionism and sport engagement levels of martial arts athletes

The purpose of this study is to determine the levels of perfectionism and sport engagement of martial arts athletes. A total of number of 115 licensed martial arts athletes, 31 of which are women and 84 are men participated in this study. In this research, "Personal Information Form", "Sport Engagement Scale" and "Sport-Specific Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale" were used as data collection tools. "Sport Engagement Scale" is a 5-point Likert structure with 16 items and 4 sub-dimensions (devotion, trust, enthusiasm, vigor). Sport-Specific Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale is a 5-point Likert structure consisting of 19 items. The scale consists of 3 sub-dimensions (personal standards, concern over mistakes, perceived parental pressure. According to the data obtained as a result of the research, a statistically significant and positive relationship was found between the sport engagement and the sport specific perfectionism of the martial arts athletes (p<0.05). It was found that sport engagement and sport specific perfectionism did not differ in terms of gender variable. Considering the martial art of the participants, the perceived parental pressure of the sub-factors of perfectionism was found to be significantly higher in kickboxers than boxers (p<0.05). According to the marital status of the participating athletes, it was revealed that their sport engagement did not differ, but sport specific perfectionism was different (p<0.05). As a result of the analysis, it can be said that martial sports are important not only physically but also mentally, and athletes in these sports are more perfectionist as their engagement increases.