An examination of the levels of pre-season mental readiness of professional female volleyball players

This study was conducted to examine the levels of pre-season mental readiness of female volleyball players competing in Turkish volleyball leagues. The research population consists of 1335 athletes, who compete in the Sultans League, the Women's 1st League, and the Women's 2nd League in the 2020-2021 season. As the whole research population could not be reached, 353 female volleyball players competing in these leagues participated in the study as the sample group representing that population. The research was based on correlational survey model and the data were obtained by survey method. As data collection tool, the Personal Information Form and the "Mental Readiness Scale" developed by Zekioğlu and et al. (2017) was used to measure the mental readiness of the athletes; and the data obtained were analyzed in computer environment. Shapiro Wilk test was used to check whether the data showed normal distribution, and since the data did not show normal distribution, nonparametric tests were used. Mann Whitney U test was used for the variables that did not provide assumption of normality; Kruskal-Wallis test was used for non-normally distributed variables with three or more categories; and Mann Whitney U test was used to determine the groups that had significant differences between them. The significance level was set as p<0.05 in the analyses done. According to the data we obtained at the end of the study; According to the league variable in which female volleyball players compete, in the total mental readiness scores (p<0.05), focus (p<0.001), motivation (p<0.05), fear (p<0.001) and interest (p<0.001) sub-dimensions; When examined according to the variable of duration of doing sports, the total mental readiness scores (p<0.05), focus (p<0.01) and fear (p<0.001) dimensions among the groups; In the total mental readiness scores of female volleyball players (p<0.001), focus (p<0.001), motivation (p<0.05), fear (p<0.001) and composure (p<0.001) sub-dimensions of those who received and did not receive professional help; When examined according to the national sportsman variable, there was a statistically significant difference in the sub-dimensions of total mental readiness (p<0.05), mental readiness (p<0.05), motivation (p<0.05), interest (p<0.001) and composure (p<0.05). conclusion has been reached. When the female volleyball players were examined according to the education variable, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups (p>0.05).