Arm wrestling athletes' reaction time anxiety and its reasons

This study aims to examine the reaction time anxieties of arm wrestling athletes and the reasons for these anxieties. Arm wrestling is a strength sport that requires not only the athletes' physical power, but also technical skill, strategy development, reaction speed, and anxiety management as multifaceted competencies. In arm wrestling, high anxiety can negatively affect athletes' reaction time and overall performance. In studies investigating the effects of anxiety on performance, it is suggested that anxiety levels in athletes and sedentary individuals should be reduced and kept under control. While low levels of anxiety may have a positive effect on performance, high anxiety levels can lead to failure in athletes. The research was conducted with a qualitative design, and the study group consists of 7 amateur male athletes, 3 amateur female athletes, 7 national male athletes, 3 national female athletes, and 2 national disabled male arm wrestling athletes, making a total of 22 athletes. The data of the research were collected through interviews conducted with the athletes. In the interviews, openended and semistructured questions were directed to the athletes. The interviews conducted with the athletes were recorded via audio recording and analyzed using the content analysis method. The findings of the research revealed that reaction anxiety displays a multilayered structure, and this situation is not limited to individual differences only; it is significantly affected by the physiological preparation process, the level of psychological resilience, environmental conditions, and organizational factors. In this sense, it has been revealed that reaction anxiety is affected by physiological, psychological, and environmental factors. The anxietyreducing effects of low weight class, dominant hand usage, caffeine consumption, and speed training were observed, while fatigue, illness, and injury history were identified as factors that increase anxiety. From a psychological perspective, distraction, the perceived strength of the opponent, insufficient training, and social pressure were found to increase anxiety, especially in female athletes. Among environmental factors, elements such as referee inconsistencies, competition environment, and audience effect significantly affect anxiety level. It has been observed that the ability to cope with anxiety improves as experience increases; amateur and female athletes are more sensitive to environmental factors. It has been determined that disabled athletes have more diverse and different individual needs and sources of anxiety compared to other athletes. As a result, this study has revealed the importance of training, mental preparation, physical factors, and psychology among the factors affecting reaction time. In order to reveal the relationship between reaction time and anxiety and to contribute to the development of necessary strategies to improve athletes' performance, the factors affecting the reaction time and reaction time anxiety levels of arm wrestling athletes have been discussed in detail in light of data obtained from current literature. Understanding the factors affecting athletes' reaction time anxiety levels is important for the development of psychological support systems and for making organizational improvements.