Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention, Competitive Anxiety and Shooting Performance: A Pre-Test and Post-Test Study of Shooters
Keywords:
sport psychology, REBT, sport confidence, irrational beliefs, shooting performance, competitive anxiety, cognitive-behavioural interventionAbstract
Shooting is a precision sport in which technical stability can be disrupted by anxiety, negative self-talk and poor recovery after an unsuccessful shot. This paper examines the effect of a cognitive-behavioural intervention on competitive anxiety, irrational performance beliefs, sport confidence and shooting performance among competitive shooters. The study used a pre-test and post-test design with an intervention group and a comparison group. The intervention was organised around cognitive restructuring, rational self-talk, breathing regulation, imagery, mindfulness, performance journalling and post-shot reset routines. The statistical results showed clear improvement in the intervention group. Competitive anxiety decreased from 70.09 to 57.09, irrational performance beliefs decreased from 64.34 to 49.19, sport confidence increased from 62.97 to 73.83, and shooting performance increased from 503.20 to 522.95. Paired t-tests indicated significant improvements across all major indicators, and the comparison of change scores showed that the intervention group improved more strongly than the comparison group. ANCOVA further indicated a significant group effect on post-test performance after controlling for pre-test performance, anxiety and experience. The findings support the use of structured cognitive-behavioural work in shooting academies and suggest that psychological preparation should be treated as a normal part of shooter training rather than as a corrective measure used only after failure.
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