Sport Psychology in Soccer Among Upper Secondary School Students in Monterrey, Nuevo León
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61384/r.c.a..v6i3.2104Keywords:
adolescents, competitive pressure, sport psychology, youth soccerAbstract
This study aimed to describe the perceptions of young soccer players aged 14 to 17 from southern Monterrey, Nuevo León, regarding self-confidence, teamwork, nervousness, emotional control, and the pressure experienced during sports participation. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted. The participants were 28 adolescents selected through non-probability convenience sampling, who completed a ten-item questionnaire. The results showed that 67.9% reported feeling confident while playing, and 64.3% stated that they worked effectively as part of a team. Before matches, 39.3% reported feeling nervous, while 42.9% indicated that they experienced nervousness occasionally. In addition, 57.1% stated that they were able to control their emotions during difficult matches. Regarding competitive pressure, 21.4% considered that it affected their performance, while 32.1% reported that this occurred occasionally. Furthermore, 14.3% reported frequently becoming involved in arguments during matches, and 25% indicated that they did so occasionally. The study concludes that although favorable responses regarding confidence, teamwork, and emotional control predominated, some participants experienced nervousness and pressure. These findings support the value of incorporating psychological guidance into youth soccer development programs
References
Aldás Ramos, A. C., Saltos Salazar, L. F., & Robayo Carrillo, J. M. (2018). Influencia de la ansiedad en el rendimiento deportivo en futbolistas. Revista Científica Ciencia y Tecnología, 18(19), 181–189. https://doi.org/10.47189/rcct.v18i19.185
Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 261–271. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.84.3.261
Ardura-González, G., & Moral-Jiménez, M. de la V. (2025). Ansiedad precompetitiva y rendimiento deportivo en futbolistas profesionales: Relación con categoría y supervisión psicológica. Revista de Psicología Aplicada al Deporte y el Ejercicio Físico, 10(1), Article e3. https://doi.org/10.5093/rpadef2025a3
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
Brenner, J. S., Watson, A., & Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. (2024). Overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout in young athletes. Pediatrics, 153(2), Article e2023065129. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-065129
Carron, A. V., Widmeyer, W. N., & Brawley, L. R. (1985). The development of an instrument to assess cohesion in sport teams: The Group Environment Questionnaire. Journal of Sport Psychology, 7(3), 244–266. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsp.7.3.244
Chelladurai, P. (1990). Leadership in sports: A review. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 21(4), 328–354.
Cox, R. H. (2009). Psicología del deporte: Conceptos y sus aplicaciones (6.ª ed.). Editorial Médica Panamericana.
Curran, T., Hill, A. P., Hall, H. K., & Jowett, G. E. (2015). Relationships between the coach-created motivational climate and athlete engagement in youth sport. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 37(2), 193–198. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2014-0203
Dander Flores, M. A., Carreño King, T., & Ramírez Salgado, G. (2018). Metodología de la investigación + cuaderno de trabajo. Ediciones Castillo.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
García Zavala, J. G. (2024). Psicología del fútbol: Intervención en equipos profesionales y selecciones nacionales. Editorial Académica Española.
Gjesdal, S., Stenling, A., Solstad, B. E., & Ommundsen, Y. (2019). A study of coach-team perceptual distance concerning the coach-created motivational climate in youth sport. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 29(1), 132–143. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13306
Gustafsson, H., Sagar, S. S., & Stenling, A. (2017). Fear of failure, psychological stress, and burnout among adolescent athletes competing in high level sport. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 27(12), 2091–2102. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12797
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. (2025). Módulo de Práctica Deportiva y Ejercicio Físico (MOPRADEF) 2025. https://www.inegi.org.mx/programas/mopradef/
Kavussanu, M., & Stanger, N. (2017). Moral behavior in sport. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 185–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.05.010
Peris-Delcampo, D., & Cantón Chirivella, E. (2018). El perfil profesional del especialista en psicología del deporte en fútbol. Revista de Psicología Aplicada al Deporte y el Ejercicio Físico, 3(1), Article e9. https://doi.org/10.5093/rpadef2018a6
Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the classroom: Teacher expectation and pupils’ intellectual development. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Sánchez-Miguel, P. A., Leo, F. M., Sánchez-Oliva, D., Amado, D., & García-Calvo, T. (2013). The importance of parents’ behavior in their children’s enjoyment and amotivation in sports. Journal of Human Kinetics, 36, 169–177. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2013-0017
Smith, N., Quested, E., Appleton, P. R., & Duda, J. L. (2017). Observing the coach-created motivational environment across training and competition in youth sport. Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(2), 149–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1159714
Smith, R. E., Smoll, F. L., & Cumming, S. P. (2007). Effects of a motivational climate intervention for coaches on young athletes’ sport performance anxiety. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 29(1), 39–59. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.29.1.39
Troya Ávila, C. A., Villacis Castañeda, P. E., Guzmán Morocho, O. F., & Torres Burgos, S. A. (2026). Participación en actividades deportivas extraescolares y rendimiento académico estudiantil. Ciencia y Educación, 7(6.1), 601–617. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20978277
Visek, A. J., Achrati, S. M., Mannix, H., McDonnell, K., Harris, B. S., & DiPietro, L. (2015). The fun integration theory: Toward sustaining children and adolescents sport participation. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 12(3), 424–433. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2013-0180
Zhang, Y., Wang, F., Szakál, Z., Bíró, Z., Kovács, M., Őrsi, B., & Kovács, K. E. (2024). Why do students drop out of regular sport in late adolescence? The experience of a systematic review. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, Article 1416558. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1416558
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Lidia Fernanda Mendez Balderas, Dina Irazema Peña Sánchez, Griselda Magdalena Sifuentes García
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
