ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
This study investigated the psychological states and sports performance of 155 competitive karate athletes (n=73 female, 82 male), exploring the influence of mood, motivation, and anxiety level on participation level. A cross-sectional research design was employed, utilizing the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS), Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ), and Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2R (CSAI-2R) to assess psychological factors. Results indicated a moderate positive mood (vigor M = 2.72, SD = 0.93; fatigue M = 1.52, SD = 1.04), generally positive motivation (friendship M = 1.65, SD = 0.61), and moderate anxiety levels (cognitive anxiety M = 2.35, SD = 0.81; somatic anxiety M = 2.04, SD = 0.71), although self-confidence was high (M = 2.98, SD = 0.75). The mean participation level (4.57, SD = 1.49, scale: 1=Inter-tournament, 6=International) indicated highly competitive involvement. The objective of this study was to determine the level of psychological states and to examine the relationship between psychological states and sports performance among competitive karate athletes. The results revealed significant positive correlations between all three variables. Mood was significantly positively correlated with motivation (r = .569, p < .001) and anxiety level (r = .569, p < .001). This indicated that higher levels of positive mood were associated with greater motivation and higher levels of anxiety. Motivation was also significantly positively correlated with anxiety level (r = 1.000, p < .000). This strong positive correlation suggested that higher levels of motivation were directly associated with higher levels of anxiety. Maintaining optimal mental and physical well-being is crucial for athletic performance. Research has shown that factors such as mood, motivation, and anxiety can have a significant impact on an athlete's ability to perform at their best. These findings highlight the complex interplay of psychological factors influencing karate athletes and suggest avenues for interventions to optimize performance and well-being.
Baginska, J., Piepiora, P., Piepiora, Z., & Witkowski, K. (2022). The geography of Olympic combat sports–part one: judo, karate, taekwondo. Arch Budo, 18, 183-192.
Brandt, R., Bevilacqua, G. G., Crocetta, T. B., Monteiro, C. B. D. M., Guarnieri, R., Hobold, E., Flores, L. J. F., Miarka, B., & Andrade, A. (2021). Comparisons of Mood States Associated With Outcomes Achieved by Female and Male Athletes in High-Level Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships: Psychological Factors Associated With the Probability of Success. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 35(9), 2518-2524.
Silva Duarte, J. D. R., Pasa, C., Kommers, M. J., de França Ferraz, A., Hongyu, K., Fett, W. C. R., & Fett, C. A. (2022). Mood profile of regular combat sports practitioners: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 22(5), 1206-1213.
Dongoran, M. F., Muhammad Fadlih, A., & Riyanto, P. (2020). Psychological characteristics of martial sports Indonesian athletes based on categories art and fight. Enfermería Clínica, 30, 500-503.
?urovi?, D., Veljkovic, A. A., & Petrovi?, T. (2020). PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF MOTIVATION IN SPORT ACHIEVEMENT. Facta universitatis. Series physical education and sport, 465-474.
Hasanah, U., & Refanthira, N. (2019). Competitive Anxiety in Sport Performer and Various Treatments to Reduce It. Advances in Social Science, Education, and Humanities Research, 395.
Janelle, C. M., Fawver, B. J., & Beatty, G. F. (2020). Emotion and sport performance. Handbook of sport psychology, 254-298.
Kuçuk Kiliç, S. (2020). Relationship between psychological resilience and stress coping strategies in karate athletes. Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas, 15(2), 59-68.
Kusuma, D. W. Y., Hartono, M., Annas, M., Pramono, H., Hanani, E. S., & Krismonita, P. (2020). The Competitive Anxiety (Cognitive, Somatic, Afective, and Motoric) among Martial Art Athletes. Proceedings of the 5th International Seminar of Public Health and Education, ISPHE 2020, 22 July 2020, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia.
Lew, P. C. F., Parsons-Smith, R. L., Lamont-Mills, A., & Terry, P. C. (2023). Cross-Cultural Validation of the Malaysian Mood Scale and Tests of Between-Group Mood Differences. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 20(4).
Mehta, V. (2022). Role and Benefit of Sports Psychology for the Improvement of Performance of Sports Persons. International Journal for reserach in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET), 10(III).
Moradi, J., Bahrami, A., & Dana, A. (2020). Motivation for Participation in Sports Based on Athletes in Team and Individual Sports. Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 85, 14-21.
Muniandy, M., Rasyid, N. b. M., Razak, N. D. A., & Elumalai, G. (2023). Bibliometric Analysis: Psychology in Sport. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12((2)), 808-818.
Panagiotis, A. (2020). PARTICIPATION MOTIVATION AMONG YOUNG SOCCER ATHLETES: RESEARCH EVIDENCE FROM GREECE [soccer, sport motivation, young soccer athletes, motivation participation, motivation scale]. 2020, 6(7).
Ríos-Garit, J., Cañizares-Hernández, M., Reyes-Bossio, M., Pérez-Surita, Y., & Touset-Riverí, R. (2024). Competitive Anxiety and Mood States in High-Performance Cuban Student Athletes. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 17(3), 50-62.
Rosli, U. I., Ismail, Z., & Kassim, A. F. M. (2022). The Perception of Athlete’s Anxiety Experience in Team and Individual Sports. Jurnal Sains Sukan dan Pendidikan Jasmani 11((1)), 29-37.
Selmi, O., Ouergui, I., Muscella, A., Levitt, D. E., Suzuki, K., & Bouassida, A. (2023). Monitoring mood state to improve performance in soccer players: A brief review. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1095238.
Sut Txi, M. R., Hashim, H. A., Krasilshchikov, O. (2020). The Effects of Integrating Biofeedback Training into a 12-Week Periodized Training Program on Galvanic Skin Response and Anxiety Level Among Junior Archers. In: Hassan, M., et al. Enhancing Health and Sports Performance by Design. MoHE 2019. Lecture Notes in Bioengineering. Springer, Singapore.
Widhi Harita, A. N., Suryanto, S., & Ardi, R. (2022). Effect of Mindfulness Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) to Reduce competitive state anxiety on Karate Athletes. Jurnal SPORTIF : Jurnal Penelitian Pembelajaran, 8(2), 169-188.
Wong, R. S. K., Thung, J. S., & Pieter, W. (2006). MOOD AND PERFORMANCE IN YOUNG MALAYSIAN KARATEKA. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 54-59.
Yadav, P. K. (2023). The Power of Karate: Exploring its Healing Potential, an assurance. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND ANALYTICAL REVIEWS (IJRAR), 10(4).
Yudhistira, D., & Ulinnuha, A. W. (2023). Tapering in the Sport of Karate: Narrative Review. European Union Digital Library.
Nanthakumar, V., Txi, M. R. S., Salleh, F. N. M., & Sabadri, S. N. S. M. (2025). Profiling of Psychological States and Sports Performance among Competitive Karate Athletes. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 14(2), 599–610.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode