Efeito da prática de técnicas de relaxamento nas habilidades de coping de atletas do nado artístico

Abstract

The artistic swim is a sport modality characterized by the beauty of the synchronization of the movements performed inside the swimming pools and by the degree of difficulty and rigor that it demands. In order to athlete to perform well, in addition to physical training, they must have a well-trained psychological preparation, specially concentration. Athletes who have greater skills and coping strategies can have greater chances of success because of the way they face adversity. Relaxation techniques may be related to how a person manages his or her thoughts and emotions, allowing for better decision making. In this way the objective of this study was to analyze the effect positive, negative or absent that relaxation techniques can have on coping abilities of athletes of the artistic swimming. Ten female athletes from 12 to 16 years of age were evaluated for three months, participating in 24 relaxation sessions, with emphasis on meditation activity – present in all sessions. The data presented were obtained through the application of the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory – 28BR questionnaire. The questionnaire was applied before and after the 24 sessions period. The data obtained with the answers were statistically analyzed using the Wilcoxon test, in order to measure the changes that occurred in answering each question and in each psychological capacity. It was also aggregated a content analysis of information pertinent to the work that occurred during the sessions and in conversations with the technical staff of the team, noted in a logbook. After analyzing the data, it was possible to notice that the mean scores of the group, the answers to 27 questions, with the exception of one, and the psychological abilities did not change significantly, however “concentration” and “trainability” presented the greatest changes. When measuring the meditation time reached, a gradual evolution of 15 minutes was observed for guided meditation and 11 minutes for non-guided meditation. Although the changes observed were not significant, it was possible to conclude that the changes that occurred were perceived as positive by the technical committee and the athletes, both in the sports environment and in the quality of life.