Mindfulness-based program for the reduction of precompetitive anxiety in martial arts athletes

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of an intervention program with mindfulness component for the reduction of precompetitive anxiety, which was adapted from programs that have demonstrated their effectiveness. The intervention consisted of 12 sessions of 1 hour duration. Thirty-three martial arts athletes participated in the study (M = 18.97 years, SD = 1.64, 69.7% men and 30.3% women). Precompetitive anxiety was evaluated with the revised version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory -2 (CSAI-2R, Cox, Martens and Russell, 2003), before and after the intervention period. According to the degree of participation in the intervention, the sample was divided into 2 groups: Experimental Group (EG, n = 16) and Control Group (CG, n = 17). The results showed statistically significant differences in the EG post-test measure, revealing a decrease in the levels of somatic and cognitive anxiety, and an increase in levels of self-confidence. Meanwhile, in the CG, no significant differences were obtained and the effect sizes were irrelevant.