Psychological Characteristics and Sports Injuries in High Performance Baseball Pitchers.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationships between the psychological characteristics of high-performance baseball pitchers with the injuries suffered during the Cuban national series from 2017 to 2019.

Method: Twenty-four baseball pitchers with an average age of 23.28 years and an average sports experience of 12.49 years were studied. The psychological evaluation was always carried out at the beginning of each competitive season, also recording the injuries suffered during the competition. This study constitutes a descriptive-correlational research with a longitudinal design.

Results: The results show a high incidence of injuries and stability in the psychological processes associated with the sports performance of the pitchers studied. It is evident that pitchers who experienced greater competitive anxiety had more serious injuries and greater susceptibility during games. On the other hand, it was found that the less self-confidence, negative coping control and visual-imaginary control, the greater the amount and severity of the injuries suffered.

Conclusions: The results reaffirm the need to design a psychological preparation that, in addition to achieving the optimal state of predisposition for sports performance, contributes to preventing the occurrence of injuries, since there are psychological variables that can predispose the athlete, as has been shown in this study by determine the relationships of competitive anxiety, self-confidence, negative coping control and visual-imaginary control with the occurrence, amount, severity and context where injuries occur most frequently.