Research Paper: The Effectiveness of Assertiveness Training on Bullying, Competitive State Anxiety and Performance Under Pressure in Futsal Players

Background: Assertiveness is a life skill designed to improve attitudes and assertive behavior. Assertiveness changes one’s point of view toward oneself to achieve self-confidence, better interpersonal communication, and individual well-being. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of assertiveness training on bullying, competitive state anxiety, and performance under pressure in futsal players. Methods: The study population consisted of all adolescent male futsal players of 15-17 years old in Isfahan City, Iran in 2017. This research was a controlled quasi-experimental field study with a Pre-test-Post-test design. Out of the study population, 32 futsal players with low to moderate scores in assertiveness questionnaire were selected by targeted sampling method and then they were randomly divided into two groups of experimental and control. The experimental group received 8 assertiveness training sessions. The study data were collected by Gambrill-Richey assertiveness inventory, University of Illinois bully scale, competitive state anxiety inventory-2, and athletic performance questionnaire. Results: The results of univariate ANCOVA in bullying, competitive state anxiety, and performance under pressure showed a significant difference between the two groups after the intervention (P<0.05). All in all, the results showed the effectiveness of assertiveness training on reducing bullying and competitive state anxiety and improving the performance under pressure in adolescent male futsal players. Conclusion: It is recommended that assertiveness training be used to improve performance under pressure in futsal players.