Purpose: This study aims to identify the neurophysiological mechanisms through which competitive anxiety influences exercise performance and to propose neuroscientific intervention strategies for maintaining optimal performance based on these mechanisms. Methods: The descriptive literature review method was used to explore how technical skill level, practice, and competitive anxiety affect exercise performance and neural plasticity. Based on these findings, a brain-based scientific model explaining performance decline was proposed, and an intervention strategy for maintaining optimal performance was presented accordingly. Results: According to the proposed Cognition-Emotion-Motor Integration (CEMI) Model, when the prefrontal cortex interprets a competitive situation as a threat, the amygdala becomes hyperactive, leading to increased cognitive interference. This interference inhibits automatic motor execution, resulting in performance decline, or “choking.” Based on this mechanism, three neuroscientific intervention strategies were introduced: cognitive reappraisal training, neurofeedback training, and heart rate variability (HRV) regulation training. Conclusion: Integrating neuroscientific intervention strategies with traditional psychological skills training may create synergistic effects in helping athletes maintain an optimal psychological state. Future research should focus on applying these strategies to athletes, empirically validating their effectiveness, and refining them into tailored approaches for various sports contexts.

Purpose: This study aims to understand their experiences of professional journeys and their meaning through the narrative of skilled mental coaches and derive basic data to help prospective and novice mental coaches become skilled professionals. Method: This study selected five mental coaches with 12 to 25 years of experience who held a sports psychology counseling certification or an equivalent qualification. A qualitative research approach, narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2004), was employed to analyze the professional experiences of experienced mental coaches. Each participant underwent one-on-one in-depth interviews lasting 60-90 minutes per session. The interview data were transcribed and repeatedly analyzed to extract key themes and explore the underlying meanings within the participants’ experiences. To ensure the trustworthiness of the study, triangulation, expert consultation, and member checking were utilized. Additionally, all participant data were anonymized to maintain ethical integrity. Results: The professional experiences of experienced mental coaches were categorized into three major themes. First, the ‘Beginning of Mental Coaching’ stemmed from participants’ life experiences, serendipitous encounters, or a desire to support others, which sparked their interest in the field. Second, in the ‘Process of Mastery’, participants engaged in continuous learning, communities of practice, field experience, and proactive professional development, which were essential for their growth as mental coaches. Third, the ‘Sustaining Mental Coaching’ was influenced by strategies for recovering from psychological burnout and a strong sense of professional calling. It was evident that intrinsic motivation played a crucial role in the long-term commitment to the profession. Conclusion: This study explored the professional experiences of experienced mental coaches and confirmed that mental coaching requires systematic learning and continuous professional growth. The findings highlight the necessity of structured field training and institutional support in the mental coach training process. Furthermore, strategies for recovering from psychological burnout and a strong sense of professional calling were identified as key factors in career sustainability, emphasizing the need for an in-depth understanding of career longevity and the importance of specialized training for professionals.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the knowledge structure of psychological research on sports injuries. Through this study, we aim to provide guidance for future research on sports injury psychology. Methods: To achieve this, 35 studies related to sports injury psychology published in Korea from 2011 to September 2024 were analyzed using keyword network analysis. The analysis was conducted using Python NetworkX. Results: The main keywords in sports injury psychology research were ‘injury’, ‘rehabilitation’, ‘psychology’, ‘trauma’, ‘overcome’, ‘program’, ‘skill’, ‘counseling’, ‘growth’, and ‘anxiety’. The co-occurrence frequencies were highest in the following order: ‘injury-rehabilitation’, ‘injury-psychology’, ‘psychology-rehabilitation’, and ‘injury-trauma’. The degree centralities were highest in the following order: ‘injury’, ‘trauma’, ‘psychology’, ‘rehabilitation’, ‘overcome’, and ‘program’. The clustering analysis revealed that keywords were grouped into three categories: ‘injury rehabilitation psychology’, ‘injury trauma’, and ‘counseling program’. Conclusion: The major knowledge structure of sports injury psychology research can be categorized into three areas: ‘psychological factors related to injury and rehabilitation’, ‘trauma caused by injury’, and ‘development and application of counseling programs for injury rehabilitation’. Through this, we were able to systematically understand the knowledge structure of psychological research related to sports injuries and propose future studies based on this topic.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the importance of social support for university taekwondo athletes based on the stress coping theory. Specifically, we examined the relationships among university taekwondo athletes’ social support, burnout, well-being, and performance. Methods: We selected university taekwondo athletes registered with the Korea Taekwondo Association as study participants, collecting a total of 450 responses. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and mediation analysis through bootstrapping. Results: Social support was found to significantly reduce burnout and enhance well-being; however, it did not have a direct impact on performance. Burnout had a negative effect on both well-being and performance, while well-being positively influenced performance. Furthermore, burnout mediated the relationship between social support and well-being, with a full mediation effect observed between burnout and performance. Conclusion: Based on these research results, social support appears to be a key factor that can predict and reduce athlete burnout, ultimately providing a foundation for improving athletes’ performance. These findings emphasize the importance of fostering social support systems to help athletes maintain their mental and physical health, which, in turn, can positively influence their competitive outcomes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide new career transition cases for student athletes preparing for retirement and to offer basic data for the preparation of social support measures for athletes. Methods: Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires and 1:1 interviews with five research participants who had experience as baseball players affiliated with the Korea Sports Council and the Korea Baseball Softball Association. The study was conducted based on the narrative research procedures suggested. Results: To achieve the purpose of providing career transition cases for retired elite baseball players, we focused on the common stories that emerged from the narratives of the research participants. Specifically, the meaning of their life experiences was divided into their lives as baseball players, their retirement as baseball players, and finally, their current lives after retirement. Conclusion: This study found that retired baseball players faced many difficulties. Due to the grueling training schedules, student-athletes were not guaranteed their right to education and had to endure violence and verbal abuse from coaches and senior players without complaint. Additionally, their unexpected retirements made it difficult for them to adapt to society. These stories highlight the need to pay closer attention to the protection of elite baseball players’ human rights and their right to education.

Purpose: Grounded in goal content theory, the aim of this study was to examine the effects of goal contents (i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic goals) on the 2×2 self-presentation motives (i.e., acquisitive-communal, acquisitive-agentic, protective-communal, and protective agentic) and physical activity intention with CrossFit participants. Methods: Based on the cross-sectional study, 254 participated in this study. Data collected was used for statistical analyses of descriptives and frequencies, reliability, correlation, and a series of regression. Results: The results show that extrinsic goal of Crossfit participants had a positive effect on self-presentation motives. While, intrinsic goal had a positive effect on physical activity intention. Conclusion: In conclusion, these results show that crossfit participants pursuit of extrinsic goal positively affect on the self-presentation motives. On the other hand intrinsic goal positively affect on the physical activity intention than extrinsic goal. Finally, recommendations for role and importance of exercise and physical activity setting for the goal content, 2×2 self-presentation motives are discussed.