Abstract des Autors

According to scientific literature we can state that there is enough research done aiming to analyse the problem of social skills in sport. However, there is a lack of analysis of how young basketball players evaluate structured competition related social psychological skills, regarding that basketball is one of the most popular sports in our country not only among boys but girls as well. The article formulates the issue: what competition-related social psychological skills have cadets and junior basketball players. Scientific premise that junior basketball players taking part in Lithuanian students basketball league evaluate their competition-related social psychological skills better that cadets is investigated. Competition-related social psychological skills were tested applying the modified questionnaire (Tokunaga, Hashimoto, 1988). The questionnaire contains 35 test statements. Each of five social skills are given seven statements which are assessed by five points scale. Such skills as ability to strengthen competition-related motivation, ability to stabilize emotional state, self-confidence, ability to anticipate, ability to communicate are analyzed. The statistical hypothesis was tested applying Students t-test which enabled to compare average of groups undergoing test. The study took place in October – November 2013-2014 in different schools in Kaunas an hour before Lithuanian students basketball league matches. The study involved 239 cadets (boys – 113, girls – 126), 216 juniors (boys – 103, girls – 113). During the investigation hypothesis raised was confirmed partly, as when competition-related social psychological skills of young basketball players taking part in Lithuanian students basketball league were assessed, it was revealed that ability to strengthen competition-related motivation and ability to stabilize emotional state was statistically more favourably (p < 0.05) evaluated by junior basketball players. While the results achieved during the study showed reliably significant difference (p > 0.05) of both groups (juniors and cadets) according to ability to communicate, ability to anticipate and ability of self-confidence.