Anxiety levels analysis in swimmers during pre-competition

Introduction: Sport reveals a variety of facets, contours, meanings, activities, experiences, behaviors, and attitudes. It encompasses situations related to the game and the environment surrounding competitions: pressure from coaches, managers, family members, and fans who hold high expectations for their teams' performance. Objective: Analyse pre-competitive anxiety levels and self-confidence in young swimmers. Methods: The study group consists of all competitive swimming classes at a Health Club in the city of Viseu. The translated and validated version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory 2 was used for data collection and descriptive and inferential analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. Results: It was found that: (1) anxiety levels vary according to gender, age, experience, and competition level; (2) younger athletes with less competitive experience exhibit higher levels of somatic and cognitive anxiety; (3) self-confidence levels vary significantly according to athletes' competitive experience; (4) girls show higher levels of anxiety and lower self-confidence, as do younger athletes. Conclusion: Perceptions of anxiety and self-confidence are influenced by social experiences and expectations, so as athletes mature, they acquire skills and abilities that allow them to reduce pre-competitive anxiety states and, simultaneously, develop confidence levels.