A Review of the Relationship Between Gymnastics and Self Efficacy

Gymnastics, a sport characterized by high skills, risks, and intensity, demands not only exceptional physical fitness but also tests athletes' psychological resilience, particularly their self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to succeed when facing specific tasks, and it has been widely proven to play a crucial role in athletic performance. This article systematically reviews the impact mechanism of gymnastics training on self-efficacy, summarizes the main findings of cross-sectional and intervention studies, and analyzes the moderating effects of factors such as age, gender, coaching style, and family support on the relationship between the two. Research has found that gymnastics training significantly enhances athletes' self-efficacy by providing successful experiences, emotion regulation exercises, and target challenge situations. At the same time, this article also proposes practical application suggestions in education and training, emphasizing the organic integration of psychological intervention strategies and skill training, which is of great significance for improving the psychological quality of young gymnasts. Finally, this article highlights the challenges of cultural differences and the limitations of long-term tracking in current research, and calls for further exploration of multi-path mechanisms and cross-disciplinary applications in the future.