Perceived factors influencing athletic performance across career stages

Abstract: The objectives in the study were to examine: (1) factors that contributes to successful athletic performance across career stages; (2) factors that contributes to poor athletic performance across career stages. The theoretical frameworks included: model of psychological preparation for peak performance (Hardy, Jones, & Gould, 1996); the developmental model on transitions faced by athletes (Wylleman & Lavallee, 2004). Ten participants took part of the study (N=10) and consisted of five individual sport athletes and five team sport athletes from local to international competitive level. Semi-structured interviews were conducted derived from the semi-structured interview guide specially created for this study, which was based on the theoretical frameworks. The results are presented in three parts, and 8 category profiles describing the factors contributing to successful and poor athletic performance on the initiation-, development-, mastery- and maintenance stage. The results showed a list of factors contributing to both successful and poor athletic performance across different career stages for example, social support, family, coach, teammates, athletic ability, athletic experience and, athletic achievements. The results also showed that the factors seems to play a different role depending on the different athletic career stage for instance, supportive significant others and sporting environment turned out to be a more important contributing factor to athletes successful athletic performance on the initiation stage, where athletic ability turned out to be a more important contributing factor to athletes successful athletic performance on the mastery stage. The results are discussed based on the theoretical frameworks and previous research. Suggestions on future research and implications are given.