A Qualitative Investigation into the Effects of Anxiety on Netball Performance

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to qualitatively investigate how anxiety influences the performance of netball players through an approach that allows responses to actual performance to be examined. Through the adoption of a qualitative design, five participants were filmed over three games each, with video footage being clipped into six specific performance scenarios for each player. Supported by the video footage scenarios, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain in-depth information about the performers experiences of anxiety and implications on actual performance during each scenario. The findings of the current study provide partial support for the descriptive predictions of the CAT model (Fazey and Hardy, 1988), with specific explanations as to how and why anxiety affects performance also identified. These explanations were coherent to the hypotheses of PET (Eysenck and Calvo, 1992), suggesting that performance is affected (either positively or negatively) when experiencing anxiety, through the mechanisms of focus and effort. However, there were cases that did not support any of the models or theories, suggesting that there may be merit in researching other emotions that may be experienced alongside anxiety, and their combined affect on performance. Also, the models and theories chosen may not be right for each context described; therefore future research may explore different theories that attempt to explain the anxiety-performance relationship.