Measuring the level of certain psychological skills among basketball players with special needs in Algeria

Abstract

The research aims to reveal the level of some psychological skills among basketball players with special needs during the competition period.  The comparative causal descriptive method was used, and the research sample was selected using the stratified random method, consisting of (30) players from each round of the six rounds of the championship, from the original research community represented by all players of the special needs basketball teams for the national championship, 2018/2019. The researcher used the psychological measurement tool represented in the psychological skills test designed by (Bull, Albinson).K, 1996 (as cited and modified by Dr. Mohamed Hassan Alawi, 1998), after adaptation for suitability. The main findings of the research indicated that the psychological skills of basketball players with special needs are at a low level, and consequently, the players' abilities in (mental imagery, relaxation, attention focus, self-confidence, anxiety control, and sports achievement motivation) are weak. Additionally, there were no differences in the level among the six groups of the championship, which the researcher attributed to the significant deficiency in the process of developing psychological skills for this category.In light of the results obtained in this study, the researcher recommends that coaches pay attention to training psychological skills for basketball players with special needs, so they can face the problems and psychological pressures associated with competition and enter it at a high-performance level.