Emotional Arousal and Psychological Stress Among Advanced Handball Coaches and Players and Their Relationship to Team Ranking

Abstract

Emotional Arousal and Psychological Stress Among Advanced Handball Coaches and Players and Their Relationship to Team Ranking

Handball is one of the most important team sports, widely popular and practiced. A player's performance level depends on several scientific disciplines, including sports psychology, which has a direct impact, especially during competitions. However, handball in Iraq requires further development and ambition. This necessitates that researchers and specialists identify the key factors hindering progress and preventing the advancement of the sport in the country. The process of development has become a major concern for coaches, players, and experts in handball, as they strive to identify and address the obstacles impeding progress.

The research problem lies in the lack of knowledge about the levels of emotional arousal and psychological stress among advanced handball players, who represent the highest level of competition in the country, as well as their coaches, and how these factors relate to their teams' rankings.

The researchers aim to determine the levels of emotional arousal and psychological stress among advanced handball coaches and players in the Elite League for the 2021 season.

The researchers hypothesize that there are differences in the indicators of emotional arousal and psychological stress among coaches and players.

The study sample consisted of 42 participants, including 12 coaches (6 head coaches and 6 assistant coaches) and 30 players. The sample was distributed across six clubs: Diyala, Karbala, Al-Hashd, Al-Kahrabaa, Al-Shurta, and Al-Jaish, all competing in the Elite Handball League for the 2021 season. Each club contributed one head coach, one assistant coach, and five starting players.