Psychological Hesitation and Its Relationship to the Accuracy of the Full-Turn Leap in Rhythmic Gymnastics

Abstract

Rhythmic gymnastics is one of the important sports due to its technical, physical, psychological, and recreational aspects. Sport psychology plays a significant role in improving skill performance, while psychological hesitation is considered one of the important psychological factors that may negatively affect the performance of technical skills. The research problem was identified through the researchers’ observation that some third-stage female students possess good physical and technical abilities during training but experience psychological hesitation when performing certain rhythmic gymnastics skills, particularly the full-turn rotational jump. Therefore, the study aimed to identify the level of psychological hesitation among the research sample and examine the relationship between psychological hesitation and the accuracy of performing the full-turn rotational jump. The researchers employed the descriptive approach using the survey and correlational methods, which were considered appropriate for the nature of the research. The sample consisted of 25 third-stage female students from the College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Karbala, during the academic year 2025–2026. The statistical treatments included the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and correlation coefficient. The results indicated a high level of psychological hesitation among the participants and revealed an inverse correlation between psychological hesitation and the accuracy of performing the full-turn rotational jump. The researchers recommend addressing factors contributing to psychological hesitation and emphasizing psychological preparation as an essential component of students’ overall preparation