Attentional focus and mental skills in senior and junior professional rugby union players

Objective The aim of the present study was to examine possible differences in attentional focus and mental skills depending on athlete’s experience. Method Forty-seven junior sub-elite, between ages of 15 and 18 years (M = 15.77, SD = 0.84) and 43 senior elite rugby union players, between ages of 20 and 37 years (M = 26.40, SD = 4.88), participated in this study. We measured attentional focus and mental skills using a short version of the Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Styles and the Sport Performance Psychological Inventory. Results The results showed statistically significant differences between the groups for one of the mental skills examined and for all the attentional focus dimensions, evidencing consistently more functional psychological profiles for the more experienced groups. Conclusions Data suggest that attentional focus skills increase with experience. Future research directions and practical implications are discussed.