55 JPJO 4 (1) (2019) 55-61 Jurnal Pendidikan Jasmani dan Olahraga http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/penjas/index Psychological Skills Characteristics of Athletics, Weightlifting, Cycling, Swimming, and Waterskiing Athletes based on the Medal Achievements in the 2017 SEA Games Ipa Sari Kardi Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Aisyiyah Surakarta, Indonesia Article Info Article History : Received August 2018 Revised October2018 Accepted March 2019 Available online April 2019 Keywords : Characteristics of psychological skills, achievements of sea games athletes Abstrak Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menggambarkan karakteristik keterampilan psikologis atlet cabang olahraga atletik, angkat besi, balap sepeda, renang dan ski air ditinjau dari pres- tasi di SEA Games 2017 berdasarkan perolehan medali. Menggunakan jenis penelitian kuantitatif dengan metode ex post facto dengan desian penelitian yaitu a restrospective causal-comparative design. Sampel penelitian berjumlah 36 atlet dari lima cabang olahraga yang memperoleh medali baik emas, perak dan perunggu. Variabel dalam penelitian ini yaitu karakteristik psikologis yang meliputi, aspek motivasi, percaya diri, kontrol kecemasan, persiapan mental, pentingnya tim, dan konsentrasi. Pengumpulan data menggunakan instrumen The Psychological Skills Inventory for Sports. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa atlet cabang olahraga atletik memiliki karakteristik keterampilan psikologis lebih tinggi dari cabang olahraga lainnya dengan perolehan tiga medali emas. Sedangkan atlet cabang olahraga balap sepeda memiliki karakteris- tik keterampilan psikologis lebih rendah dari cabang olahraga lainnya dengan maksi- mal memperoleh dua medali perak. Abstract The purpose of this study was to describe the mental skill characteristics of athletics, weightlifting, cycling, swimming, and waterskiing athletes based on medal achieve- ments in the 2017 SEA Games. The study was a quantitative research with an ex-post facto method with retrospective causal-comparative design. The sample of the study were 36 athletes from five sports who gained gold, silver, and bronze medals. The vari- ables of this study were psychological characteristics including the aspects of motiva- tion, confidence, anxiety control, mental preparation, team emphasis, and concentra- tion. Data collection used The Psychological Skills Inventory for Sports as the instru- ment. The results of the study show that athletes in athletic sports, who received three gold medals, had higher psychological skill characteristics than other sports. Mean- while, athletes in cycling sports had lower mental skills than other sports, with a maxi- mum gain of two silver medals.  Correspondence Address : JL. Ki Hajar Dewantara No. 10 Surakarta , Indonesia E-mail : ipaatletikteam@gmail.com ISSN 2580-071X (online) ISSN 2085-6180 (print) DOI : 10.17509/jpjo.v4i1.12452 56 Ipa Sari Kardi / Jurnal Pendidikan Jasmani dan Olahraga 4 (1) (2019) INTRODUCTION It is what is in the spotlight now is Indonesia's sporting achievements at the SEA Games. Things like those in sports become more complex, which can do, can be done to go in a more alarming direction. Three main challenges must be considered in games, to im- prove Indonesian skills, make sports an instrument of development, and decentralise sports development (Kristiyanto, 2012). At present, it cannot deny that sport has become a public concern, not only from sports soci- ety but the attention to sports began to emerge from the bureaucracy, politics, business people, intellectuals and even the general public. It happens because sports cover many things in various fields of life. Games as a global phenomenon related to all aspects of life such as poli- tics, economics, religion, social, education and culture play an important role in solving the problems of life and life (Husdarta, 2011). Sports achievements have been explained in Law no. 3 of 2005 article 1 paragraph (13) that, sports achievement is a sport that fosters and develops sports- men in a planned, tiered, and sustainable manner through competitions to achieve success with the sup- port of sports science and technology (Undang-undang Republik Indonesia, 2005). Sports performance is a very complex action that depends on many factors. Var- ious studies prove that for achievement in sports, one of them is determined by the support of science and tech- nology (science and technology), because success is a parameter of the progress of sports development in a country. Sportsman is a complex total psychophysical sys- tem (Sukadiyanto, 2005). That is, humans are com- posed of elements of the soul and body, and then sports achievement is the actualisation of the accumulation of a combination of training results, physical and psycho- logical potential. He further explained that physical fac- tors, techniques, tactics and psychological aspects play a crucial role in supporting sports achievement, in other words, the accomplishment of performance in the field of sports is an accumulative result of various elements that help the realisation of success. An elite athlete is a rare combination of talent, hard work and the right psy- chological profile (Widohardhono, 2014). In simple terms, it can be interpreted that elite athletes are a rare combination of talent, hard work and the right psycho- logical profile. Based on the history and available data, Indone- sia's achievements in the SEA Games are quite good, when compared to several other ASEAN member coun- tries. It found on data that Indonesia has participated in the SEA Games 21 times and won the overall ten times throughout its participation. But gradually, Indonesia's achievements in the SEA Games suffered a decline. Even the last few years, namely in the 2015 XXVII SEA Games in Singapore, Indonesia was only able to finish in the fifth position, this made Indonesia failed to meet the government's target, in this case, was Kemen- pora. Even so, the results of the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia Indonesia can only finish in the fifth position with 38 gold medals. It must use as an evaluation of why achievements in the SEA Games tend to decrease. The cause of the low achievement of athletes is not single, but rather multifactorial, even so, I argue that cultural factors that are core to mental attitudes, habits, and behaviour are fundamental issues (Maksum, 2007). Therefore, a review of all the factors causing the de- cline in achievement must be carried out comprehen- sively, transparently and objectively, through this in- depth study, meaningful feedback will be generating for the improvement of national sports guidance to the next SEA Games. Various studies prove that success in sports is de- termined by, among other things, the support of science and technology. One of the help of science and technol- ogy in supporting athletes' achievements is through a psychological approach. Sport and exercise psychology is the scientific study of people and their behaviours in sport and exercise activities and the practical applica- tion of that knowledge (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). Sports psychology is a field of psychology in sports settings to boost the quality of the athlete's personality and individual performance, characterized by some in- teractions with other individuals and external situations that stimulate it. The psychological characteristics of athletes are the main elements of mental aspects that must be known and considered as the basis for the appearance of achieving the top achievements in various events, including the SEA Games. Sports coaches and coaches in Indonesia need to be aware of the importance of these mental aspects in achievement sports coaching. http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/penjas/index DOI : 10.17509/jpjo.v4i1.12452 57 Therefore psychic training for athletes needs to be pre- pared for a long period as well as physical training, techniques and tactics. Hopefully this can improve the athlete's performance. Psychological factors are one thing that needs to be prepared carefully. As with physical skills, psycho- logical skills such as maintaining and focusing atten- tion, setting arousal levels, increasing confidence, and maintaining the motivation of athletes also need to be systematically trained (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). Nine mental skills that contribute to sports success: (1) Choose and maintain a positive attitude, (2) Maintain a high level of self-motivation, (3) Set high, realistic goals, (4) Deal effectively with people, (5) Use positive self-talk, (6) Use positive mental imagery, (7) Manage anxiety effectively, (8) Manage their emotions effec- tively, (9) Maintain concentration (Lesyk, 2007). An athlete needs an excellent psychological condi- tion because by having a good mental state most likely an athlete will have psychological rigidity in each com- petition or championship. Among the psychological characteristics of elite athletes are, commitment, inter- nal motivation, learning capability, control, competi- tiveness, self-confidence, adaptability and mental toughness, (Eklund dan Tenenbaum, 2014). Further explained that Psychological profile appears to be cor- related to the peak performance for most athletes. More specifically, this ideal mind/body state consists of the following: (1) feelings of high self-confidence and ex- pectations of success, (2) being energized yet relaxed, (3) feeling in control, (4) being concentrated entirely, (5) having a keen focus on the present task, (6) having positive attitudes and thoughts about performance, and (7) being strongly determined and committed. The mental state typically associated with poorer performances in sport seems to be marked by feelings of self-doubt, lacking concentration, being distracted, being overly focused on the competition outcome or score, and feeling over or under-aroused (Harmison, 2011). Besides elite athletes repeatedly have to perform under high pressure, and therefore it is not surprising that psychological characteristics become their success- ful differentiator at the highest standards of their less successful counterparts (Elferink Gemser, M.T., Visscher, C., and Lemmink, 2005). Various studies have shown the relationship and influence of psychological training programs to im- prove the psychological skills of athletes in helping ath- letes achieve optimal performance. The elite sports environment is not only viewed as the pinnacle arena for sports performers and their coaches, but also by those involved in the sports science support network who work closely with elite athletes in the build-up, preparation, and during these sports competitions (Sharp, Hodge, & Danish, 2014). It further explained that recent research reports the perception of the effec- tiveness of consultation as the ability to build relation- ships with athletes to create positive behavioural chang- es, in consultation relationships that meet the needs of athletes. Substantial progress has been made in recent years in identifying the characteristics and qualities needed for effective sports psychology consultation from the perspective of athletes, teams and coaches. Based on this explanation the psychological as- pects contribute to supporting the achievements of ath- letes who need to work together with the team and also the coach. It illustrates that all elements are essential to be trained and developed in preparation for sports events including psychological aspects of athletes. Ath- letics, swimming, cycling, waterskiing and weightlift- ing numbers have the characteristic that the athlete does not deal directly with his opponent; the hardest oppo- nent for athletes who pursue the branch is himself. These sports have a strategic value in sports coaching, especially in multi-game events, because they compete for a lot of medals with a relatively small number of athletes and can hold various match numbers, (Ria Lu- mintuarso, 2008). Besides that, an accurate analysis system because of its objective nature and cannot be manipulated through the subjectivity of race officials. Another unique thing is the limit that has been deter- mined whether it's time, distance, or load. So that ath- letes try to reach or even exceed the limits set by each sport. Based on this, the purpose of this study is to de- scribe the Psychological Skill Characteristics of Athlet- ics, Weightlifting, Cycling, Swimming and Waterskiing Athletes Judging from the Achievement of the 2017 SEA Games Medal. Characteristics of psychological skills referred to in this paper are motivation, confi- dence, anxiety control mental preparation, team empha- sis and concentration. The six psychological aspects will be revealed using instruments The Psychological Skills Inventory for Sport. http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/penjas/index Ipa Sari Kardi / Jurnal Pendidikan Jasmani dan Olahraga 4 (1) (2019) DOI : 10.17509/jpjo.v4i1.12452 58 METHOD This research uses descriptive quantitative re- search method with an ex-post facto method with the research design that is a retrospective causal- comparative design. Used to describe the characteristics of athlete's psychological skills based on the achieve- ments of the SEA Games 2017 regarding gold, silver and bronze medals. The population in this study were Indonesian athletes who participated in the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia which were determined purposively namely athletes in athletics, weightlifting, cycling (track and road race), swimming and waterskiing. Sam- pling uses non-probability sampling with quota sam- pling technique. Quota sampling used because condi- tions in the field do not allow to collect all athletes' data so that only the athletes that can be found are collected, and only athletes get gold, silver and bronze medals. The athletes as the sample of this study were aged be- tween 17 - 34 years with a total of 23 male athletes and 13 female athletes, bringing the total sample to 36 ath- letes. Data collection techniques using an instrument in the form of a questionnaire adapted from "The Psycho- logical Skills Inventory for Sports" (Mahoney, Gabriel & Perkin, 1987) which revealed six aspects of psycho- logical skills with 44 questions, after validation and empirical tests obtained 38 valid statement items. Data on the psychological characteristics of athletes collected in February - April 2017 when the National Training Program (Pelatnas) held before departing to compete in the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia. While the medal acquisition obtained from secondary data, namely the results of the SEA Games 2017. Data analysis used de- scriptive statistical analysis. RESULT Psychological Skills Characteristics Based on data analysis obtained the caracteristics of the athlete’s mental skills as follows : It is clear that a radar diagram is used to see the difference in scores for each sport. Based on the data concluded that athletes athletic athletes have higher psychological skills characteristics, while athletes sport- ing bicycle racing have the attributes of lower mental skills. Generally, SEA games athletes have good psy- chological characteristics, but from the six psychologi- cal aspects studied, they are motivation, confidence, anxiety control, mental preparation, team importance and concentration. Athletes in bicycle racing sports have lower scores than other games. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the psychological aspects needed by athletes in every game, especially for ath- letes in cycling (track and road race). http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/penjas/index Ipa Sari Kardi/ Jurnal Pendidikan Jasmani dan Olahraga 4 (1) (2019) DOI : 10.17509/jpjo.v4i1.12452 Tabel 1. Samples No Sports Athlete 1 Weightlifting 2 2 Athletics 9 3 Cycling 10 4 Swimming 5 5 Waterskiing 10 Total 36 Tabel 2. Instrument The Psychological Skills Inventory for Sports Variable Dimensions items Psychological char- acteristics Motivation 8 Confidence 7 Anxiety Control 7 Mental Preparation 6 Team Emphasis 4 Concentration 6 Total 38 Tabel 3. Characteristics Pshycological Sports Psychological Skil Score Athletics High 158.2 Waterskiing High 154.8 Weightlifting High 151.5 Cycling High 148.8 Swimming High 153 59 Acquisition of 2017 SEA Games Athlete Medals Medal acquisition is one of the benchmarks for achieving an exercise program that has been prepared to face an event such as the SEA Games. Based on data from the Indonesian athletes' medal in the 2017 SEA Games, the number of sports branches did not reach the predetermined target. In detail, pie charts are used to describe medal gains in athletics, cycling (track and road race), weightlifting, waterskiing and swimming. DISCUSSION Talking about the psychological aspects of achievement motivation possessed by a person, espe- cially an athlete has been revealed by sports psycholo- gists. Achievement motivation is a desire that exists in a person who encourages the person to try to achieve a standard or measure of excellence (Rohmah, Kawuryan, & Ahyani, 2016). Based on the data obtained by all athletes who won medals in the SEA Games 2017, they have very high psychological skills. It illustrates that a profession- al athlete needs prime motivation to reach the peak of achievement. Research has revealed that motivation can influence the choice of activity, perseverance, effort in training and competition, and quality of performance (Britton W. Brewer, 2009). Coaches identified admin- istration, athlete motivation, colleagues, parents, profes- sional development, time, and work–life as having the largest impact on them. In Study 2, 424 coaches report- http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/penjas/index Ipa Sari Kardi/ Jurnal Pendidikan Jasmani dan Olahraga 4 (1) (2019) DOI : 10.17509/jpjo.v4i1.12452 Picture 1. Characteristics Psychological Skill Athletes SEA Games 2017 Tabel 4. Acquisition of 2017 SEA Games Sports Gold Silver Bronze Total Athletics 3 8 1 12 Waterskiing 3 5 8 16 Weightlifting 1 0 1 2 Cycling 0 2 11 13 Swimming 2 10 15 27 Picture 2. Gold Medals Picture 2. Silver Medals Picture 3. Br onze Medals 60 ed on their perceptions of the factors identified in Study 1 and their psychological needs, motivation, and inter- personal behaviors (Rocchi & Pelletier, 2017). From the results of this study, athletes in swim- ming and athletic sports have a high level of motiva- tion, followed by weightlifting, waterskiing and bicycle racing. Self-confidence means a sense of trust in your ability or ability to achieve specific achievements (Husdarta, 2011). Confidence can be considered as a soul changer because belief appears to change how ath- letes feel, respond, and think about everything that hap- pens to athletes in sports (Britton W. Brewer, 2009). Other than that Athletes know two things about confi- dence, one, faith makes them feel bulletproof, and two, athletes also know that trust is fragile (Hanrahan & An- dersen, 2010). Based on the results of the research and the opin- ions of experts, it can conclude that self-confidence is one of the essential aspects that athletes need in sup- porting their performance both during training and dur- ing the race. From the results of the research, athletes from athletic sports have a very high category of confi- dence, followed by top classes in water skiing, weight- lifting, swimming, and bicycle racing. Anxiety is a negative emotion that can interfere with the performance of athletes in sports. But at a cer- tain degree of concern, it can help athletes be more vig- ilant and able to support their achievements and must consider the nature of individuality because every indi- vidual is different and every branch of sport is separate. Anxiety is defined as a negative emotional state (feeling fearful and uncomfortable, experiencing dread) charac- terized by nervousness, worry, and apprehension and associated with activation or arousal of the body (Hanrahan & Andersen, 2010). The sports arena, whether in the preparation or competition phase, anxie- ty will always be present and painful and even unavoid- able, however, it is possible to be regulated in minimiz- ing the exposure to stress in athletes. Based on the re- sults of the research, anxiety control athletes are in the high category in each sport with the sequence of athlet- ics, swimming, weightlifting cycling and waterskiing. Mental preparation is a person's mental state where the sources of his soul ability are the reason, will and emotion are ready to do the task according to his ability. Mental readiness is an extraordinarily important factor that influences the appearance of athletes (Gunarsa, 2008). The results showed that doing mental preparation did affect the performance of athletes in sports, when compared to athletes who did not mentally prepare, however, there was no consistent mental prep- aration technique favored (Britton W. Brewer, 2009). Facing the match athletes must have mental readiness in addition to physical and technical readiness, and tactics. Poor mental preparedness will result in athletes not be- ing able to bear the psychological burden that they should be able to carry. Based on the results of the research the mental preparation of athletes is in the high category, but there is a gradation that shows the difference in scores with the sequence of waterskiing, athletics, swimming, cy- cling, and weightlifting. Every athlete is a member of a particular sports association, who regularly conducts training and match activities. It is in this team that each athlete gains experiences in both sports knowledge and skills. The effectiveness of a team depends on two things, namely, the skills of its members and the ability of the leader to facilitate the process (Setiadi & Passa- ribu, 2005). Although sports such as weightlifting, waterskiing, swimming, cycling, and athletics are domi- nant on an individual basis, some numbers prevent ath- letes from working together on teams, such as relay running. Based on the results of the research, the team em- phasis is in the high category with the sequence of waterskiing, athletics, cycling, weightlifting, and swim- ming. Concentration is such an important aspect of sports, not only during matches but also during training (Satiadarma, 2000). Agree with state about Without question, at the top level, concentration is a big part of a player’s game, whether they’re a keeper or outfield (Hanraham & Andersen, 2010). Concentration is the ability to maintain focus on relevant environmental cues (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). Based on the results of a concentration study of athletes in cycling sports are in the very high category. While other games are in the top category with the or- der of swimming, athletics, weightlifting, and water- skiing. Based on the results of the research on the psy- chological skills characteristics of athletes affect the medal gain in the 2017 SEA Games, despite the many factors that influence the achievement of athletes, the mental aspect is one of the things that need to be con- sidered. The gold medal in the cycling sport is targeted http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/penjas/index Ipa Sari Kardi/ Jurnal Pendidikan Jasmani dan Olahraga 4 (1) (2019) DOI : 10.17509/jpjo.v4i1.12452 61 to miss the estimates set by the coach and coach. It cor- relates with aspects of motivation and self-confidence that need to be improved. CONCLUSION Every sport has advantages in different psycholog- ical aspects. The Athletes are in cycling sports lack in the elements of motivation and confidence. 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