Elite age-group swimmers were found to have significantly advanced psychological skill development when compared to their sub-elite counterparts. When compared to elite international level swimmers, elite age-groupers were more susceptible to the negative effects of precompetition anxiety. These results suggest that age-group swimmers would benefit from a psychological skills training program.

[Coaches can implement such a program by following the instructions contained in the following text:

Rushall, B. S. (1995). Mental skills training for sports 2nd edition. Spring Valley, CA: Sports Science Associates. This can be purchased from the Australian Coaching Council in Canberra (telephone: 06-252-1550; fax 06-252-1200) or in the USA from Sports Science Associates (telephone: 619-469-1537; fax: 619-469-4267).]

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