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Purpose: Research has suggested that in female athletes from aesthetic sports the prevalence of disordered eating attitudes is higher than in female athletes from other sports, mainly due to sport related factors like extreme training and practicing sports associated with high pressure and the idea that “being thin leads to success”. The study was conducted to examine the prevalence of disturbed eating attitudes and their relationship with body image concerns in aesthetic and non-aesthetic female athletes. Methods: 54 female athletes from aesthetic sports (synchronized swimming, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, and dance), as well as 66 female athletes from non-aesthetic sports (volleyball, track and field, and soccer), completed the Eating Attitudes Test, the Body Shape Questionnaire, and the Figure Rating Scale (a visual scale used to assess body image dissatisfaction and body image dissatisfaction in relation to sport). Results: The results indicated that aesthetic athletes scored significantly higher than those involved in non-aesthetic sports in Dieting, and in Body Image Dissatisfaction. Moreover, aesthetic athletes demonstrated significantly lower BMI mean scores. Significant correlations were found between Body Mass Index and Oral Control, Body Image Dissatisfaction and Body Image Dissatisfaction in relation to Sport, and between Eating Attitudes Test and the Body Shape Questionnaire results in aesthetic athletes. Furthermore, significant associations were found between Body Mass Index and Body Shape Questionnaire, Body Image Dissatisfaction and Body Image Dissatisfaction in relation to Sport, and Eating Attitudes Test and Body Shape Questionnaire in non-aesthetic athletes. Conclusion: The study confirmed the relationship between body image concerns and pathological eating attitudes among female aesthetic sport athletes.

Objectives: The main goal of this research was to determine to what extent the competitors’ functional abilities and morphological characteristics hypothetically explain the results achieved in static and dynamic apnea and offer a prediction. Methods: The study included 35 artistic swimmers, body height of 162.98 ± 5.252 cm and body weight of 51.47 ± 5.578 kg that is in the regular training process and competes in the junior competitions. Morphological characteristic variables were obtained by analyzing the subjects’ body composition by the bioelectric impedance method (BIA). Variables for the functional abilities assessment were determined by two tests: forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume (FEV). The influence of functional abilities and morphological characteristics on the results in static and dynamic apnea was assessed by regression analysis. Results: The results show that functional abilities and morphological characteristics have a significant influence on the diving results. Conclusion: These results are important for the selection and effective training during the training period and can influence the appropriate specific training programs development. They can be used for the optimal preparation of all competitors in water sports (swimmers, water polo players, artistic swimmers and athletes practicing apnea).

The aim of this paper is to point out the importance of motivation in sport achievement and to describe the psychological aspect of motivation, as one of the most important psychological factors for success. Motivation theories give definitions of terms and previous knowledge of different authors, and the second part of this paper gives the most commonly used techniques: Goal settings, cognitive restructuring, and imagination, and how to apply them. When it comes to motivation in sports, some important concepts and some of the most important interventions for motivating athletes presented in this paper can be analyzed in the psychological training of athletes. Special attention given to the importance and the role of trainers in the process of motivating athletes emphasizes psychology as a key factor in sport achievement.

Background. The aim of this research was to examine differences between athletes’ perception of coaching behaviors in individual and team sports. Methods. College athletes (N = 100) participated in the study. Three questionnaires were administered to the athletes: Demographic questionnaire, Leadership Scale for Sports and Negative Coaching Behavior Questionnaire. Results. The results of this study revealed the significant differences among athletes’ perception of coaching behaviors in individual and team sports. Individual athletes in this study gave higher ratings to training and instruction, social support and positive feedback leader behavior from their coaches. Also, athletes from individual sports had smaller scores on two dimensions and total score of negative coaching behavior questionnaire. Conclusion. Those findings suggest that the behavior of the coach directed towards improving the performance of athletes` was higher evaluated from athletes in individual sports. Further studies should provide more information about coaches’ behavior during the competitive. Keywords: myostatin deficiency, food withdrawal, starvation, muscle atrophy.

The influence of anxiety and self-confidence of an athlete with an emphasis on self-efficacy has been the subject of numerous research in the sport, but their relationship is not fully understood. In our research, we try to explain that competitive anxiety influences sports achievement only through the level of General Self-Efficacy. A lower level of General Self-Efficacy leads to lower sports achievement. In order to explore the relationship between General Self-Efficacy and anxiety on sports achievement, we examined 76 active athletes in collective sports, as well as their trainers. The following instruments were applied: Competitive Sports Anxiety Inventory, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, and Questionnaire of sports achievement (ad hoc made instrument). The results show that cognitive anxiety negatively correlates with sports achievement (r = -.38, p≤ .01), as opposed to somatic anxiety that does not show a significant association with achievement. However, the highest relationship is a positive correlation between General Self-Efficacy and sports achievement (r = .51, p≤ .01). In Regression analysis, however, a significant predictor of sports achievement is only General Self-Efficacy (β = .389; p≤ .01) while the significance of cognitive anxiety is lost (β = -178; p = .339). Additional Bootstrapping analyses were conducted to examine the potential mediating effect of General Self-Efficacy in the relationship between competitive anxiety and sports achievement. We found a significant indirect effect of cognitive anxiety on achievement only through General Self-Efficacy (b= -.30, CI /-.73, -.07/), while the direct effect is not significant once the mediator is introduced. In the reversed analyses, with competitive anxiety as a mediator, the mediation was not significant, which means that high anxiety reduces sports achievement only through undermining self-efficacy, and not directly. The obtained result suggests that self-efficacy has the primary role in sports achievement. Consequently, for improving sports achievement, psychological intervention should primarily focus on increasing self-efficacy.