Relationship between psychological state and performance of rowers aged 14-16

Introduction. Kayaking and canoeing requires a significant level of psychological resilience and physical fitness from athletes, in the face of ever-increasing levels of competition and the number of events throughout the season. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the rowing performance dynamics and the psychological state dynamics in rowers aged 14-16 years after a year of training using a block approach with double periodization. Materials and Methods. 22 rowers aged 14-16 took part in the study. Results. The study found an improvement in rowing time at a distance of 500 m by 9.32% (p<0.001) and 1000 m - by 7.75% (p<0.001) after a year of training with a block approach and double periodization. According to the results of the Sport Orientation Questionnaire: the competitiveness indicator improved by 14.29%, the desire to win indicator improved by 17.01%, and the purposefulness indicator improved by 16.69% (p<0.001). In addition, a significant correlation was found between the improvement of the result at the distance of 500 m and the improvement of competitiveness (r = 0.559, p˂0.01), desire to win (r = 0.624, p˂0.05) and purposefulness (r = 0.548, p˂0.01) and between the improvement of the rowing time at the distance of 1000 m with the improvement of desire to win (r = 0.517, p˂ 0.05) and purposefulness (r = 0.616, p˂ 0.01), with the improvement of competitiveness indicator the correlation was moderate (r = 0.473, p < 0.05). Conclusions. Therefore, the block approach with double periodization is effective and well-thought-out regarding the alternation of periods of intense loads and rest, thanks to which the exhaustion of athletes' bodies is prevented and their psychological state improves too.