Reactive Stress Tolerance in Preadolescent Sports Participants: A Comparison of Six Individual Non-Contact Sports

Purpose of the study: The study's aim was to examine how reactive stress tolerance differs in preadolescence across six different non-contact sports. Materials and Methods: Archery, cycling, shooting, swimming, track & field, and weightlifting are non-contact sports chosen for research. The study included 180 male sports cadets from the Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society, with an age range of 11–13 years. To assess reactive stress tolerance, the determination test form S1 under the Vienna Test System was used. Sub-variables like the percentile ranks of correct, incorrect, and omitted responses, as well as the score of median reaction time, were selected for study. Comparisons were made between scores of sub-variables under the reactive stress tolerance of six selected sports disciplines. The main effect was determined using the Kruskal-Wallis test, while pairwise post-hoc comparisons were made using the Mann-Whitney U test. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: There were no significant differences in percentile rank of correct, incorrect, and median reaction times between selected sports. In terms of percentile rank of incorrect responses, sports like archery, shooting, and weightlifting differ significantly from swimming. Conclusion: According to the findings, the sports in which distance is covered by producing bodily momentum are less likely to exhibit uncontrollable behaviour during athletic events.