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Abstract
Over the past few decades, there has been increased attention paid to psychological skills usage among high-level athletes. However, little is known about these skills in Japanese rugby players. Considering the significant role of practice in determining competition outcomes, a need exists to assess the usage of psychological skills in both practice and competition environments. The purpose of this study was to assess the usage of psychological skills by Japanese rugby players in both practice and competition. This study also aimed to test the ability of the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS) to differentiate players of deferring competitive and experience levels. The TOPS was administered to 352 male rugby players, including 95 Top League and 257 university players. Discriminant function analysis demonstrated psychological skills were employed, in both practice and competition, used more frequently by Top League players than university players, and by more experienced versus less experienced players. The 16 subscales of the TOPS, with four exceptions, created an internally stable instrument with moderate predictive ability relative to performance level and competitive experience in this sample of Japanese rugby players.