Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part A (2026)

The present investigation aimed to examine the effect of Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) on sports anxiety among male state-level squash players from Madhya Pradesh. Competitive squash is a psychologically demanding sport that exposes athletes to continuous performance pressure, competitive stress, and emotional challenges. A true experimental pre-test and post-test control group design was employed for the study. Thirty male state-level squash players were selected based on specific inclusion criteria and randomly assigned into two groups: an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). The experimental group underwent an eight-week structured Stress Inoculation Training programme conducted three times per week, while the control group did not receive any psychological intervention. Sports anxiety was assessed using the Sports Anxiety Scale–2 (SAS-2). Descriptive statistics and dependent t-tests were used for data analysis. The findings revealed a statistically significant reduction in sports anxiety levels in the experimental group, whereas no significant difference was observed in the control group. The results clearly establish Stress Inoculation Training as an effective psychological intervention for reducing competitive anxiety among state-level squash players.