This study aimed to verify the causal relationships among high school Taekwondo athletes' perceived coach autonomy support, mindfulness, and mental toughness, and to examine the moderating effect of different Taekwondo events(kyoruki, poomsae). Data w...
This study aimed to verify the causal relationships among high school Taekwondo athletes' perceived coach autonomy support, mindfulness, and mental toughness, and to examine the moderating effect of different Taekwondo events(kyoruki, poomsae). Data were collected from 332 high school Taekwondo athletes. The collected data were analyzed using PASW 23.0 and AMOS 23.0 programs, performing frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and multi-group structural equation modeling. The results revealed the following: First, perceived coach autonomy support had a positive impact on both mindfulness and mental toughness of high school Taekwondo athletes. Second, athletes' mindfulness positively influenced their mental toughness. Third, in the relationship between coach autonomy support and mindfulness, the sparring event showed a statistically significant higher effect compared to the poomsae event, indicating a moderating effect of the Taekwondo event type. Based on these findings, it is recommended to develop and implement a customized psychological support program incorporating coach autonomy support behaviors that reflect the characteristics of different events to enhance high school Taekwondo athletes' mindfulness and mental toughness. Such programs could help athletes achieve their goals and improve their performance.