THE MENTAL PREPARATION PALLIATIVES OF FOOTBALLERS IN SMALL CATEGORIES SELECTED IN NATIONAL TEAMS IN BURKINA FASO

Introduction: Mental preparation is crucial to achieving athletic performance regardless of the discipline, the level of practice. In Burkina Faso, studies on this determinant of football performance are rare. Objective: This study aims to identify the different forms of palliative mental preparation among footballers in small categories selected in national teams. Method: The survey was conducted through a semi-direct interview with 51 subjects composed of 04 coaches and 46 players with a seniority of at least 1 year in the selection. Content analysis was the main method of data analysis. Results: after the analyses, it appears within these teams, the absence of a structured method of mental preparation. The main methods used for this purpose as a mental preparation are encouragement, talks, video sessions, prayer. Rather, these methods are palliative mental preparation. Conclusion: This study revealed the lack of structured mental preparation in footballers because it emerged that there is no sports psychologist in these teams. In order to optimize the sporting performance of these teams, reflections should be carried out on the training and recruitment of sports psychologists within these teams, but much more on the integration of endogenous cultural data into psychological practices.