Impact of Psychological Factors—Decision Making, Pressure Handling, and Team Cohesion—on Match Performance in Kabaddi

Abstract

Kabaddi is a high-intensity combat sport characterized not only by physical strength and agility but also by rapid decision-making, psychological resilience, and coordinated teamwork. Despite its growing professionalization, research on the psychological determinants of Kabaddi performance remains underdeveloped. This paper examines how decision-making skills, pressure-handling capacity, and team cohesion influence offensive and defensive outcomes in elite Kabaddi match play. By integrating sport psychology models, observational data, and evidence from combat, invasion, and high-stress team sports, the study evaluates cognitive load, situational awareness, stress physiology, emotional regulation, communication dynamics, and collective efficacy. Findings demonstrate that psychological readiness significantly predicts raiding success, defensive synchronization, tackle efficiency, and late-game performance. Raiders with superior perceptual–cognitive skills outperform stronger but slower decision-makers, while cohesive defensive units exhibit higher tackle success. The study emphasizes the need for psychological training interventions as essential components of Kabaddi high-performance programs.