Abstract - Level of drugs usage and sport performance in Malay silat
Background. Drug, as a new ‘threat’ to the ideal of sports has entered into the sport scene lately.
Aim. The aim of this research is to evaluate the motives of drug usage among Silat athletes. Besides that the aim of this research is to correlate the relationship between the level of drug usage and sport performance among Malay Silat athletes.
Methods. The sample consisted of 103 Malay Silat athletes, who voluntarily participated in this study. The sample was drawn from athletes who competed in Majlis Sukan Universiti Malaysia (MASUM) or sport competitions between Universities. Drugs Usage Questionnaire was used which comprised of reasons for taking drugs such as: need for achievement, in order to avoid pain, gain strength, relax and avoid frustration. Besides that, Sports Performance Questionnaire was used to evaluate the participants performance in Silat.
Results. The results showed that the reasons for taking drugs among Malay Silat participants were the highest in order to avoid pain, followed by achievement, strength, relax and reduce frustration and stress. The results showed the existence of a positive correlation between the level of drug usage and sport performance.
Conclusions. Sport psychologist should play an important role to teach Silat athletes’ skills and strategies relating to manage pain and enhance performance without drugs.