Psychological hesitation and its relationship to certain hormonal regulations and the accuracy of the straight punch among young boxers

In the current research, the authors sought to examine the connection between psychological hesitation and chosen hormone regulation (cortisol, testosterone, adrenaline) and the accuracy of straight punches in young male boxers. It used the descriptive-correlational approach because it is fitting considering the nature of the study. The target population was (67) young boxers who were the representatives of clubs of Misan Province (Misan, Amarah, Al-Majar, Kumait, Al-Shaheed Saad, Dijlah) in the sporting season of (20242025). Having have eliminated (17) athletes to pilot test and scale validation, the remaining sample was (50) athletes. The research instruments were: a psychological hesitation scale (23 items, five-point Likert scale), hormonal measurements on the venous blood samples by the ELISA method, and straight punch accuracy test (10 attempts to a specific target). All the measurements were done in standardized morning (08:00-10:00) to stabilize physiological indicators. The findings showed the following 1. Young boxers had some psychological hesitation which exceeded the theoretical mean of the scale. 2. There was a great positive correlation between psychological hesitation and cortisol levels. 3. Psychological hesitation and testosterone were significantly correlated in a negative relationship. 4. A positive correlation was established between the levels of adrenaline and psychological hesitation with the median being moderate. 5. A large negative correlation was found between psychological hesitation and accuracy of straight punches. It was decided that psychological hesitation is a significant psycho-physiological factor which affects hormonal balance as well as technical performance of young boxers. The research suggests that psychological and physiological training programs should be included in the boxing training regimens, along with the systematic observation of the psychological, hormonal, and technical indicators.