An Examination of the Relationship Between Combat Athletes’ Leisure Involvement and Recreational Flow Experiences

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between combat athletes’ leisure involvement and their recreational flow experiences.

The research population consists of combat athletes who actively participate in sports clubs in Kocaeli province. The sample includes a total of 100 combat athletes, 73 males and 27 females.

As data collection tools, a Personal Information Form developed by the researchers, the Leisure Involvement Scale, and the Recreational Flow Experience Scale were used. The data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) for Windows 25.0 software. The suitability of the data for normal distribution was tested using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between athletes’ leisure involvement and flow experiences. In addition, regression analysis was applied to determine the effect of leisure involvement on flow experiences.

According to the findings of the study, a strong positive correlation was found between the subdimensions of the leisure involvement scale—attraction (r =.818**), centrality (r = .847**), self-expression (r = .786**), and recreational flow experience (r = .735**, p < 0.05). The results of the regression analysis showed that athletes’ leisure involvement alone explained 67% of the variance in flow experiences (????Flow=1.056;p<0.001).

Based on these results, it can be concluded that as athletes’ levels of leisure involvement increase, they experience a more intense flow state.