Concept Mapping the Characteristics of Clutch Athletes

The current study was based on the WANG Jin (2003) 's Hypothesized Model of Clutch Athletes' Capabilities, to testify the construction of clutch athletes by using concept mapping analysis procedure.Personal deep interviews were conducted with 6advanced coaches, 6elite athletes and 6scholars of sports.The analyzing procedure consisted of following phases:ideas analysis, piles sorting, multidimensional scaling, hierarchical cluster analysis, production of maps and interpreting the maps.Resultssupported the WANG Jin's Hypothesized Model of Clutch Athletes' Capabilities, and found the characteristics of clutch athletes included 8dimensions: (a) Sensitivity of cognitive pressure, (b) Coping ability of pressure, (c) Mental ability, (d) Capability of movement, (e) Mental aggression, (f) Positivity of attitude, (g) Mental toughness, and (h) Self confidence.This paper also discussed the connotations of each concepts.