This study provides information on the types and nature of self-handicaps reported by elite teenage rock climbers prior to performing in outdoor competitions. The in-depth interviews offer considerable insight into the reasons why these impediments might be reported. This data might be directly relevant to people interested in coaching, skill development, and performance improvement. It has been argued that the achievement criteria used by coaches may impact on the perceptions of the environment, which may be a source of stress for young elite athletes (Pensgaard & Roberts, 2000). In the present study, the performance climate ("win attitude is essential") led the participants' perceptions of these competitions as very ego-relevant. Thus, elite teenage rock climbers reported different types of impediments enabling them to deflect the cause of failure away from their sport competence and reduce the coach's expectations of his/her subsequent performance. Claimed self-handicapping may be as prevalent in elite teenage athletes. Moreover, this study highlighted that some impediments might be self-presented handicaps. Indeed, self-presented handicaps took the form of self-reports of performancerelated hindrances such as the exaggeration of obstacles to success or anxiety, and might be claimed to a greater degree than they actually exist. They also reported indirectly related handicaps to performance. Although the number of participants was small and reduced the possibility of generalizing the results to other populations, results reinforced the knowledge of self-handicaps in a high level context and the interest of studying self-handicapping in a naturalistic setting. Nevertheless, further research is required to examine the long-term implications of using self-handicaps by teenagers in a high-level context and their interference with the teenagers everyday life. The repeated use of self-handicaps might place the athlete at-risk for motivational difficulties that would likely have a negative effect on long-term development and performance. Additional research is needed. In conclusion, this study suggests that it is important for the trainers to gain knowledge of self-handicapping, to take into account the reasons underlying self-handicapping among teenagers for practical implication, and to examine more closely the ego relevance of high level context which may be an important factor in determining self-handicapping in a sport context. Copyright © Association for Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology.
