The relationship between perception of the functional training environment and athletes’ training engagement: the mediating role of psychological safety

IntroductionFunctional training is often characterized by uncertainty, exploratory movement, repeated trial and error, and the possibility of failure. In such contexts, understanding how athletes remain engaged despite these challenges is important for explaining training behavior. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, Psychological Safety Theory, and Work Engagement Theory, this study examined the relationships among perceived functional training environment, psychological safety, and training engagement.MethodsCross-sectional questionnaire data were collected from 468 active athletes, including members of high-level university sports teams and provincial professional training teams. Participants were drawn from multiple sports, including basketball, soccer, track and field, badminton, table tennis, and taekwondo. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed mediation model, and multigroup analysis was conducted to examine whether the model differed across gender groups.ResultsPerceived functional training environment was positively associated with both psychological safety and training engagement. Psychological safety showed a significant indirect association between perceived functional training environment and training engagement. Multigroup analysis indicated that the overall model structure was stable across gender groups, although the strength of specific pathways differed. Female athletes showed stronger path coefficients for the pathways from perceived functional training environment to psychological safety and from psychological safety to training engagement.DiscussionThese findings suggest that, in high-uncertainty functional training contexts, athletes’ psychological interpretation of risk, trial and error, and possible failure may help explain how training environments are associated with sustained training engagement. The study provides empirical evidence for clarifying the psychological pathway through which perceived functional training environments may support athletes’ engagement in training.