The effect of self-talk and mental imagery on self-efficacy in performing volleyball serving skill

Self-talk and mental imagery are two important mental skills in learning and performing motor skills in sports. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of self-talk and mental imagery on self-efficacy in performing a simple volleyball serve in ۹-۱۵ years old athletes. In this quasi-experimental study, ۷۵ male volleyball players (mean age and SD = ۱۳.۹ ± ۱.۴۵ years), with at least one year of volleyball training experience in Saqqez volleyball clubs, were randomly selected. After completing the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised (MIQ-R), based on the scores obtained, participants allocated in ۵ groups, the first experiment group (negative imagery and positive self-talk), the second experiment group (positive imagery and negative self-talk), the third experiment group (positive imagery and positive self-talk), the fourth experiment group (negative imagery and negative self-talk) and control group. To measure self-efficacy, the Volleyball Serving Self-efficacy Questionnaire (VSSQ) was used, and to measure serving performance, videotaping and analysis of its five basic elements was used. Each participant performed ۱۵ serves three times, step by step according to the experimental group in which it was located and completed the self-efficacy questionnaire three times during each stage. The results of ANOVA with repeated measures ۵ (group) * ۴ (stage), showed that there was no significant difference in the mean of self-efficacy scores over time between groups (F = ۱.۵۵, P> ۰.۰۵). The results of this study also showed that although the combination of these strategies did not cause a significant change in participants self-efficacy, the group that used positive self-talk and positive imagery, scored higher in performing skills and self-efficacy intensity, and also reported higher self-efficacy scores before performing next-step serves.

کلیدواژه ها:

self-talk ، mental imagery ، self-efficacy ، serving ، volleyball