Effects of Imagery Training and Self-Talk towards State Anxiety and Archery Performance

Abstract

This study examined the effects of imagery training and instructional self-talk towards cognitive state anxiety, somatic state anxiety, self-confidence and archery performance of the Sports School Malaysia Pahang (SSMP) athletes in 2019. This study used a quasi-experimental design. The instrument consisted of Sport Imagery Ability Measure Questionnaire (SIAM), Belief in Self-Talk Questionnaire (BSQ) and Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2R (CSAI-2R), and archery performance scores were considered as well. A total of 45 participants were randomly distributed into three experimental groups: Imagery (I) (n = 15), Imagery and Self-Talk (IST) (n = 15) and Self-Talk (ST) (n = 15). All groups underwent a six-week intervention of eighteen sessions, three times a week for one hour. Two Way Mixed MANOVA revealed significant differences between the three intervention groups. Imagery and Self-Talk (IST) group had a significant effect on decreasing state anxiety and increasing self-confidence as well as archery performance scores over two-time periods (pre and post-test). Such a result opens the way to the idea that, Imagery and Self-Talk (IST) group showed a better effect than study groups (ST) and (I). Factors that reduce state anxiety, increase self-confidence and archery performance, and explain the acceptance of interventions over one method will produce a more positive effect on participants. Imagery and instructional self-talk intervention can be used as a reference for sports psychology coaches to improve archery performance among athletes.