Effects of sport imagery training and imagery ability on badminton service return in a secondary-school physical education setting

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the tendency and match rate within one’s perceptual preference, imagery ability and the actual imagery that one uses. Methods: To achieve our goal, we surveyed 248 athletes(diving, gymnastic, shooting, archery) from high school, universities and professional fields. But 55 questionnaires were excluded by data screening. Therefore, a total of 193 questionnaires were finally used. Results: First, athletes preferred Uni-Kinethetic(K) type the most, followed by multi-modal(4 mixual modal) among the perceptual preference. Second, 37 athletes(19.2%) had high imagery abilities matching their preferred perceptual types. Third, 16 athletes(10.4%) showed matching rate of their actual use of imagery type and perceptual preference. Fourth, only 3 athletes(2.1%) showed consistency within their perceptual preference, imagery ability and actual use of imagery sensory type. Conclusion: The consistency between the athletes’ perceptual preference and their main sensory of imagery ability was not as high as expected. Particularly, the rate of athletes who high imagery ability of their perceptual preference was low. Moreover, the low percentage of athletes were actually using their preferred sensory type. These results will provide future direction for the personalized imagery training program. Furthermore, this study suggests further research on the effect of imagery training relating to individual perceptual preference.

The applied model of mental imagery use proposed an interaction effect between imagery type and imagery ability. This study had two aims: (a) the examination of imagery ability as a moderating variable between imagery type and dispositional flow, and (b) the testing of alternative mediation models. The sample consisted of 367 athletes from Scotland and Australia, who completed the Sport Imagery Questionnaire, Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire, and Dispositional Flow Scale-2. Hierarchical regression analysis showed direct effects of imagery use and imagery ability on flow, but no significant interaction. Mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect path, indicating a partially mediated relationship (P = 0.002) between imagery use, imagery ability, and flow. Partial mediation was confirmed when the effect of cognitive imagery use and cognitive imagery ability was tested, and a full mediation model was found between motivational imagery use, motivational imagery ability, and flow. The results are discussed in conjunction with potential future research directions on advancing theory and applications.

This study analyzed the effects of imagery training on athletes’ imagery ability, physical anxiety and athletic performance. This study employed a mixed research approach. Snowball sampling was used to select 55 fin swimmers with imagery training experience and formal competition participation. Basic statistics were obtained, and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (PPMCC) analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0, and the results were compared with the opinions of three experts and were tested using multivariate validation methods. The results revealed that although imagery training can help athletes improve their performance and significantly reduce their anxiety during the competition, athletes can still make mistakes due to internal and environmental factors and even have negative thoughts that lead to their reduced likelihood of competition participation. By strengthening strategic and technical imagery training, we can help our fin swimmers perform at a higher level, achieve their goals, and improve overall satisfaction with their competition process and performance.

Positive relationship has been determined between imagery use and team cohesion based on individual and team level perspectives from previous studies. However, not many investigated the combination of imagery use and imagery ability on team cohesion from an individual nor from the team perspective especially during the covid-19 pandemic season. Hence, this study investigates the relationship between imagery use and imagery ability on team cohesion among MASUM student athletes. A total of 215 MASUM student athletes from various sports participated in the study. A series of questionnaires were completed which are Group Environment Questionnaire, Sport Imagery Questionnaire-Team Sport and Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis revealed that motivation general-mastery imagery, motivation general-arousal imagery, motivational specific imagery, skill imagery ability and goal imagery ability were significantly correlated to the dimensions of team cohesion. About 63% of team cohesion is explained by the imagery use dimensions. These dimensions are individual attraction- task team cohesion (39% of the variable), group integration- social team cohesion with 35% and group integration-task with 42%. The finding recommends cognitive and motivational elements from imagery use to be highlighted on team sports to promote athlete’s team cohesion.

Background and Aim: The difficulty in basketball shooting predominantly arises from a lack of adequate physical abilities, incomplete skill development, and a shortage of appropriate training. The objective of this research was to integrate meditation training and imagery training into the shooting training of the college men's basketball team at Xi'an Aviation College. Materials and Methods: In this research, the questionnaire survey method and experimental method were used. Three experts were invited to rate the shooting performance of 40 of China’s college basketball players, divided into 20 each in the experimental and control groups. In the experiment, the students' imaginative ability, self-confidence in shooting status, and scores of shooting performance were tested in the 1st, 4th, and 8th weeks, respectively, and then the results were compared and analyzed by T-test. Results: After 8 weeks of training, the technical movements and shooting hit rate of the experimental group were significantly higher than that of the control group; the performance of the experimental group and the control group both improved after the experiment, but the experimental group had a significant increase in shooting performance, imagination ability, and shooting status self-confidence, while the control group only had a significant increase in the total score of shooting performance. Conclusion: College students' shooting scores are affected by a variety of factors, and each student's learning needs and strengths are different, so the teaching program needs to be flexibly adapted to suit the needs of different students. These results showed that the integration of meditation training and imagery training can significantly improve college students' shooting performance more than traditional shooting training, as well as improve students' imagery ability and shooting self-confidence, which in turn improves the quality of shooting training.

Background: The audibility of teachers and peers is an essential factor in determining the academic performance of school children. However, acoustic conditions in most classrooms are less than optimal and have been viewed as ‘hostile listening environments’ that undermine the learning of children in school. While research has shown that typical classrooms may be acoustically challenging, the acoustic conditions in physical education settings are without a doubt more challenging than in the typical classroom. To date, researchers in physical education have sparingly focused on the way acoustics affect physical education settings. Aims: The focus of this research effort was to measure noise levels in elementary-, middle- and high-school physical education settings and compare them to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) guidelines (30 dBA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards (40 dBA). Documentation of these ambient noise levels may give greater understanding to the effect of background noise on student learning in physical education. Methods: Acoustic environments were measured in indoor and outdoor settings in 12 elementary, 4 middle, and 6 high schools in northwest Florida. Nine outdoor, seven gymnasium, and six covered area settings were evaluated. Ambient noise levels were recorded for each unoccupied physical education setting. A sound decibel digital meter which met American National Standard Specification for Sound Level Meters set on the ‘A’-weighted scale and on slow response was used to record the noise levels for each setting. Two-tailed t-tests were used for comparison of the overall mean noise levels in outdoor, gymnasium, and covered physical education settings to the standards established by ANSI and ASHA. Results: The findings showed that all of the settings were significantly (p < .05) higher than the established standards and only 1 of the 22 physical education settings studied had background noise levels at or below 40 dBA. These results also indicate that the physical education settings investigated exhibit ambient noise levels at 10–15 dB higher than recommended levels. Conclusions: In light of the acoustics standards and prior research, these results are discouraging if not alarming. These results also suggest that the background noise in physical education settings is likely detrimental to student learning. These findings indicate an immediate need for administrators to support future research and determine the most appropriate, cost-effective procedures to reduce noise in existing physical education settings. Strategies for reducing high noise levels in physical education settings include sound amplification devices, acoustical modifications, and future construction strategies.

The relationship between corticospinal excitability during motor imagery and motor imagery ability

Introduction. There is a growing number of studies concerning imagery training in young athletes but on a much smaller scale than research in adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of imagery training on children’s soccer skills. Materials and Methods: We conducted two studies. In the first study a sample of 35 subjects, aged between 10 and 14 years, was divided into an experimental condition (18 players) and a control condition (17 players). Each person completed one script from the Sports Imagery Ability Measure (SIAM) and from the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3 (MIQ-3) and took a performance test on pre-test and post-test. In the second study 40 players, aged from 11 to 14 years, were divided into the control group (12 players) and the experimental group (13 players). They filled out the same questionnaires, as well as the Sports Imagery Questionnaire for Children (SIQ-C). They took part in 6 and 8 weeks of imagery training, respectively. Participants in the control condition performed only the shooting pre-and post-tests. Results: In the post-test, players in the imagery condition obtained better results in soccer skills and in SIQ-C, but not in imagery ability tests. Conclusions: The results supported effectiveness of the imagery training, especially since the intervention was conducted during the COVID lockdown.

Athletes’ ease of imaging predicts their imagery and observational learning use

This study explored the relation between athletes’ sleep quality and imagery ability. A total of 201 athletes (39.3% female, 60.7% male; Mage = 23.28 years, SD = 6.00) completed the Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Simple regression analyses revealed that global sleep quality predicted affect imagery ability. Multiple regression analyses revealed that daytime dysfunction predicted global imagery ability as well as skill, strategy, affect, and mastery imagery ability dimensions. In addition, use of sleeping medication predicted global imagery ability, as well as goal and affect imagery ability dimensions. Results provide some support for Cumming and Williams’ revised applied model of deliberate imagery use, suggesting that individual factors influence the effectiveness of imagery use. Specifically, athletes who have no disruption to daily functioning due to sleep find it easier to image sport-related content.

Imagery training, specifically visual and kinesthetic imagery training, is a well-established method of increasing performance in sport. However, some athletes may have impoverished imagery abilities (e.g., aphantasia; low visual imagery) which may hinder performance increments that benefit others. We administered the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire (Psi-Q) which tests multisensory imagery, to 329 participants from nine different sports across two levels: semiprofessional and professional. This formed the baseline test, finding no significant differences between sport or level for imagery ability. The Psi-Q located 27 low imagers (mean total scores <4.2/10), including seven non-visual imagers, three non-auditory, seven non-olfactory, and five non-gustatory imagers, and one across all senses. We split the sample randomly into two groups and immediately delivered the imagery intervention, Functional Imagery Training (FIT) to the first group (over two weeks), followed by delivering the same intervention to the wait group. A wait period was due to the lengthy delivery time of the personalized intervention. Both groups received the intervention for the same duration ending in a Psi-Q retest after the intervention. In both groups, FIT increased overall imagery scores which was maintained six months after intervention completion. This indicates that imagery can be trained and maintained in those with a low ability. Follow up interviews (n = 22) explored how imagery was being used beyond the intervention, revealing that the majority now use imagery to plan and manage thinking. Recommendations are given for ways to train imagery in an applied sport setting and future research in broader areas is detailed. Lay summary: We identified 27 individuals with low multi-sensory imagery scores, and used Functional Imagery Training (FIT) to produce enduring improvements in imagery ability, positioning FIT as a valuable tool for enhancing cognitive skills in sports.

Imagery as a psychological skill in sports occupies an essential place in the psychological preparation of athletes and is one of the key factors in realizing an athlete's potential in competitive sports. It's role in athlete performance, as well as the differences in its use across various sports and demographic groups, has been a compelling topic in both sports' science and psychology. This topic has remained relevant in recent years. This quantitative survey-based and experimental design study aims to first, to determine whether differences in imagery ability profiles, identified through cluster analysis, can characterize differences among athletes with varying levels of athletic achievement. A secondary aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of a guided imagery intervention on imagery abilities and athletic performance. A total of 500 athletes from different sports, aged M = 21.01 (SD = 2.82), both male and female, completed the Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire (SIAQ) and provided information regarding their demographics and athletic achievements. In the experimental part of the study, nine alpine skiers were selected to participate in a six-month guided imagery intervention alongside their regular trainings on the ski track to assess the intervention's impact on performance. The results of K-means cluster analysis on athletic achievements of athletes showed a four-cluster solution that hat emphasized distinctions between the groups and reduced variation within each group. A Multiple Analysis of Covariance revealed that the four cluster groups differ in their imagery abilities. Pre- and post-intervention assessments for the nine alpine skiers were conducted using SIAQ and control training sessions, revealing significant increase in both imagery ability scores and performance indicators (p < 0.05). The research results support recent findings that athletes with higher athletic achievement tend to have stronger imagery abilities. The significant differences observed between the clusters based on athletic achievement levels were confirmed. By using imagery profiling of athletes with an analytical method, this study provides valuable insights into the role of imagery in athletic success, suggesting that tailored imagery training could enhance performance across different levels of athletic achievement.

This study aimed to test Lang's bioinformational theory by comparing the effects of layered stimulus and response training (LSRT) with imagery practice on improvements in imagery ability and performance of a motor skill (golf putting) in 24 novices (age, M = 20.13 years; SD = 1.65; 12 female) low in imagery ability. Participants were randomly assigned to a LSRT (introducing stimulus and response propositions to an image in a layered approach), motor imagery (MI) practice, or visual imagery (VI) practice group. Following baseline measures of MI ability and golf putting performance, the LSRT and MI practice groups imaged successfully performing the golf putting task 5 times each day for 4 days whereas the VI practice group imaged the ball rolling into the hole. Only the LSRT group experienced an improvement in kinesthetic MI ability, MI ability of more complex skills, and actual golf putting performance. Results support bioinformational theory by demonstrating that LSRT can facilitate visual and kinesthetic MI ability and reiterate the importance of imagery ability to ensure MI is an effective prime for movement execution.

Comparing movement imagery and action observation as techniques to increase imagery ability

The present study aimed to provide a better understanding of the relationship between imagery ability and imagery use. Athletes completed the Movement Imagery Questionnaire—Revised Second Version, the Motivational Imagery Ability Measure for Sport, and the Sport Imagery Questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that imagery ability explained 20 to 41% of the variance in the use of the functions of imagery. Visual and kinesthetic imagery ability predicted cognitive specific imagery use; motivational general-mastery and motivational general-arousal imagery ability predicted the use of the motivational general functions of imagery. To assess imagery ability multiple methods of assessment must be used.