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Mental Strategies Predict Performance and Satisfaction with Performance among Soccer Players
Magdalena Kruk1, Jan Blecharz2, Monika Boberska1
1Wroclaw Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wroclaw, Poland.
Journal of Human Kinetics
|November 15, 2017
Summary
Athletes
Area of Science:
- Sports Psychology
- Exercise Science
- Performance Psychology
Background:
- Mental strategies are crucial for athletic success.
- Understanding how these strategies evolve during a season is vital for optimizing performance.
- Previous research has focused on specific strategies, but a holistic view across a season is less explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine changes in psychological strategies throughout a soccer season.
- To determine the impact of these strategies on performance and satisfaction.
- To identify key mental skills for athlete development.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with 97 male soccer players (aged 16-27).
- Data collected at pre-season, mid-season, and end-of-season.
- Assessed nine psychological strategies, performance satisfaction, and 300m run times.
Main Results:
- High pre-season relaxation predicted better end-of-season performance.
- High pre-season self-talk predicted greater end-of-season satisfaction.
- Reduced use of distractibility and emotional control predicted higher satisfaction.
- Emotional control, relaxation, and distractibility use increased; imagery and negative thinking decreased over the season.
Conclusions:
- Specific psychological strategies like relaxation and self-talk are predictive of performance and satisfaction.
- Distractibility and emotional control are important mental skills for athletes.
- Mental training programs should incorporate a broader range of strategies, including distractibility and emotional control, and consider seasonal dynamics.
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