Noise Cancelling Program: evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of a psychoeducational program for mental skills development in young athletes

The Noise Cancelling Program is a six-month mental skills training (MST) intervention designed to enhance psychological functioning in young athletes aged 12-19. The program included modules on mindfulness, resilience, stress management, goal setting, and multi-sensory imagery.

A total of 92 athletes from Polish schools with successful sports programs completed both the pretest and the posttest assessments six months later. The pre- and post-assessments consisted of three questionnaires: the Mental Toughness in Sport Questionnaire (MTSQ-19), Sport Imagery Questionnaire for Children (SIQ-C), and Mental Skills Questionnaire (MSQ). The program was conducted by six sport psychology students from a graduate program under the supervision of two academic sport psychologists and one practitioner. Each session lasted 45-60 minutes and was held twice monthly. The 12 sessions combined theoretical psychoeducation with practical skill-building exercises, reflective discussions, and interactive activities. Topics were the same across all groups; however, activities and level of discussion were adjusted to the younger groups (12-15 years old) and older groups (16-19 years old).

The results revealed significant improvements in participants' imagery use and mental skills application, with qualitative feedback highlighting mindfulness and imagery exercises as particularly impactful. By bridging gaps in psychological support within youth sports, the program emerges as a scalable, evidence-based model for integrating MST into middle- and high-school educational and athletic settings.

Future research should focus on the program's long-term impact in different age groups such as middle vs high school, and specific sports and cultural contexts.