| Purposes: To examine the effect of PETTLEP imagery on performance (dribbling time, error performance, performance time) when it is introduced at different times during the process of learning a soccer skill. Hypotheses: Hypothesis one stated that all groups that take part in the PETTLEP imagery intervention will increase the performance of the soccer players on the dribbling task by decreasing their completion time as well as the number of errors committed by each athlete. Hypothesis two stated that the earliest implemented PETTLEP imagery intervention will show the largest performance increases from the pre-test to the post-test. Methods: Participants self-reported their sex and age before completing the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised to assess imagery ability (Hall & Martin, 1997). Teams completed an adapted version of a soccer-dribbling task (O & Munroe-Chandler, 2008) as a performance assessment three times over the course of the study and physically practiced the task once each week. Imagery Group 1 began practicing a PETTLEP mental imagery program four times per week and were asked to record these sessions in an Imagery Diary for the duration of the study, beginning during week one. A control group practiced four stretches derived from the FIFA 11+ stretching routine (F-Marc, 2003) over this same time period. Imagery Group 2 was scheduled to begin practicing the same program during week three of the study. Following the post-test, participants completed the MIQ-R (Hall & Martin, 1997) as well as a Post-Experimental Manipulation Check. Results: Participants (N = 8, M age= 11.88 +/- 0.35 years) in this study were youth soccer players. The initial sample was composed of 68 participants but due to an unexpectedly wet season, the two teams participating as members of imagery group 2 dropped out of the study, preventing the assessment of hypothesis two. A 2 (Group) x 3 (Session) repeated measures ANOVA was utilized to test the effects of imagery use on dribbling speed and revealed a non-significant effect for Speed, F(2, 5) = 1.64, p = .28, n2=.40 and Group, F(2, 5) = 5.31, p = .06, n2=.68 There was a significant Group x Session interaction (F(2, 12) = 7.19, p < .01). An independent samples t-test indicated that the average member of the stretching group achieved a significantly faster dribbling speed at the second session session (t(6) = 1.68, p < .01, d=1.38) than the average member of imagery group 1. A separate, 2 (Group) x 3 (Session) repeated measures ANOVA analysis revealed no significant effects for Errors, F(2, 5) = 5.64, p = .05, n2 = .69 or Group, F(2, 5) = 12.85, p = .01, n2 = .84. There was a significant Group x Session interaction between the two groups (F(2, 12) = 9.30, p < .01). The average member of imagery group 1 reduced the errors that they committed at each testing session while the stretching group did not improve over this same time period. A 2 (Group) x 3 (Session) repeated measures ANOVA revealed a non-significant effect for Performance time on each group, F(2, 5) = 0.48, p = .65, n2=.16 and Group, F(2, 5) = 3.54, p = .11, n2=.59. There was a significant Group x Session interaction (F(6) = 7.19, p < .01) between the imagery and stretching groups. There were no significant differences in the calculated performance times of the two groups to complete the soccer-dribbling task at any session. Conclusion: Due to the attrition of 88% of the initial sample, this study was unable to assess the differing affects of PETTLEP mental imagery on soccer-dribbling performance. It is hoped that future researchers will continue the study of this topic as this information will allow researchers to provide coaches, parents and athletes with a guideline for the most effective time when practicing a new skill to begin practicing mental imagery in an effort to improve performance to the greatest degree. |
