Elite and Novice Athletes' Imagery Use in Open and Closed Sports

Very little research has investigated differences in imagery use between open-and closed-skill sports. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of competitive level (elite/novice) and skill-type (open/closed) on athletes' imagery use. A total of 83 British athletes (39 elite, 44 novice) from open-(n = 40: 23 rugby; 17 martial arts) and closed-skill (n = 43: 28 golf; 15 figure skating) sports completed the Sport Imagery Questionnaire no more than 24 hours prior to competition. MANOVA revealed that main effects due to competitive level and skill-type were significant (p < .05). Univariate analyses revealed that elite athletes used more CS and CG imagery than novices (p < .001), and contrary to previous research findings, athletes in open-skilled sports used more MG-A imagery than those in closed-skill sports (p < .001). Overall, MG-M was the most used imagery type, regardless of competitive level and skill-type. The results are discussed in terms of methodological difficulties, future research, and practical implications.

[1]  Jennifer Cumming,et al.  Athletes’ Use of Imagery in the Off-Season , 2002 .

[2]  Jennifer Cumming,et al.  Deliberate imagery practice: the development of imagery skills in competitive athletes , 2002, Journal of sports sciences.

[3]  C. Hall,et al.  Motivational orientations and imagery use: a goal profiling analysis , 2002, Journal of sports sciences.

[4]  S. Bray,et al.  Pre-competition imagery, self-efficacy and performance in collegiate golfers , 2001, Journal of sports sciences.

[5]  N. Callow,et al.  Types of Imagery Associated with Sport Confidence in Netball Players of Varying Skill Levels , 2001 .

[6]  C. Hall,et al.  More about Exercise Imagery , 2000 .

[7]  Kathleen A. Martin,et al.  Imagery Use in Sport: A Literature Review and Applied Model , 1999 .

[8]  Alison White,et al.  An In-Depth Analysis of the Uses of Imagery by High-Level Slalom Canoeists and Artistic Gymnasts , 1998 .

[9]  K. J. Munroe,et al.  The influence of type of sport and time of season on athletes' use of imagery. , 1998 .

[10]  C. Hall,et al.  The relationship between competitive anxiety and imagery use , 1997 .

[11]  E. Etzel,et al.  The Effects of Goal-Setting and Imagery Training Programs on the Free-Throw Performance of Female Collegiate Basketball Players , 1996 .

[12]  D. Gould,et al.  Understanding Psychological Preparation for Sport: Theory and Practice of Elite Performers , 1996 .

[13]  Ian Haslam,et al.  The use of imagery by soccer players , 1994 .

[14]  C. Hall,et al.  The effect of an imagery training program on imagery ability, imagery use, and figure skating performance , 1991 .

[15]  C. Hall,et al.  The Use of Imagery by Athletes in Selected Sports , 1990 .

[16]  Judith G. Lambiotte,et al.  A Performance Enhancement Program for a College Football Team: One Incredible Season , 1987 .

[17]  D. Carroll,et al.  The Effects of Stress Inoculation Training on Gymnastics Performance on the Pommelled Horse. A Case Study , 1987, Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy.

[18]  A. Paivio.  Cognitive and motivational functions of imagery in human performance. , 1985, Canadian journal of applied sport sciences. Journal canadien des sciences appliquees au sport.

[19]  P. Highlen,et al.  Elite Divers and Wrestlers: A Comparison Between Open- and Closed-skill Athletes , 1983 .

[20]  Terry Orlick,et al.  In Pursuit of Excellence , 1980 .

[21]  P. Highlen,et al.  Psychological Characteristics of Successful and Nonsuccessful Elite Wrestlers: An Exploratory Study , 1979 .

[22]  Allan Paivio,et al.  Imagery use by athletes: development of the Sport Imagery Questionnaire. , 1998 .

[23]  S. Murphy.  Models of imagery in sport psychology: A review. , 1990 .