Evaluation of an imagery intervention to improve penalty taking ability in soccer: A study of two junior girls teams

Psychological factors and performance in women's football: A systematic review

The amount of research conducted on female football players, compared to male players, is sparce. Even though research on female football players has increased the past decade, there is still a lack of studies of how psychological factors affect their performance. The objective of the current systematic review was therefore to summarize existing quantitative research into the relationship between psychological factors and performance in women's football. Literature was sourced from MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, and PsychInfo. Two independent reviewers applied the selection criteria and assessed the quality of the studies. A total of 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. The total number of participants was 1449, and 15 psychological factors were examined in relation to football performance. The results revealed a tendency for higher leveled players to score higher on psychological factors like mental toughness, conscientiousness, and executive functions. They also had lower levels of anxiety. Enjoyment and a perceived mastery climate were related to increased levels of performance and perceived competence. Mood was unrelated to performance. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

The future for PETTLEP: a modern perspective on an effective and established tool

Over the past 15 years there has been much research into the PETTLEP model of motor imagery, originally designed to improve the quality and impact of imagery interventions on sport performance. This article reviews the most recent trends within this research. Despite a suggested change of underpinning mechanisms involved, there is much support for the positive impact of the model when applied within the sporting context and with engaged participants. The model also appears to have provided impact in fields other than sport, such as medicine and music. Therefore we suggest that it has largely met its desired aims. However, not all research has optimised the model's guidelines, with a distinct failure to account for personal relevance when designing imagery scripts or selecting tasks for use in studies. Other recent and pertinent findings relate to the mediating role of expectancy and beneficial augmentation through movement observation. Future research should, however, seek exploitation and clarification towards contemporary issues in motor control, namely; automaticity, the relative merits of internal and external foci and subconscious goal priming. Finally, we endorse the application of imagery, as a conscious intervention, even for execution of unconscious, fast-actions.