Psychological Skills Training with Community College Athletes: The UNIFORM Approach

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen M. Horn ◽  
Jenelle N. Gilbert ◽  
Wade Gilbert ◽  
Dawn K. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Transtheoretical Model ◽  
College Athletes ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Decisional Balance ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Uniform Approach ◽  
Self Talk

The present study examined a 10-week psychological skills training (PST) intervention called UNIFORM (Johnson & Gilbert, 2004) with a community college softball team. The intervention was based on the transtheoretical model (Prochaska & Marcus, 1994). Results showed that the athletes learned the skills, enjoyed the intervention, and significantly increased their application of relaxation and goal setting during practice and their application of relaxation, imagery, and self-talk during competition as measured by the Test of Performance Strategies (Thomas, Murphy, & Hardy, 1999). Though there were some positive changes, decisional balance and self-efficacy scores (DB-PST, SE-PST; Leffingwell, Rider, & Williams, 2001) were not statistically significant. The UNIFORM approach enabled community college athletes to learn psychological skills and apply them during practice, competition, and in their everyday lives.

Psychological Skills Training in NCAA Division I Athletics: Are Athletes Ready for Change?

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
William V. Massey ◽  
Stacy L. Gnacinski ◽  
Barbara B. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Transtheoretical Model ◽  
Ncaa Division I ◽  
National Collegiate Athletic Association ◽  
Readiness To Change ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Decisional Balance ◽  
Division I ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Division I Athletes

Research has demonstrated the efficacy of psychological skills training (PST), yet many athletes do not appear ready to do whatever it takes to improve the mental aspects of performance. Although the transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM), generally, and readiness to change, specifically, have received considerable attention in a range of allied health fields, few studies have been conducted to examine this construct in applied sport psychology. The purpose of the current study was to examine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletes’ readiness for PST as it relates to their stage of change, decisional balance, self-efficacy, and use of processes of change. The data trends observed in the current study were consistent with the theoretical underpinnings of the TTM as well as previous research on NCAA Division I athletes. The results of the current study highlight the need to consider readiness to change when designing and implementing PST interventions.

Application of the Transtheoretical Model to Psychological Skills Training

2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thad R. Leffingwell ◽  
Steven P. Rider ◽  
Jean M. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Transtheoretical Model ◽  
Stage Of Change ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Decisional Balance ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Internal Reliability ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Functional Relationships ◽  
Two Samples

In an effort to apply the transtheoretical model of change to the area of psychological skills training, questionnaires measuring stage of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy were developed and cross-validated on two samples of NCAA Division I intercollegiate student-athletes. The measures showed good internal reliability and construct validity and exhibited hypothesized functional relationships with each other. In addition, the stage of change measure predicted sport psychology consultations initialed by athletes during the year following questionnaire administration and may prove to be a useful tool in predicting subsequent initiation of individual sport psychology consultation. Several potentially useful lines of research are discussed and recommendations are made regarding the development of sport psychology interventions tailored according to athletes’ stage of change.

scholarly journals Competitive Performance Effects of Psychological Skill Training for Youth Swimmers

2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 886-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Meggs ◽  
Mark A. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Goal Setting ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Competitive Performance ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Self Talk ◽  
Positive Effect

This study assessed the effect of two different psychological methods of skills training—self-talk and goal setting—on the swimming performance of youth swimmers. We allocated a convenience sample of club and county level youth swimmers ( N = 49; Mage = 10.8, SD = 1.25) to one of the three groups: self-talk, goal setting, or a control group engaged in no systematic psychological method of skills training. The groups were balanced in terms of competitive performance ability, age, and gender. Participants in the experimental conditions (self-talk and goal setting) completed a 5-week psychological skills intervention program and were measured on pre- and post-200-m swimming time in competition. After controlling for level of engagement in the program, analysis of covariance revealed a significant omnibus effect ( p = .006, [Formula: see text] = .20) with post hoc pairwise comparisons using magnitude-based statistics demonstrating that goal setting had a small positive effect compared with self-talk ( η2 = .40; ± 0.45). Both self-talk ( η2 = .50; ±0.48) and goal setting ( η2 = .71; ±0.4) showed a small and moderate positive effect, respectively, relative to the control group. A social validation check confirmed that the swimmers found the intervention to be relevant, beneficial, and meaningful for improving performance. Psychological skills training may be effective in improving youth swimming performance; specific mechanisms underlying these benefits need further exploration.

Examining Stage of Change Differences in NCAA Student-Athletes’ Readiness for Psychological Skills Training

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-368
Author(s):  
Stacy L. Gnacinski ◽  
William V. Massey ◽  
Courtney W. Hess ◽  
Mellanie M. Nai ◽  
Monna Arvinen-Barrow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Student Athletes ◽  
Stage Of Change ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Decisional Balance ◽  
Processes Of Change ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Behavior Change Interventions ◽  
And Gender

To enhance the specificity of psychological skills training (PST) interventions, the purpose of the current study was to examine stage of change and gender differences in the combination of transtheoretical model (TTM) constructs (i.e., decisional balance pros and cons, self-efficacy, cognitive and behavioral processes of change) among collegiate student-athletes. Participants (N = 602) completed all TTM measures, and a factorial multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to examine the effects of stage of change and gender on the combination of TTM constructs. No significant interaction effect was identified, yet significant main effects of stage of change and gender were identified. Post hoc tests revealed unique linear combinations of decisional balance, self-efficacy, and processes of change for each stage of change contrast. Taken together, study findings may be used to enhance the specificity of behavior change interventions when delivering PST programs to both male and female collegiate student-athletes.

scholarly journals Do Elite Coaches from Disability Sport Use Psychological Techniques to Improve Their Athletes’ Sports Performance?

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tânia Bastos ◽  
Rui Corredeira ◽  
Michel Probst ◽  
António M. Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
Goal Setting ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Psychological Preparation ◽  
Disability Sport ◽  
Psychological Techniques ◽  
Self Talk

Goal-setting, imagery, relaxation and self-talk are psychological strategies crucial for successful psychological preparation and consequently for the improvement of the athlete’s sport performance. The coaches have an important role in the implementation of psychological skills training and may contribute to increase the use of psychological strategies by their athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the importance assigned to a group of psychological strategies (i.e., goal-setting, imagery, relaxation and self-talk) and its use in practice and competition setting by top elite coaches from disability sport. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted on ten elite Portuguese coaches. Content analysis was the qualitative methodology used for data analysis. Globally, the coaches acknowledge the importance of all four psychological strategies approached. However, the examination of the coaching routines on the application of psychological strategies suggested an undeveloped use of most of the strategies, specifically in the practice setting. Relaxation and self-talk were the most underused strategies. All the coaches reported the use of goal-setting in both the practice and competition setting. Overall, the present findings raise concerns about the effective contribution of Portuguese elite coaches for the development of successful psychological preparation among athletes with disabilities.

scholarly journals Psychological Skills Training in Golf: The Role of Individual Differences in Cognitive Preferences

1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Thomas ◽  
Gerard J. Fogarty
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Psychomotor Skills ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Golf Clubs ◽  
Self Talk ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Cognitive Preferences

Individual differences in cognitive preferences were examined in analyzing the effects of imagery and self-talk training on the psychological skills and performance levels of amateur golfers. Thirty-two men and women participated in a series of four counterbalanced training workshops and activities conducted over 2 months at two golf clubs. A repeated measures MANOVA revealed significant improvement on five psychological and psychomotor skills measured by the Golf Performance Survey: negative emotions and cognitions, mental preparation, automaticity, putting skill, and seeking improvement. Participants’ responses to the Sport Imagery Questionnaire and ratings of their imagery and self-talk techniques increased significantly after training. Players also lowered their handicaps and performed significantly better on a Golf Skills Test after training. Imagery and self-talk training benefits were not linked to participants’ cognitive preferences. The cognitive flexibility displayed by these golfers signals the need for more research on processing preferences and has implications for practitioners working with athletes.

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