The effect of Psychological skills training (goal setting, positive selftalk and Imagery) on self-confidence of adolescent volleyball players

Purpose: Considering the increasing emphasis on the importance of psychological skills and its various applications in teaching and learning and improving exercise skills, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of Psychological skills training (goal setting, positive self- talk and Imagery) on self-confidence among adolescent volleyball players. Material: For this purpose, 30 out of 100 male volleyball players in Sarakhs city were selected by simple random sampling method. They were divided into two groups: control (N = 15) and experimental (N = 15). Control group and experimental group participated in regular physical activity but experimental group moreover followed psychological skill training program. Psychological skills training included 24 sessions, each week 3 times. First, Ottawa's Assessment Skills Questionnaire (OMSAT₃) was applied for screening mental skills levels. Then, before and after the intervention of the psychological training program (24 sessions) Trait and State self- confidence questionnaires from subjects were collected. To calculate the mean difference between groups, one-variable covariance statistical method was used and hypothesis testing was performed at a significant level (p <0. 05). Results: The results of the study showed that the Psychological skills training program had a significant effect on state and trait self-confidence among adolescent volleyball players (p <0. 05). Conclusions: Psychological skills training associated with technical and physical training should be used by coaches for attaining optimum self-confidence and peak performance of athletes.