Immediate Effect of Mental Imagery in Improving Soccer Passing and Control Skill among Male Collegiate-Level Players: A Pilot Study

A BSTRACT Introduction: Mental imagery is used to re-create a sporting experience in the mind to enhance sporting performance. Passing and control skill in soccer, needs precision, accuracy and speed. Imagery has not been extensively used in the Indian setup till date for collegiate-level players, belonging to an open sport wherein the environment keeps changing. A combination of external and internal imagery is also less researched. Study Aim: Aim of the study was to see the immediate effect of mental imagery in enhancing soccer passing and control skill in male collegiate-level players. Materials and Methods: This was a single group experimental study which evaluated 16 male collegiate soccer players, aged 18–25 years, playing soccer for minimum 5 hours/week for at least one year, playing at inter-collegiate level and not having any recent injury, fracture, open wounds over the past 6 months. All the 16 participants were tested for their passing and control skills using the Loughborough soccer passing test (LSPT), post which they underwent mental imagery (MI) intervention, following which all were re-assessed using LSPT. Results: The result of the study showed that there was a significant improvement ( P < 0.05) in the LSPT score measured pre and post imagery. Conclusion: Imagery hence proves to be an important tool for maintaining focus on skillsets, strength and power post-injury and surgery, during detraining and return to sport. Mental imagery can be a beneficial tool in improving skill-specific training, strength and power training post-injury and surgery, during detraining and return to sport in collegiate-level athletes.