The Combination of Motor Imagery and Breathing Optimizes the Performance of the Serve in Skilled Tennis Players

Background: Tennis players frequently use motor imagery (MI) to improve serve accuracy and efficiency. Moreover, breathing, such as forced expiration, can improve serving speed. Hypothesis: A combination of MI before action and breathing during movement would increase serve performance in skilled tennis players. Study Design: Nonrandomized, repeated-measures design. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: A total of 20 tennis players (mean age, 24.2 years; SD = 5.9), with between 9 and 18 years of regular practice, completed 4 experimental counterbalanced sessions: Control (no instruction), Breathing (inhalation while throwing the ball and forced expiration while hitting), Imagery (external visual mental simulation before serving), and Imagery + Breathing (combination of both). Each session included the completion of 10 first-serves in an actual match condition. The speed, percentage of success, accuracy, and efficiency scores served as performance indicators and dependent variables. Results: Compared with the Control condition, Imagery significantly improved accuracy and percentage of success, and Breathing increased speed of the serves. Participants had significantly better performances in the Imagery + Breathing condition than in the Control condition; better serving speed than in the Imagery condition; and higher accuracy, efficiency, and percentage of success than in the Breathing condition. Conclusion: The combination of MI plus breathing resulted in an overall improvement in serve performance. Clinical Relevance: Tennis coaches and practitioners should integrate MI interventions and breathing practice during training and matches.