From Training to Competition: The Effects of a Strategic Self-Talk Intervention on Pre-Competition Anxiety and Self-Confidence in Young Swimmers

Authors

  • Evangelos Galanis Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly
  • Aggelos Mylonopoulos Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly
  • Nikolaos Comoutos Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly
  • Yannis Theodorakis Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly
  • Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis Department of Physical Education & Sport Science, University of Thessaly

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26253/heal.uth.ojs.ispe.2022.1670

Keywords:

applied sport psychology, competitive conditions, self-talk mechanisms, swimming

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of a strategic self-talk intervention on young swimmers’ pre-competition anxiety and self-confidence in actual competitive conditions. Participants were 38 swimmers (16 males and 22 females) with a mean age of 14.71 (± 1.39) years and mean competitive experience 6.15 (± 1.74) years. The intervention took place in-between two qualifying for the national championship competitions, which were scheduled in the national calendar eight weeks apart one from the other. Pre-competition anxiety and self-confidence were assessed in these competitions. Accordingly, the intervention lasted eight weeks during which the experimental group was educated and trained in the use of strategic self-talk, while the control group received the same swimming training but without self-talk. Overall, the results showed that in the competition following the intervention, for the experimental group cognitive anxiety was reduced and self-confidence was
increased, whereas no changes were observed for the control group. The findings suggest that strategic self-talk is an effective strategy for regulating anxiety and self-confidence in competitive settings, and provide support for postulations that anxiety regulation may be among the mechanisms explaining the facilitating effects of self-talk on performance.

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Published

2022-07-18

How to Cite

Galanis, E., Mylonopoulos, A., Comoutos, N., Theodorakis, Y., & Hatzigeorgiadis, A. (2022). From Training to Competition: The Effects of a Strategic Self-Talk Intervention on Pre-Competition Anxiety and Self-Confidence in Young Swimmers. Inquiries in Physical Education and Sport, 20(2), 86–93. https://doi.org/10.26253/heal.uth.ojs.ispe.2022.1670

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