The Effect of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Subjective Performance, Spontaneous Self-Talk and Dispositional Mindfulness among Young Football Players

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions are presented as either an alternative or a complementary approach to improving sport performance, involving the mindful awareness and non-judgemental acceptance of an athlete's internal experiences. The present study examined the effectiveness of the mindfulness-acceptance-commitment (MAC) intervention on the subjective performance, spontaneous self-talk, and dispositional mindfulness of young Greek football players. Local football teams were randomly assigned to either the control group or the intervention group. Forty-six young football players (15.7±.82 years old) completed the intervention (control group= 20, intervention group= 26). A seven-week MAC intervention took place between the two measurements, during which subjective performance, spontaneous self-talk and dispositional mindfulness were assessed. Overall, no statistically significant effects were revealed for the dependent variables. However, notable trends emerged in the MAC intervention group, including a decrease in negative retrospective spontaneous self-talk, an increase in non-judgementality, and a stable subjective performance.