The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an imagery training programme on the performance of a soccer task by skilled and novice players. An initial assessment of performance on the soccer task was undertaken, and then 22 skilled and 22 novice players were equally and randomly assigned to either a control or an experimental group. The experimental group was given an imagery training programme consisting of both visual and kinaesthetic imagery, and in which both internal and external imagery perspectives were included. The programme lasted 6 weeks, with the subjects attending bi-weekly sessions of approximately 15 min each. The control group developed a competitive strategy that was totally unrelated to the performance task. Similar to the experimental group, the controls did this over a 6-week period, attending bi-weekly sessions of 15 min duration. Two performance measures were recorded--response time (i.e. the time to complete the soccer task) and performance accuracy (i.e. errors in performing the soccer task recorded in the form of time penalties). Performance on the post-test as measured by response time revealed a significant improvement for both the skilled and novice players in the imagery group. The control group failed to show any such improvement. No effects were found for performance accuracy.

SUMMARY ABSTACTIn this book, comprised of 28 papers presented at the 1984 Olympic Congress, the research is divided somewhat arbitrarily into four categories including the sociological, physiological, psychological and program areas. The range of approaches is wide and interesting, and the research comes from seven different countries although the U.S. is predominant. The term ‘sport’ in the title is not adequately reflected in the body of the material as virtually all the research cited deals with physical activity for the aged not sports; where sport is the purview, it deals with the study of young not old people.Attitudes toward activity in the elderly, the benefits of activity to female elderly, and the effect of activity on independent living are among the more significant papers included. The questions posed for the sport scientist in the opening paper and the admission of its writer (the editor) to the eclectic nature of the research included in the book are the key to understanding and appreciating its contents.

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