Development and evaluation of an imagery training program: Effects on imagery ability, competition anxiety and performance among youth ski racers

The purpose of this study was to design and implement an imagery training program aimed at affecting imagery ability, competition anxiety, and performance among youth alpine ski racers (13-14 years). The study also investigated which aspects of the intervention were most successful among this population. All participants (n=31) completed pre and post-test measures of the VMIQ (Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire), MIAMS (Motivational Imagery Ability Measure for Sport), and the SCAT-C (Sport Competition Anxiety Test for Children). In addition, performance data were compared at the beginning and end of the intervention. Study group participants (n=19) met for 15 minutes for 9 weeks and engaged in 9 imagery training sessions. An ANCOVA revealed a significant difference for imagery ability between groups on the "self" subscale of the VMIQ, F(1, 29)=5.77, p=0.023. Both the "other" subscale score and the total VMIQ score did not reach significance ( p=0.168 to p=0.064). No significant difference was found between the two groups on either the MG-A or the MG-M subscale of the MIAMS (p>.05). No significant gender differences were found on either of the VMIQ subscales, the VMIQ total score, or the MIAMS subscales (p>.05). Analysis on the SCAT-C scores indicated no significant differences between groups (p>.05). A significant difference between males and females was found on the SCAT-C scores, F(1, 29)=5.86, p=0.02. No significant performance differences were found between both groups at the beginning and the end of the intervention, F(1, 29)=0.214, p=0.647. Key findings include the importance of athlete buy-in, coach, parent, and practitioner presence, peer support, group consistency and size, location and environment, and session length and frequency. Recommendations are made for increasing athlete buy-in and coach, parent, and practitioner presence in an effort to increase program adherence. Results suggest that successful outcomes may occur if interventions are implemented in a distraction free setting, to small gender specific groups, while using a design that encourages autonomy. Results are discussed in terms of challenges and solutions for designing and implementing a program to 13-14 year old athletes.