Internal visual imagery and its effect on penalty kicks in soccer

The purpose of this study was to examine the practice of internal visual imagery and explore various theories that suggest imagery, along with physical practice, can enhance performance in shooting a penalty kick in soccer. The study examined whether or not internal visual imagery, internal visual imagery plus physical practice, physical practice, or no condition improved performance on the penalty kick in soccer. In addition this study was designed to determine whether or not, in certain situations such as penalty kick shootouts, a player with effective visualization training will be at an advantage.;The participants were 32 varsity level college soccer players between the ages of 18 and 22. Participants were recruited by a convenience sample through personal contact with individuals from the South Dakota State University Women's Soccer Program and college level soccer players attending the United States Soccer Federation coaching course in Tampa, Florida.;Standard descriptive statistics (means, standard deviation, range) were used to present subject demographics, accuracy of the kicking task for both directions, and clarity of imagery. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).