title: Evaluation of a mental skills program for serving for an intercollegiate volleyball team.
abstract: A preseason mental skills program for serving was implemented for the 11 members of an intercollegiate volleyball team (M age = 20.0 yr.; SD = 1.1; years of intercollegiate volleyball experience M = 2.6; SD = 0.9). Key mental skills taught were relaxation, imagery, attentional focus, goal setting, behavioral modeling, and performance routine. A videotaped behavioral model articulated and demonstrated technical performance keys to effective serving. Players utilized a three-phase service routine to increase automaticity of performance and to incorporate key mental skills. End-of-season reported use of imagery was significantly correlated with Good Serve Percentage, as was reported use of a service routine. The mean Good Serve Percentage for the season was 49% (SD=7); the team goal was 50%. Serve-specific self-efficacy significantly increased from the pretraining program to the end of the season. Results indicated that implementing the mental skills training program was associated with enhanced service performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101, USA. betsy.shoenfelt@wku.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Shoenfelt
authors.forename: Amber Usry
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Griffith
mesh_terms: D001076:Aptitude; D054874:Athletic Performance; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D054798:Volleyball / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*