The influence of mental strategies on athletic performance and stress management in athletes

Abstract

Achievements, where mental strategies help manage stress, maintain concentration, and increase the accuracy of motor performance. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the combined use of visualization, ideomotor training, breathing techniques, and positive affirmations in improving athletic performance and reducing anxiety. The object encompassed both individual and team sports, which made it possible to compare the influence of these strategies in contrasting competitive contexts. The hypothesis assumed that the systematic application of psychological techniques would yield clinically and practically significant effects. Materials and methods included a quasi-experiment involving 30 athletes aged 18-25: 15 track and field athletes and 15 volleyball players, equally divided into experimental and control groups. Over the course of eight weeks, the experimental group supplemented standard training with visualization, ideomotor trials, breathing exercises, and affirmations, while the control group followed a regular program without psychological techniques. Anxiety levels were measured before and after the intervention using the Spielberger scale, along with 100-meter sprint times for track and field athletes and serve accuracy rates for volleyball players. Data were analyzed in terms of relative changes. The results revealed significant advantages of the intervention. In the experimental subgroups, anxiety decreased by about 25% compared to no more than 6% in the controls, indicating a pronounced stress-protective effect. For track and field athletes, 100-meter sprint times were reduced from 12.52 to 12.04 seconds, corresponding to a 3.83% improvement, while the control group showed only a 0.72% improvement. For volleyball players, serve accuracy increased from 62% to 75% in the experimental group compared to 60% to 63% in the control group, equivalent to an improvement of 20.97% versus 5.00%, respectively. The discussion interprets these effects as the result of the combined influence of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral strategies on pre-performance states, attention, neuromuscular coordination, and the cognitive appraisal of stressors. The practical significance lies in the expediency of incorporating structured mental preparation programs into training cycles of athletes across different specializations for a duration of no less than eight weeks. Limitations concern the small sample size and quasi-experimental design; further research is needed to clarify the dosage of techniques, inter-sport differences, and the durability of effects over time. Blinding and randomization of procedure samples are also required.