Differential effect of a brief psychological training on performance of professional football soccer players

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess whether a brief psychological intervention would affect specific categories of performance in a professional team of first division soccer leagues in Mexico. 28 athletes, 11 titular and 17 substitute, participated in a 6 session program which included relaxation techniques, imagery, control of internal dialogue and problem solving.  A significative improvement for the titular group was recorded in defensive actions, change of game, and penalties (F=4.177, p=0.012; F=3.3635, p=0.029; F=19.6333, p<.0001, respectively), while the substitute group increased its offensive and change of game actions (F=5.6219, p=0.004; F=3.21, p=0.035, respectively). This study concludes that a brief intervention of this sort benefits differentially in three classes of actions both groups of soccer players, and that this positive effects are not explained by the mere participation in the league games of the professional season.