Freitas, S.P., Dias, C.S. & Fonseca, A.M. (2013). Elite Portuguese Soccer Players' Use of Psychological Techniques: Where, when and why. J. Hum. Sport Exerc., 8(3), pp.847-860. The purpose of the current study was to examine the use whether, were, when and why soccer players used self-talk, imagery, goal setting and relaxation. Semi-structure, in-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 elite soccer players from Portuguese premier league soccer teams that played regularly in UEFA champions and Europe leagues. Results demonstrated that participants employed self-talk, goal-setting, and imagery with several purposes in their soccer routines. On the other hand, participants highlighted a lack of use of relaxation. In addition, results showed that the use of psychological techniques was lower in training than competition setting. Implications of the results are discussed and future research and practical recommendations are suggested.
The purpose of the current study was to investigate soccer coaches’ use of psychological techniques for their own performance. In depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 elite coaches, from Portuguese premier league clubs, to examine and describe their use of imagery, goal-setting, self-talk and relaxation. Participants mentioned employing psychological techniques more in conjunction with competition than training. Self-talk and imagery tended to be cited more frequently than goal setting and relaxation. Furthermore, results of this study provided information about the content and functions of each psychological technique. Implications of the results are discussed and future research and practical recommendations are made.
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