The Effect of Mindfulness Intervention on the Psychological Skills and Shooting Performances in Male Collegiate Basketball Athletes in Macau: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background: This study adopted a quasi-experimental design to examine the effect of a 7-week mindfulness intervention on the psychological coping ability and shooting performance of college-level male basketball athletes in Macau. Methods: A total of 43 male college basketball athletes in Macau were selected as the participants. Besides the regular basketball training, the intervention group (n = 23) received a 7-week mindfulness training; the weekly mindfulness intervention session lasted around one hour according to the mindfulness training manual for athletes, while the control group (n = 20) did not receive any mindfulness training. Before and immediately after the 7-week intervention, all players performed the following tests: the “Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire”, the “Acceptance and Action Questionnaire”, the “Sport Competition Anxiety Test”, the “Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale”, and three shooting tests. An independent-sample t-test and a paired-sample t-test were used to analyze the between- and within-group differences. Moreover, a repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess the group, time, and group-by-time effects on psychological skills and shooting performances. Results: The intervention resulted in both significant between-group and within-group differences in mindfulness level, acceptance level, attention level, three-point, and free-throw shooting performances (all p < 0.05, Cohen’s d ranging from 0.565 to 1.117). Conclusion: While further study is necessary, the present study suggests that the 7-week mindfulness training program can significantly improve psychological outcomes and shooting performance in Macau college basketball athletes. Future studies involving competition settings and objective metrics will aid in verifying mindfulness as the prevalent practice among basketball practitioners and athletes.

A Critical Review of Existing Evidence-Based Sport Psychological Interventions for College Athletes with Comorbid Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder and Sport-Related Concussions

“…Overview of key recent mindfulness studies for athletic mental health, prevention of injuries, rehabilitation from injuries, and performance enhancement (18,19,23,24,26–28). …”

“…Recent evidence suggests that various mental skills training could be advantageous to assisting student-athletes with ADHD with the prevention, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement of SRC (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32). Mental skills are defined as the systematic development of cognitive and psychological abilities aimed at improving mental and sports performance (14)(15)(16).…”

“…Performance enhancement through mindfulness is foundational in sport psychology and provides another way for athletes to improve their athletic ability. Mindfulness has been gaining more attention in the sport psychology field in recent years as this approach has been proven to enhance arousal regulation and attentional skills (19). A recent study found that the implementation of a 7-wk mindfulness intervention can enhance these psychological outcomes and performances (19).…”

“…Mindfulness has been gaining more attention in the sport psychology field in recent years as this approach has been proven to enhance arousal regulation and attentional skills (19). A recent study found that the implementation of a 7-wk mindfulness intervention can enhance these psychological outcomes and performances (19). It also is well liked by athletes due to the ability to practice their mindfulness skills in various contexts.…”

Special Issue: Sport Psychology Interventions for Athletes’ Performance and Well-Being

“…The basketball–mindfulness relationship was examined also by Wang et al [ 8 ]. In fact, the authors adopted a quasi-experimental design to study the effect of a 7-week mindfulness intervention on the psychological coping ability and shooting performance of college-level male basketball athletes in Macau.…”