An Eight-Week PETTLEP Imagery Intervention and Futsal Shooting Skills, Anxiety, and Self-Confidence in Collegiate Futsal Players

BACKGROUND: PETTLEP imagery training has been shown to be effective in several sports such as soccer or basketball. However, there is limited data on the effects of PETTLEP imagery training in futsal players in terms of skills and anxiety. This study aimed to evaluate if PETTLEP imagery training is associated with improvement of futsal skills and futsal anxiety. METHODS: This was an experimental study with a one group, pre-test and post-test design. The PETTLEP imagery intervention was performed for eight weeks and three times/week with a combination of physical training. The inclusion criteria were collegiate futsal players at RUTI who had regular practice of futsal and were willing to participate in the study. Eligible participants were assessed at baseline (pre-test) and after the PETTLEP imagery intervention (post-test) for the following factors: competitive state anxiety scores, relaxation scale, and shooting outcomes (shooting score and shooting speed). RESULTS: There were 24 collegiate futsal players participated in the study. Of those, half of them were male (50%) with an average (SD) age of the participants of 19.54 (1.21) years. After the 8-week intervention of the PETTLEP imagery, both somatic and cognitive anxiety scores were significantly decreased from baseline by 5.18 and 7.92 (P value <0.01 for both scores). The self-confidence score was significantly increased from baseline after the intervention by 4.33 (31.33 to 35.67) with a P value of <0.01. Regarding the relaxation scale and shooting outcomes, the average relaxation scale by the COCORO meter was significantly decreased from 37.33 to 10.83 KU/L (mean difference of 26.50 with a P value of <0.01). The average shooting score was higher after the PETTLEP imagery intervention from 19.38 to 24.92 out of 30 (P value <0.01), while the speed of shooting was also increasing from 60.91 to 62.54 km/h (P value <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: An 8-week PETTLEP imagery intervention significantly improved futsal skills, futsal anxiety, and futsal self-confidence in collegiate futsal players.