The effect of internal and external mental imagery timing on learning simple volleyball serving skill

The timing of mental imagery can have a significant impact on performance improvement. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of the timing of internal and external mental imagery on the learning of the learning simple volleyball service skill.

to achieve the goals of the research, 60 beginner volleyball students aged 16 to 18 were selected from the accessible population, and they voluntarily participated in this study. Participants were divided into two groups of 30 individuals each based on their pre-test scores, considering two factors: imagery and its timing. Each group consisted of three subgroups of 10 participants, including Group 1, which practiced mental imagery (before, during, and after performance), and Group 2, which practiced external imagery (before, during, and after performance). The acquisition phase of the research involved five training sessions, where participants performed three sets of 10 attempts of the criterion task in each session according to the respective program. After 48 hours from the post-test, participants underwent a retention test.

The results showed that the dimension of imagery (internal - external) and the timing of imagery (before, during, and after performance) did not have a significant impact on the acquisition and retention of volleyball service.

According to the research findings, it is recommended to physical education coaches and teachers that, instead of focusing solely on the timing of internal and external mental imagery, they should concentrate on other variables such as physical repetitions or effective training games.