Guided Imagery Training for Shooting Accuracy and Mental Skills in Adolescent Football Players

NCT07161934 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: IMAGERY-FOOTBALL-2020350-50
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 32
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study is designed to examine whether guided imagery training can improve football shooting performance and psychological skills in young athletes. Thirty-two male players aged 12-14 years will be randomly assigned to an imagery training group or a control group. The imagery group will receive guided mental training sessions after each regular football practice for 12 weeks, while the control group will participate only in standard training. The primary outcome will be shooting accuracy at 10 and 15 meters, and the secondary outcome will be imagery ability assessed with a validated questionnaire.

Conditions

Adolescent; Soccer Performance; Psychological Phenomena and Processes; Imagery, Psychotherapy

Keywords

Guided Imagery; Mental Training; Shooting Accuracy; Sport Imagery; Psychological Skills; Youth Athletes; Football (Soccer); Performance

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Shooting Accuracy Test (10 m and 15 m)

  Change in football shooting accuracy measured with a standardized Shooting Accuracy Test at baseline and after 12 weeks. Players performed 10 shots with their dominant foot at distances of 10 m and 15 m, and the number of successful hits was recorded. Higher values indicate better shooting accuracy.

  Baseline and 12 weeks (post-intervention).

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Sport Imagery Questionnaire for Children (SIQ-C) Total and Subscale Scores

  Baseline and 12 weeks (post-intervention).

Study Arms (2)

Guided Imagery Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm received guided imagery training in addition to their standard football practice. After each 60-minute technical training session, a 15-minute guided imagery session was conducted, three times per week for 12 weeks (36 sessions total). The program included relaxation, visualization of technical movements, and reinforcement of confidence and motivation.

Behavioral: Guided Imagery Training

Standard Football Training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm received only standard football training, three times per week for 12 weeks (36 sessions total). To balance contact time, they attended 15-minute team evaluation meetings after each training session, but no imagery training was provided.

Behavioral: Standard Football Training

Interventions

Guided Imagery Training BEHAVIORAL

Participants received guided imagery sessions of 15 minutes after each football training, three times per week for 12 weeks (36 sessions). Sessions included relaxation, visualization of technical movements, and reinforcement of motivation and confidence.

Also known as: Mental Imagery, Sport Imagery

Guided Imagery Training

Standard Football Training BEHAVIORAL

Participants received only regular football training three times per week for 12 weeks (36 sessions). Each session lasted 60 minutes and focused on technical skills. To match contact time, a 15-minute team evaluation meeting was held after each practice.

Also known as: Technical Training Only

Standard Football Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 14 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Male adolescent football players
• Age between 12 and 14 years
• Licensed players of Yozgat Municipality Bozok Sports Club
• Regular attendance at training sessions
• Written informed consent obtained from both player and parent/guardian

You may not qualify if:

• Withdrawal of consent at any time
• Health problems arising during the intervention that prevent participation
• Irregular or insufficient attendance at training sessions
• Female athletes (not available in this age category at the club)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Merve Burcu Güler: lead

Study Sites (1)

Yozgat Municipality Bozok Sports Club

Yozgat, Konya, 66100, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Study Officials

• Merve Burcu Güler, MSc in Psychology

  Selcuk University, Vocational School of Health Services

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Ayşe Avcı, PhD

  Çağ University, Institute of Social Sciences

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Hayrettin Gümüşdağ, PhD

  Yozgat Bozok University, Faculty of Sport Sciences

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Since participants and providers were aware of group allocation, the study was conducted as open label. However, statistical analyses were performed by an independent researcher blinded to group assignment.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer

Model Details: Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group received guided imagery training in addition to standard football practice, while the control group received standard football training only. Both groups trained in parallel over a 12-week period, with outcomes assessed before and after the intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 2, 2025
• First Posted: September 9, 2025
• Study Start: February 1, 2020
• Primary Completion: May 30, 2020
• Study Completion: May 30, 2020
• Last Updated: September 9, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF
• Time Frame: De-identified individual participant data will be available beginning 6 months after publication of the main results and will be accessible for 5 years.
• Access Criteria: Data will be shared with qualified researchers for academic purposes. Requests should be directed to the corresponding author (Merve Burcu Güler) via email. Access will be granted after review and approval of a reasonable request, and data will be shared in electronic format.

Locations

TU (1)