The effect of mental imagery on muscle strength and balance performance in recreational basketball players

Abstract

The purpose was to study the effect of mental imagery on muscle strength and balance performance in recreational basket ball players.
Material and Method. Thirty male collegiate recreational basketball ball players, randomly assigned into two groups, were the participants of the study. Group 1 subjects underwent strength and balance training and group 2 subjects underwent strength, balance and mental practice. Training was given for six weeks, three sessions per week, and one session lasting for one hour for each subject. The study design was repeated measure experimental design. The outcome measures were modified star excursion balance scores, strength of quadriceps and ankle plantar flexors assessed through 1 RM. Assessment was done before the training and after the completion of training.
Results. The anterior direction, postero-medial direction, poster-lateral direction and composite score showed a significant interaction between programme type (group) and time with p=0.00, p=0.041, p=0.001, p=0.001 and for main effect for time with p=0.001, in all direction and composite score of the balance measure. There was significant interaction between programme type (group) and time, p=0.001 for knee extensors and p=0.018 for ankle plantar flexor strength. There was a significant main effect for time p=0.001 for both knee extensors and ankle plantar flexors strength in both group. The main effect for group comparing the two type of intervention was significant for knee extensor strength, p=0.023.
Conclusion. There is significant interaction for time ×group for balance and strength, so it can be concluded that there is effect of mental imagery on strength and balance.

Key words:

athletic performance, learning, motor skill, practice