Moritz, S. E., Hall, C. R., & Martin, K. A. (1996). What are confident athletes imaging?: An examination of image content. The Sport Psychologist, 10, 171-179.

This study identified the specific image content of confident athletes. Elite competitive rollerskaters completed the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised, the Sport Imagery Questionnaire, and the State Sport Confidence Inventory.

High sport-confident athletes used more mastery and arousal imagery, and had better kinesthetic and visual imagery ability than did low-sport confident athletes. Mastery imagery accounted for ~20% of State Sport Confidence Inventory scores, the most of any factor.

Implication. Precompetition imagery should involve mastery experiences and emotions in the performance environment.

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