Abstract
Research in motor learning and control has identified motor imagery (MI) as an effective method for enhancing motor skill acquisition. This study explores the impact of integrating MI into Physical Education (PE) volleyball courses among college students at a sports university in Northeastern China. A total of 218 healthy college students (185 males and 33 females, average age 20.3 ± 0.80 years) participated in this study. Participants were enrolled in an 8-week elective PE volleyball course and were divided into two groups: a control group (Control, n = 122) and an intervention group incorporating MI into serving practice (MI, n = 96). Both groups attended volleyball lessons twice a week, each lasting 90 minutes, with each session including two 10-minute specialized serving practice segments. The MI group conducted motor imagery training before serving practice, while the control group focused solely on volleyball serve practice without additional intervention. Using a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-measurements, the study found that both groups significantly improved their serving skills after eight weeks. Although there was no statistical difference between the groups post-intervention, the MI group showed greater improvement than the control group. This study demonstrates that incorporating MI into volleyball training can enhance motor skill acquisition, providing valuable insights for researchers in skill acquisition.
