Abstract
Several studies have proven a positive relation between PETTLEP-based imagery intervention and performance and many researchers argue that more studies should investigate its effect on a variety of sports (Holmes and Collins, 2001; Weinberg, 2008). Primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a PETTLEP-based cognitive specific (CS) imagery intervention on performance and efficacy of a sport-specific task on youth hockey players aged between 13-15 years. A total of nine participants from a hockey club in southern Sweden were randomly assigned to an intervention and control group. All participants were administered a structured self-efficacy questionnaire and an adapted sport imagery questionnaire (SIQ) and were also tested for performance on an ice hockey shooting skill to determine baseline performance at the beginning of the experiment. This was followed by a 16-day intervention and at the end of the intervention participants were tested for the same task and administered the SIQ and self-efficacy questionnaire a second time. Although the descriptive statistics illustrated a positive change in performance scores of in intervention group the results from non-parametric tests did not show a significant effect of the intervention for all of the tasks included in the study. Hence, the present study was not able to draw a positive conclusion about PETTLEP-based imagery as previously established by similar studies. The findings of present study highlight the need for further research investigating effects of similar interventions on performance and efficacy of similar tasks in hockey using an improved protocol and a more controlled environment.Acknowledgments: Simon Graner, Erwin Apsitch, Sofia Bunke, Karin Moesch, Jonas Alm, Ulof Nilsson, Germano Gallicchio, Andres Thomsson, Maria Garcia, Pau Casas Bonet, Alexander Von Reppert, Jacob Lee Shafsky, and all players who participated in this study.