Beneficial effects of imagination of successful action after an actual error on baseline performances in non-expert tennis players

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this original study was to evaluate the effects of positive motor imagery (MI: imagining the success of a forehand or backhand shot) according to an internal visual modality centred on the movement and the target to be reached on tennis performance. 24 young non-expert players were randomly divided into two groups: control and MI, and performed 3 experimental phases. The first (pre-test) consisted of performing 6 blocks of 5 forehand and backhand groundstrokes, sent randomly by a ball launcher, towards the baseline and then a super tie-break. The second phase consisted of 12 acquisition sessions, each including, after a standardized warm-up, 15 minutes of background rally in pairs. The participants of the MI group were instructed, after unprovoked errors on their part, to imagine performing the previous shot correctly. The last phase (post-test) was identical to the pre-test. The efficiency score of shots made and the number of errors committed at the pre- and post-test served as dependent variables. The results of this study indicate that participants in the MI group performed better than the control group at post-test. The MI, performed after errors, has positive effects on the quality of the shot and reduces the number of unforced errors of tennis players. The use of this strategy is discussed and applied recommendations are proposed.