Browsing by Author "Seymour Hall, Rochel"

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    The effect of self-talk as an anxiety regulation intervention on coincident anticipation timing and batting performance in cricket.
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Seymour Hall, Rochel; Bantjes, Jason; Bressan, E. S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: Ways, in which anxiety levels can be managed, in order to achieve optimal performance, has constantly been given attention in the sport psychology literature. Theories, hypotheses and explanations on how anxiety can be managed, using different strategies, are proposed, but little scientific research has tested these strategies. Previous research in the field of sports psychology suggests that the topic of anxiety has been a particularly strong focus of research. Little is however known about the use of self-talk as an anxiety regulation strategy. Therefore the intervention programme in this study focused on piloting the implementation and use of self-talk as an anxiety regulation strategy to improve coincident anticipation timing and batting performance in cricket The sample used in this study included fifteen cricket players, who played at an intermediate level, who were randomly divided into a control group (n= 8) and an experimental group (n=7). They performed in the pre-test, post-test and retention test, which consisted of a coincident anticipation timing test (CAT) and a batting performance test (BPT). The BPT tested the batsmen in shot accuracy and their quality of interception. At each testing stage the batsmen were required to fill out a revised version of the Competitive State Anxiety Questionnaire (CSAI-2R) and the Self-Talk Questionnaire (STQ). Only the experimental group received the 3 week intervention programme. Results indicated that although the performance of both groups improved during the study, in the CAT and BPT tests, no significant improvements were seen as a result of the Self-Talk Anxiety Regulation Strategy. The experimental group showed a decrease in anxiety levels. However, the results were not significant. From this study, it can be concluded that self-talk as an anxiety regulation intervention, did not have a significant effect on the coincident anticipation timing or batting performance (shot accuracy or quality of interception) of cricket batsmen. Self-talk as an Anxiety Regulation Strategy did not have a significant reduction on the anxiety levels of cricket batsmen. The implication of these findings suggests that self-talk may not an effective anxiety regulation strategy for cricket batsmen. However, more research needs to be done specifically on the implementation and use of self-talk as an anxiety regulation strategy, on an individual basis and how it can be used effectively in order to achieve optimal performance.