Abstract
The current study examined the development of psychological momentum (PM) in table tennis and the effect of a time-out. Eighty table tennis players were exposed to an audiovisual scenario, in which they either came back from 1-7 to 7-7 in an all-decisive game (positive momentum), or in which the opponent came back from 7-1 to 7-7 (negative momentum). Furthermore, at the score of 7-7 a time-out was called. One group of participants received no specific instructions during the time-out, whereas the other group received task (mastery-approach – MAp) instructions. Overall, PM perceptions increased for participants in the positive momentum condition, but decreased rapidly for participants in the negative momentum condition. In addition, the time-out led to a loss of PM in the positive momentum condition, but to a recovery of PM in the negative momentum condition. The instructions during the time-out did not make a significant difference. Together, these results suggest that scoring patterns in a table tennis game significantly affect the PM of players. Furthermore, a player or coach could benefit from calling a time-out in a negative momentum situation, as this provides an opportunity to psychologically recover.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2732-2737 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Sports Sciences |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 23 |
Early online date | 22-May-2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2-Dec-2018 |
Keywords
- achievement goals
- psychological dynamics
- racquet sports
- sport psychology
- streaks
- BEHAVIORAL MOMENTUM
- SPORT PERFORMANCE
- DYNAMICS
- METAANALYSIS
- COMPETITION
- BASKETBALL
- GOALS