Non-elite Finswimmers data
Description
This research aims to investigate the impact of the neurolinguistic programming technique (NLP) on the non-elite finswimmers' anxiety, self-confidence, self-esteem, and physical performance. The participants were divided into an experimental group (N = 15) and a control group (N = 15). Two months of mental training included two weeks of imagery and relaxation followed by one month of anchoring resources technique learning, then two weeks of break dedicated to NLP effectiveness assessment. We conducted a pretest before the intervention, a post-test after the intervention, and a follow-up test two weeks after we stopped the intervention. In each of the three time points, we performed semi-structured interviews based on meta-modeling questions and undertook two questionnaires, the French version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised (CSAI-2R) and the French version of the Physical Self-Perception Profile (PSPP). Findings showed that after NLP training, athletes improved their psychological and physical skills. The experimental group showed significant anxiety decrease and significant self-confidence and global self-esteem increase in both the posttest and the follow-up test. Moreover, group differences showed significance or substantial between-subject variability in the mental skills after the intervention and two weeks later. In addition, after NLP training, the athletes enhanced their swimming performance. Ultimately, neurolinguistic programming is a powerful tool used to enhance athletes' mental health and physical performance. Besides, the technique demonstrated a durable effectiveness.
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Steps to reproduce
First, during the pretest, we conducted semi-structured interviews. Then, the participants completed the first set of measurements, including the PSPP conducted one day before their performance day and the CSAI-2R that we administered on the day of the competition just before the assessment of their performance test. The participants then underwent a mental training program, starting with mental imagery and general relaxation techniques in six collective training sessions over two weeks. Then, each swimmer received fourteen individual sessions of anchoring resources over one month, with three to four sessions per week. Moreover, we conducted the measurements again during the posttest, after the NLP training, and again two weeks after we stopped the training to assess the long-term effectiveness of the NLP techniques. We dedicated a total of eight weeks to this program.