ReviewBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2025
The Effects of Imagery Practice on Athletes' Performance: A Multilevel Meta-Analysis with Systematic Review.
Review in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Effect of Variable Resistance Training on Post-Activation Performance Enhancement: A Systematic Review and Three-Level Meta-analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2026Pooled it
- Mental imagery and performance in aerobic, artistic, acrobatics, trampoline and tumbling, and rhythmic gymnasts: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of imagery practice on basketball-related skills and psychological outcomes: a systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Coping with Stress in Athletes: Psychological Strategies and Psychometric Tools for Stress and Anxiety Assessment.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Acceptability, Perceived Feasibility and Perceived Impact of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Informed Emotion Regulation Program to Assist Parents in Supporting Their Children's Physical Activity: A Qualitative Proof-of-Concept Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- EEG coherence signatures of sport-specific motor imagery in elite freestyle skiing aerials athletes.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Measuring the Subjective Signal Strength: Validating Persian Vividness of Visual Mental Imagery Questionnaire-2.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Bridging brain and body: a 3R framework for real-time self-regulation strategies in sport.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Mapping 50 Years of Sport Psychology-Performance Meta-Analyses: A PRISMA-ScR Scoping Review.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Mental Training and Flow in Wheelchair Basketball: The Mediating Role of Injury Anxiety.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Imagery, a classic technique in psychological training, is gaining momentum in competitive sports. Despite the increasing use of imagery, its effectiveness remains debated. Robust, data-driven conclusions are still lacking. This study seeks to investigate the effects of imagery practice on enhancing athletic performance and determine the ideal dosage of such practice through a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis. A comprehensive search across seven databases, including SportDiscus, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, MEDLINE, MEDLINE Complete, and CINAHL, yielded 23,027 studies. These were initially reviewed for title and abstract using ASReview, followed by full-text screening with Covidence. A total of 86 studies with 3593 athletes (2104 males and 1110 females) were included in this meta-analysis. Our findings indicate that imagery practice enhances athletic performance, encompassing agility, muscle strength, tennis and soccer performance, and is applicable to both tennis and soccer athletes. The efficacy of integrating imagery practice with one or two additional psychological skills trainings (PSTs) surpasses that of imagery practice in isolation. Moderation analysis revealed that engaging in imagery practice for approximately ten minutes, three times weekly over a span of one hundred days, produces the strongest performance gains. This review offers recommendations for athletes regarding the implementation of imagery practice in routine training or prior to competitions, thereby providing empirical evidence to optimize psychological training programs in competitive settings.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.