This study was designed to determine if long term training of mental imagery skills is more beneficial to an athlete than immediate imagery rehearsal practiced only prior to an event. Subjects were thirty male high school baseball athletes who were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: (1) long term imagery training and practice; (2) immediate imagery practice only; and (3) control. An accuracy relay-throwing test was performed with pre-test, mid-test, and post-test performance trials. Results of the study revealed no statistically significant differences over the three test periods for any of the treatment conditions. Thus, long term imagery combined with immediate imagery practice, immediate imagery practice and control groups performed equally well on the baseball throwing task.

The National Alliance for Youth Sports compared field reports released in 1995 to those in 2000, illustrating a 5% to 15% increase in adults that have gotten out of line at youth events (Carlozo, 2000). The purpose of this study was to assess the nature and frequency of adult comments at Little League baseball games for children ages 9 to 12. In addition, adults were surveyed in order to evaluate their personal opinions of crowd conduct.The participants in this study consisted of adults attending Little League baseball games in rural Indiana from May 30, 2001 to June 26, 2001. To address the purpose of the study, the researcher recorded adult comments using an adaptation of the Parent Observation Instrument for Sports Events (Kidman et al., 1999). An additional sample of 65 adults attending the last game of the season was purposefully selected to complete the survey portion of the study.The researcher tried to determine if there were significant differences between the nature of the adult comments (positive or negative), the frequency of adult comments by team play (offense or defense), by gender of the adult, by team status (winning or losing), or by competitive level (major league or minor league). Additionally, the researcher tried to determine whether there were qualitative differences between actual comments and adult opinions of comments.A chi square analysis was calculated for hypotheses 1 - 5 (p < .05) and the last hypothesis compared a chi square calculation to the frequency counts on a survey of adults. The results showed a significant difference in the frequency of comments based on the nature of the comment (positive/negative), gender, and competitive level (major league/minor league). There was no significant difference between team status (winning/losing) and frequency of comments made. There was consistency between adults' opinions of comments and actual observations. Observation results showed higher frequencies of positive comments than negative comments. Through survey data analysis, it was determined that adults believed more positive comments were made at the games. / School of Physical Education

This study examined the effects of frame-by-frame video-computerized feedback on competitive state anxiety, self-efficacy, effort, and baseball performance of high school players. Players were randomly assigned to one of three feedback conditions: (a) Hitting score, (b) Hitting score and frame-by-frame analysis of a mechanically correct swing, (c) Hitting score and frame-by-frame analysis of participant's swing and a mechanically correct swing. Once per week for six weeks, the players completed three questionnaires: (a) Hitting Self-Efficacy Scale, (b) Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2C, and (c) Performance Effort Scale, and performed a hitting task. Results of the 3 (Group) x 6 (Trials) ANOVAs revealed no significant effects. This study does not support previous confidence-baseball hitting research.