A Symposium. Mental Considerations in Athletes, Coaches, and Referees: An International Perspective

In this symposium we present several aspects pertaining to mental preparation, mental skills, and underlying factors, associated with performance of athletes, coaches, and referees. Specifically, Dr. Roy Samuel will initially present a study which examined self-control strength in 16 Israeli soccer referees. Referees completed measures of self-control trait and then over 2-4 matches each completed measures of daily hassles and self-control state (prior to and following the match). Results indicated high levels of self-control trait and state. A noticeable decrease (10% or more) in state self-control strength was evident in almost half of the matches. Experience of daily hassles and travel time to the match were related to lower pre-match self-control. Ego depletion was associated with self-reported match difficulty and was negatively related to self-rated match performance. These findings have practical implications for practitioners and Referee Unions for supporting referees’ pre-match routines. Second, Dr. Itay Basevitch will present a study on imagery use and anticipation skills in 65 Croatian judo coaches of three professional levels. The coaches completed measures of imagery use and ability as well as their subjective coaching and anticipation ability. Actual anticipation ability was measured using the occlusion paradigm in which coaches watched clips of matches in judo stopped just before an attacking action by a judoka. Results indicated that high-level coaches rated their ability to anticipate and provide instructions higher than low-level coaches. They reported more control of the image when using imagery and used an internal perspective when viewing the videos of the judo matches compared to medium level coaches. These findings showed that similar to athletes, higher level coaches have higher imagery and anticipation abilities compared to lower level coaches and have higher levels of confidence in their coaching ability in general. Third, Dr. Claire Rossato will present her applied work as a sport psychology practitioner with youth track and field athletes in the U.K. More specifically, she will discuss the use of mental skills training (e.g. pre-performance routines, imagery, and self-talk), and how these can be implemented with track and field athletes coaching sessions. Finally, Dr. Roy Samuel will present a new model of the decision-making process for skilled soccer referees as well as initial data of a new type of simulator, designed to train soccer referees in sequential decision-making. He will conclude by providing practical considerations for effectively training decision-making in soccer referees, including the issue of technological aids.