Research Impact: Players and athletes often make use of mental skills, such as relaxation exercises, imagery, self-talk and focusing attention, to enhance their performance. Most commonly observed as part of pre-performance routines during competitions, these mental skills may also be applied to accelerate learning during practice (termed learning strategies). This letter to the editor highlights subtle but important differences in how mental skills should be applied within pre-performance routines and within learning strategies. Understanding these differences may guide coaches and athletes to develop better pre-performance routines and learning strategies. In addition, we highlight future avenues for research on learning strategies to pursue.
Kearney, P. E., & Lidor, R. (2020). Response to Moradi, J. (2020). Benefits of a guided motor mental preperformance routine on learning the basketball free throw. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 127, 248–262. Perceptual and Motor Skills. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512520949712
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