University of Tehran Journal of Sports and Motor Development and Learning 2008-9333 17 1 2025 03 21 The Effect of Strategic Self-talk on Visual Attention and Volleyball Serve Performance The Effect of Strategic Self-talk on Visual Attention and Volleyball Serve Performance 5 17 94326 10.22059/jsmdl.2023.360148.1731 FA Hamed Fahimi Department of Motor behavior and sports psychology, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Hassan Gharayagh Zandi Department of Motor behavior and sports psychology , Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Fazlallah Bagherzadeh Department of Motor behavior and sports psychology, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health , University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Ali Moghadamzadeh Department of Educational and Curriculum Methods and Programs, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Davood Homanian SharifAbadi Department of Motor behavior and sports psychology, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran , Iran. Journal Article 2023 05 31 .<br /><strong>Introduction:</strong> The present study aimed to investigate the effect of strategic self-talk on volleyball players' performance and visual attention.<br /><strong>Methods:</strong> This quasi-experimental research employed a pre-test/post-test design with a control group. Participants included 54 novice male volleyball players selected via convenience sampling. They were randomly assigned into five groups: instructional self-talk (n=10), motivational self-talk (n=11), instructional-motivational self-talk (n=10), motivational-instructional self-talk (n=11), and control (n=12). The self-talk intervention was conducted over 12 weeks, with three sessions per week. In both the pre-test and post-test phases, serving scores were recorded by the researcher, and participants' gaze behavior was measured using an eye tracker while performing a simple volleyball serve task. Data were analyzed using the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> The findings revealed that strategic self-talk had a significant effect on simple serve performance (P=0.0001) and quiet eye duration (P=0.0001). Bonferroni post-hoc tests indicated that instructional self-talk improved motor performance and increased quiet eye duration. Combined self-talk groups (instructional-motivational and motivational-instructional) also exhibited enhanced motor performance and prolonged quiet eye duration. However, motivational self-talk alone had no significant effect on motor performance and quiet eye duration.<br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The results underscore the importance of instructional self-talk in enhancing performance and visual attention in novice volleyball players, supporting the attentional mechanisms underlying self-talk. .<br /><strong>Introduction:</strong> The present study aimed to investigate the effect of strategic self-talk on volleyball players' performance and visual attention.<br /><strong>Methods:</strong> This quasi-experimental research employed a pre-test/post-test design with a control group. Participants included 54 novice male volleyball players selected via convenience sampling. They were randomly assigned into five groups: instructional self-talk (n=10), motivational self-talk (n=11), instructional-motivational self-talk (n=10), motivational-instructional self-talk (n=11), and control (n=12). The self-talk intervention was conducted over 12 weeks, with three sessions per week. In both the pre-test and post-test phases, serving scores were recorded by the researcher, and participants' gaze behavior was measured using an eye tracker while performing a simple volleyball serve task. Data were analyzed using the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> The findings revealed that strategic self-talk had a significant effect on simple serve performance (P=0.0001) and quiet eye duration (P=0.0001). Bonferroni post-hoc tests indicated that instructional self-talk improved motor performance and increased quiet eye duration. Combined self-talk groups (instructional-motivational and motivational-instructional) also exhibited enhanced motor performance and prolonged quiet eye duration. However, motivational self-talk alone had no significant effect on motor performance and quiet eye duration.<br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The results underscore the importance of instructional self-talk in enhancing performance and visual attention in novice volleyball players, supporting the attentional mechanisms underlying self-talk. https://jsmdl.ut.ac.ir/article_94326_fcbe5f2dabd79b87ae862ef172c5c4a1.pdf