Self-talk in Wheelchair Basketball: Τhe Effects of an Intervention Program on Dribbling and Passing Performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a self-talk intervention program on performance of wheelchair basketball drills. Twenty-two (N=22) wheelchair basketball athletes from two different clubs of the same league participated in the study. The duration of the intervention was 12 weeks and its aim was the improvement of two fundamental basketball skills, passing and dribbling. One team was assigned as a self-talk group (STG), whereas the other as a control group (CG). The STG, in addition to their normal practice, used self-talk in the form of technical instruction, whereas the CG followed the same training schedule without the use of self-talk. Athletes’ performance was evaluated before the start of the program and at two time points thereafter, midst the intervention and on completion. The results indicated that performance of the STG improved more than performance of the CG in the two basketball skills. Overall, the results of the study suggest that the use of selftalk, and in particular in the form of technical instruction, can be an effective tool for the improvement of performance in wheelchair basketball players and its use should be encouraged and practiced by coaches.