The effect of mindfulness training on performance in closed-skill sports: The power of mild acceptance.

The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effect of mindfulness training on performance in closed-skill sports, during which athletes have much time to reflect in between their physical activities. One experimental group was composed by 27 participants, who followed an eight-week course in mindfulness. It was compared with a control group of 36 participants who did not follow any training in mindfulness. In the pretest (i.e., just before the start of the mindfulness course) and in the posttest (i.e., after the end of the course, eight weeks later), participants completed three motor tests: a darts test, a golf putting test, and a sinusoid test. Repeated measures ANOVA’s showed that the experimental group improved significantly more on the golf putting test than the control group. A similar result was found for the number of deviations made on the sinusoid test. The order in which the tests were performed (i.e., first golf putting test or darts test) also had an impact. The experimental group that performed first the darts test improved significantly more in the number of deviations, compared to the other groups. No significant group effects were found in the darts test, neither in the extent of deviations on the sinusoid test. It is concluded that mindfulness might have a positive effect on specific motor skills in closed-skill sports. Further research is needed to corroborate these preliminary findings.