The effect of mindfulness training on flow and spike performance in volleyball with non-dominant hand

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mindfulness training on flow and spike performance with the non-dominant hand in 42 semi-skilled volleyball player (mean age 17.38, standard deviation 1.40) from Qom city, who were randomly divided into four groups of 11. The first and second groups practiced mindfulness and volleyball spike training. The third and fourth groups practiced volleyball spike training without mindfulness training. The interventions lasted for 8 weeks with 2 sessions per week. Pre-intervention and post-intervention tests, including AAHPERD Spike test and flow questionnaire, were conducted. Results of ANOVA test indicated: the interaction between gender, intervention, and group was not significant in both variables (P>0.05). This indicates gender does not affect the training receptivity of flow and volleyball spike variables. However, the interaction between intervention and group was significant(p<0.05) with the intervention group showing greater progress compared to the control group. These results suggest that incorporating psychological exercises such as mindfulness alongside physical training effective in enhancing flow performance as it can improve the enjoyment of training and is important for athletes' sports life. However, gender does not have an impact on training receptivity in this context.