Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Publication Date

3-31-1977

Abstract

The effect of mental practice incorporating neuromuscular relaxation techniques on beginning swimmers' assessed tension levels and swim performance was examined. Eighteen experimental and control subjects received the same swim instruction by the same instructor during two 50 minute periods per week for nine weeks. The experimental subjects, however, also participated in mental practice sessions incorporating neuromuscular relaxation techniques and therefore had 25 percent less total time in the water than did control subjects. The mental practice sessions lasted 15 minutes the first meeting period of each week and 10 minutes the second period of each week. The subjects participated by lying in a supine position on the floor of a private, carpeted room. The neuromuscular relaxation techniques practiced were based on the principles of Jacobson's Progressive and Differential Relaxation (1961) and included the utilization of relaxation images from the lesson outline of Langbein and Westerberg (1969). Guided mental practice of the swim skills being taught was then conducted by the experimenter. Initially, the subjects were all nonswimmers according to the classification criteria of Behrman (1967), and there was no significant difference between the assessed tension levels of experimental and control subjects. The subjects' tension levels and swim performance were again assessed after the nine week experimental period. Final swim performance was evaluated through the use of a rating scale by three judges, and pre- and post-test tension was assessed by the experimenter through the Rathbone Manual Tension Test. Post-test tension and swim measures were compared using an independent t test with the alpha level set at p< .02. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant difference between experimental and control subjects on posttest measures of tension and swimming. The null hypothesis was accepted in both cases. It was also hypothesized that the correlation between individual tension levels and swim scores would not be significant. This hypothesis was rejected. Questionnaires were given to subjects prior to and after the nine week experimental period in order to obtain supplementary subjective information regarding the experiment.

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Physical Education

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences

First Committee Member (Chair)

Kenneth Carl Lersten

Second Committee Member

Vivian H. Heyward

Third Committee Member

Brian W. Fahey

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