We all use self talk in some form or fashion. This is especially true for athletes. They are seen muttering to themselves after plays, analyzing what they did wrong, or even trying to hype themselves for a big game or play. What exactly is self talk and does it really help?

In this episode, we look at three published studies from the Journal of Applied Sports Psychology (all cited below) that look into self talk. Will we find that self talk helps? Can we utilize negative self talk to our advantage? We will even see a comparison of self talk to other ways that athlete's attempt to improve performance such as the utilization of caffeine or the mysticism of that lucky article of clothing.

Studies Cited:
Cooper, K. B., Wilson, M. R., & Jones, M. I. (2020). Fast talkers? Investigating the influence of self-talk on mental toughness and finish times in 800-meter runners. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 33(5), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2020.1735574

DeWolfe, C. E. J., Scott, D., & Seaman, K. A. (2020). Embrace the challenge: Acknowledging a challenge following negative Self-Talk improves performance. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 33(5), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2020.1795951

Wolch, N. J., Arthur-Cameselle, J. N., Keeler, L. A., & Suprak, D. N. (2020). The effects of a brief mindfulness intervention on basketball free-throw shooting performance under pressure. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 33(5), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2020.1720044
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