Is combined action observation and motor imagery the optimal simulation technique for acquisition of a team-based soccer corner routine in novices?

Action observation (AO) and motor imagery (MI) are common simulation techniques used to facilitate skill acquisition and motor skill performance in sport. Over the past decade, research has also demonstrated improvements in performance when the two simulation methods are used in synchrony, termed ‘combined action observation and motor imagery’ (AOMI). There is a lack of research assessing the use of AOMI in a team sport setting with existing studies focusing on individual sports and skills. The purpose of the current study is to test the effects of an AOMI intervention on novice learning of a team-based corner routine in soccer. Self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and mental representations will be measured as key psychological and cognitive factors associated with skill learning. The effectiveness of AOMI will be compared against AO, MI, and control conditions. A sample of 64 novice soccer players from the host university will be recruited for participation in this study. It is hypothesized that participants assigned to teams in the AOMI intervention condition will experience the greatest positive changes in performance outcomes, efficacy beliefs, and mental representation structures between pre- and retention-test phases, indicative of improved skill acquisition for this intervention.