‘There’s more to an image than meets the eye’: A qualitative study of kinaesthetic imagery among elite canoe-slalomists

Abstract

Abstract Kinaesthetic imagery involves feelings of force and motion or the mental simulation of sensations associated with bodily movements. Although this type of imagery is very important to athletes in many sports it has attracted little research attention from psychologists. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate kinaesthetic imagery processes among a sample (n=12) of elite athletes - namely, World Cup competitors in canoe-slalom. These athletes (mean age = 25 years; SD=4.16) were first interviewed about their understanding and use of 'feeling-oriented' in their sport. Next, they were assessed using a battery of measures which included Likert rating scales and a standard test of mental imagery - the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised (Hall & Martin, 1997). Finally, in an effort to validate their imagery experiences, athletes were timed as they engaged in a 'mental travel' procedure in which they had to visualise a recent race and execute it as if they were paddling physically. The time taken to complete these mental races was then compared with actual race times. Following a content analysis of the canoeists' accounts of their kinaesthetic imagery experiences, an attempt is made to distinguish between the performers' senses of force and movement. The veracity of these experiences is supported by a significant relationship (r=0.78, p<0.05) between mental and physical race times.