This study examined how imagery ability could affect motor improvement following motor imagery training in tennis. Skilled tennis players were divided into 3 groups with regard to their MIQ scores (good imager, poor imager, and control group). During a pre‐test, participants physically performed 15 service returns toward a target. The motor imagery training period was included during physical training for 15 sessions, and each session consisted of 2 series of 15 imagined trials and 15 physical trials. Some of the participants were required to use internal visual imagery (good and poor imager groups) while others were given a reading task (control group). Finally, 48 hours after the last training session, participants were submitted to a post‐test similar to the pre‐test. Results indicated that motor imagery improved service return, and that this improvement was better in good imagers than in poor imagers. The impact of motor imagery practice on motor performance, for skilled tennis players, is discussed.

Objectives: Imagery ability is a variable influencing the effectiveness of imagery practice that can be estimated by means of questionnaires. Among them, the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised, translated and validated in French, is widely used by French speakers. However, it does not allow for the distinction between the two visual imagery perspectives (internal vs. external). The Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3 has been recently proposed in the English literature to differentiate between the ease of performing internal visual, external visual and kinesthetic imagery. The aim of this study was to translate and validate a French version of this questionnaire (MIQ-3f). Method: We examined the validity of constructs, internal consistency, and test-retest inter-rate reliability of the visual and kinesthetic items of the MIQ-3f in 272 healthy participants (M_age = 20.26 years, SD = 1.73). Results: The internal consistency (composite reliability scores ≥ 0.88 for the three subscales) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients: 0.87 for visual internal imagery, 0.86 for visual external imagery, and 0.88 for kinesthetic imagery) of the MIQ-3f were satisfactory. The three-factor structure (with 4 items for each factor) was supported by confirmatory factor analysis. The MIQ-3f appears to be a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to assess imagery ability in French speakers.

Mental Imagery (MI), which can be defined as the brain’s ability to recreate motor experiences in the absence of actual actions, is a mental strategy commonly used by tennis players and coaches in the context of learning and performance. The purpose of this review was to examine the MI use, interventions and effects on the performance of tennis players. Preferred reporting items for reviews and meta-analyses guidelines were employed and research studies were collected via SCOPUS, PubMed, PsycINFO, Science Direct and Google Scholar, in English and French, from the earliest record up to August 2021. Forty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. This review (number 2020-05-87) resulted in a wide variety of MI use in tennis and its beneficial effects, whatever the level or age of the players. MI interventions generally improve motor performance, motivational or affective outcomes. Moreover, MI is frequently combined with other mental skills and integrated in pre-performance routines including breathing, positive self-talk, and/or concentration. This study also highlighted the weak representation of female tennis players that’s why future research is needed to better explore the gender effect in MI interventions in tennis. Overall, MI appears to be beneficial for players, whatever their age or level, and should be incorporated in training programs. Practical implications are discussed.

The thermal discomfort caused by a hot or hot-wet climate can have negative effects on human performance. The 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place in Tokyo’s hot and humid summer period, possibly exposing athletes to severe environmental stressors. In addition to technical, tactical, physical and nutritional preparation, Olympians and Paralympians need an optimal psychological state to turn in their best performances, especially in terms of emotional control, concentration and motivation. Yet, the tropical climate can have many negative effects on these factors. Better understanding of the negative effects of this climate and the strategies to manage them might be crucial for competitors, coaches and their teams in Japan. At the psychological level, cooling interventions before, during and/or immediately after exercise were mainly studied on perceptual responses. However, the effects of these interventions on other psychological components such as cognitive abilities or psychological states and the use of psychological techniques have been little explored, especially in hot-wet climate. Thus, this article proposes to take stock of the knowledge on the conventional and alternative strategies that help athletes to psychologically cope with the subtropical climate of Tokyo.