MENTAL TRAINING OF SAMBO ATHLETES THROUGH APPLICATION OF INSTRUMENTAL METHODS

ABSTRACT A number of methods for mental training have been developed and approved in sports practice - progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, visualization, mental imagery, and different forms of meditation. In order to be mastered and efficiently used, however, they should be applied continuously and repeatedly. In recent years, the efforts of mental training specialists have been aimed at developing and implementing machine instrumentation methods, which prove to have more powerful effects and accelerate the processes of mental training. The basis of these methods is biofeedback. The aim of this study is to research the impact of cognitive training through machine instrumentation methods on significant for sports performance psychological factors. We used: Thoughtstream Stand-Alone System – a personal biofeedback training system, and Procyon Light and Sound Mind Machine - Full Spectrum Audio-Visual Synthesizer. The research was done among three groups (66 sambo athletes, 49 men, 17 women) with a mean age of 19,2 years (±4.2). Different machine instrumentation methods were applied to the two experimental groups. The first group undertook 10 sessions of a mixed program of 15-minute duration with Procyon Light and Sound Mind Machine. The second group undertook 8 mental training sessions with The Thought Stream Personal Biofeedback System. The third group used autogenous training as a relaxation method. Two measurements were made to evaluate the experiment results – before and after the impact. The indexes of sensorimotor coordination, time-movement anticipation, reaction test, and risk choice behavior were measured. The measurements were made with the help of the Vienna test system. The comparative analysis (Wilcoxon) establishes significant differences between the first and second testing in the two experimental groups regarding sensorimotor coordination, time anticipation, reaction test, and risk choice behavior. The obtained results from the research show that the apparatus methods for mental training are more efficient than the traditional ones, such as the autogenic training applied in the control group.