The Mental Skills Training of University Soccer Players

The purpose of this study is to identify the kind of mental skills training needed most by the university soccer players. Eight male university football players (aged 25 to 36) from one large university in Kuala Lumpur agreed to participate in this study. On average, they have 10 years of playing experience. All of them have signed the informed consent letter to be tape-recorded. The interview transcripts were then hierarchically content analyzed to identify the themes. The findings revealed four themes emerged which are imagery, goal setting, self-talk, and relaxation. These four themes were the most needed psychological skill training by the respondents. Recommendations for future studies were also suggested. Keywords: Psychological skill training, self-talk, goal setting, relaxation, imagery, and soccer players