Instructional or Motivational Self-Talk, Matched to the Task

Students test whether instructional self-talk works better for a precision task and motivational self-talk for a power task, as Hatzigeorgiadis's research suggests. They use throws at a hoop on the wall and measured standing broad jumps.

How to play

1. Explain the difference between instructional self-talk ('elbow high, eyes on the hoop') and motivational self-talk ('come on, I've got this!') (3 min).
2. Baseline: ten tennis-ball throws at a hoop fixed to the wall from 5 meters and two standing broad jumps measured with a tape measure (7 min).
3. Each student writes one instructional and one motivational phrase for each task (3 min).
4. In stations: half the group uses instructional self-talk for throwing and motivational for jumping, the other half the reverse; repeat the measurements (8 min).
5. Swap combinations and measure again (6 min).
6. Compare results: which type of phrase helped more in each task (3 min).

Rules

• Jump on a non-slip surface and only after warming up.
• Nobody enters the throwing zone while someone is throwing.
• Self-talk can be whispered or silent, whichever students prefer.

Variations

Adaptations

• Lower-body injury: replace the jump with maximum-distance ball throws, also measured.
• Visual impairment: a classmate taps the wall next to the hoop for orientation, and the distance is shorter.
• Autism: choose phrases from a list and always use them the same way.

Learning goals

• Distinguish instructional and motivational self-talk.
• Test which type of self-talk fits each task.
• Create personal phrases that are useful in sports.

Equipment for a class of 25

• tennis balls: 30
• hoops: 6
• tape measures: 3
• chalk: 3
• worksheets: 30

Teacher tip

If tape measures are scarce, chalk lines on the ground every 10 cm. The trend usually shows up better in whole-class data than for each student.

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