ORIGINAL PAPER
Coach verbal encouragement improves mood state and sustains consistently higher levels of effort, but does not positively affect overall tennis performance: a crossover study
1
Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Portugal
2
Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
3
Department of Physical Education of Sports Teaching, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey
4
High Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
5
Research Unit, Sportive Performance and Physical Rehabilitation, High Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia
6
Qatar Police Academy, Police College, Training Department, Doha, Qatar
7
Tunisian Research Laboratory ‘Sports Performance Optimization’, National Center of Medicine and Science in Sports (CNMSS-LR09SEP01), Tunis, Tunisia
8
Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-Said, Manouba University, Tunis, Tunisia
9
High Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia
10
Laboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (LIAM), Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, Canada
11
Human Nutrition Unit (HNU), Department of Food and Drugs, Medical School, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
Submission date: 2025-03-15
Acceptance date: 2025-07-21
Publication date: 2025-12-22
Corresponding author
Halil Ibrahim Ceylan
Department of Physical Education of Sports Teaching, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
Department of Physical Education of Sports Teaching, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
Hum Mov. 2025;26(4):94-106
KEYWORDS
adolescent athletesathletic performancecoaching psychologyeffort perceptionmotivationsports psychology
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Purpose:
Sports performance does not reside solely in physical, technical, and psychological preparation. It can also be influenced by external motivation. To examine the immediate effects of coach verbal encouragement on young tennis players’ mood state, perceived exertion, and match performance.
Methods:
Ten young tennis players (aged 9.10±0.99 years) completed the match protocol in a randomised crossover. On separate days, coaches provided verbal encouragement during all eight match games and a non-encouragement condition. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and total mood disorder (TMD) scores were collected before and after the match, while RPE was collected after each game. Successful ball scores were also collected.
Results:
TMD scores post-competition were significantly lower in the verbal-encouragement condition compared to both non-encouragement (p = 0.014, d = 0.93, moderate) and baseline conditions (p < 0.001, d = 1.44, large). RPE was significantly higher (p: 0.001–0.009, d: 0.61–2.58, moderate-large) in the ‘encouragement’ condition for 50% of the games (e.g., 2nd–4th– 6th–7th games) and demonstrated a more stable progression throughout the match, with inflection points identified during the 3rd (p = 0.007, d = 1.19, large) and 7th games (p = 0.001, d = 2.63, large), representing distinct phases of effort intensification. Despite improvements in psychology and effort, successful ball scores showed no significant interaction between en-couragement and time factors (p = 0.401, ϗp2 = 0.11, trivial, ω = 0.42).
Conclusions:
Acute verbal encouragement from a coach enhances mood states and sustains higher, more stable effort throughout match play in young tennis players. However, these psychological and effort benefits do not translate into immediate performance improvements in successful ball scores.
Sports performance does not reside solely in physical, technical, and psychological preparation. It can also be influenced by external motivation. To examine the immediate effects of coach verbal encouragement on young tennis players’ mood state, perceived exertion, and match performance.
Methods:
Ten young tennis players (aged 9.10±0.99 years) completed the match protocol in a randomised crossover. On separate days, coaches provided verbal encouragement during all eight match games and a non-encouragement condition. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and total mood disorder (TMD) scores were collected before and after the match, while RPE was collected after each game. Successful ball scores were also collected.
Results:
TMD scores post-competition were significantly lower in the verbal-encouragement condition compared to both non-encouragement (p = 0.014, d = 0.93, moderate) and baseline conditions (p < 0.001, d = 1.44, large). RPE was significantly higher (p: 0.001–0.009, d: 0.61–2.58, moderate-large) in the ‘encouragement’ condition for 50% of the games (e.g., 2nd–4th– 6th–7th games) and demonstrated a more stable progression throughout the match, with inflection points identified during the 3rd (p = 0.007, d = 1.19, large) and 7th games (p = 0.001, d = 2.63, large), representing distinct phases of effort intensification. Despite improvements in psychology and effort, successful ball scores showed no significant interaction between en-couragement and time factors (p = 0.401, ϗp2 = 0.11, trivial, ω = 0.42).
Conclusions:
Acute verbal encouragement from a coach enhances mood states and sustains higher, more stable effort throughout match play in young tennis players. However, these psychological and effort benefits do not translate into immediate performance improvements in successful ball scores.
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