Impact of Mindfulness on Athletic Performance and Functional Movement in Collegiate Athletes
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorUniversity of Macau
About this trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness training program on sports performance and mental health in university basketball players. The main questions it aims to answer are:
1. Does the mindfulness program improve basketball skills, body movement control, and psychological health? 2. Does the program's effectiveness differ between male and female athletes? 3. Is there an association between athletes' current psychological states and their athletic performance before training?
Researchers will compare a mindfulness group to a psychological skills training group and a standard control group to see if the mindfulness program leads to significantly greater improvements in performance and well-being.
Participants will:
1. Complete surveys about their mental health and stress. 2. Perform physical fitness tests, such as jumping, running, and strength exercises. 3. Perform basketball skill tests, including shooting, dribbling, and passing. 4. Play in standardized 5-on-5 basketball games that are video-recorded for analysis . 5. Attend 15-to-20-minute training sessions 3 times a week for 8 weeks (if assigned to a training group) .
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Participants must be active university basketball athletes enrolled at the University of Macau, City University of Macau, or Macau University of Science and Technology .
Participants must be 18 years of age or older.
Participants must not have a current musculoskeletal injury or chronic condition that prevents participation in high-intensity physical assessments
Participants must not have significant prior experience with formal mindfulness or meditation practice.
Disqualifiers
Individuals who do not meet the specific inclusion criteria (e.g., not a current university basketball athlete at the specified universities, or under 18 years old).
Presence of a musculoskeletal injury or chronic condition that prevents safe participation in physical assessments.
Significant prior experience with formal mindfulness or meditation practice, defined as having attended a course lasting one week or more.
Prior participation in systematic Psychological Skills Training (PST).
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Mindfulness-Acceptance-Insight-Commitment (MAIC) Program
BehavioralParticipants undergo an 8-week mindfulness training program based on the MAIC model developed by Si, Zhang, \& Su (2019) . The program is adapted from the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) approach, incorporating an "Insight" component tailored for Asian culture . The intervention aims to reduce experiential avoidance and enhance psychological flexibility . It is delivered in a "micro-dosing" format consisting of three 15-20 minute sessions per week, integrated directly into regular basketball training schedules . Key components include mindfulness breathing, body scanning, values clarification, cognitive defusion, and acceptance strategies.
Psychological Skills Training (PST) Program
BehavioralParticipants undergo an 8-week systematic psychological skills training program serving as an active control. To ensure structural equivalence with the experimental arm, the dosage is matched at three sessions per week, each lasting 15-20 minutes. The curriculum covers traditional sports psychology techniques for self-regulation, including arousal regulation, goal setting, imagery (visualization), attentional control, cognitive restructuring (positive self-talk), and pre-performance routines.
Treatment groups
126 Participants
are divided into 3 treatment groupsGroup A: Mindfulness Intervention (MAIC) GroupExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Psychological Skills Training (PST) GroupActive comparator 1 intervention
Group C: Control GroupNo intervention 0 interventions
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Stationary Free-throw Accuracy
To evaluate the basic shooting accuracy without the influence of defensive pressure and fatigue, this study will adopt a standardized static free throw test. According to the process of Pojskic, Sisic, Separovic, \& Sekulic (2018), after completing the designated warm-up procedure, participants will take three sets of free throws on the standard free-throw line, with 10 consecutive attempts in each set, and a complete 3-minute break between each set. During the test, two researchers will be responsible for picking up the backboard under the basket and quickly passing the ball back to the participants to maintain a stable test rhythm. The study will record and calculate the average shooting percentage of the participants in all three groups (a total of 30 shots), which will be used as a reference indicator to evaluate their basic free throw skills.
Time frame
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 8 weeks, and a 3 months follow up2
1-Minute Shooting Test
To quantify the shooting efficiency and stability of athletes under combined movement, this study will adopt a one-minute shooting test, and the specific process will refer to the research of Kumari, Singh, \& Varghese (2023). Before the test, researchers will set shooting points at five angles of 0°, 45°, 90°, 135° and 180° at a distance of 4.54 meters from the center of the basket. After the test begins, a one-minute timer is set. Participants need to move their shots in a loop between five points. After each shot, regardless of whether it is successful or not, the participants must rush for the rebound by themselves and then dribble to the next position to shoot again. This test adopts a special scoring system: 2 points are awarded for each successful shot. A shot that misses but the ball touches the rim earns one point. The final score is the total score obtained by the participants within one minute.
Time frame
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 8 weeks, and a 3 months follow up3
Stationary 2-Point Shooting Accuracy
To evaluate the basic shooting accuracy at mid-range and without fatigue, this study will adopt a standardized static two-point shot test. According to the protocol of Pojskic, Sisic, Separovic, \& Sekulic (2018), after standardized warm-up, participants will undergo three sets of shooting tests, with a complete 3-minute rest between each set. In each set of tests, participants need to take two jump shots from five different positions 5 meters away from the center point of the basket. That is, each group takes a total of 10 shots. The test will be conducted without any time limit, and two researchers will be responsible for picking up the backboard and passing the ball under the basket to ensure a smooth process. Ultimately, the study will record and calculate the average shooting percentage of the participants across all three groups (a total of 30 shots) as an indicator of their static two-point shooting ability.
Time frame
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 8 weeks, and a 3 months follow up4
Stationary 3-Point Shooting Accuracy
To evaluate the basic shooting accuracy at a long distance and without fatigue, this study will adopt a standardized static three-point shot test. To ensure methodological consistency, the process of this test is exactly the same as that of the static two-point shot test, with only the shooting distance changed to outside the standard three-point line (Pojskic, Sisic, Separovic, \& Sekulic, 2018). Participants also need to complete three sets of tests. In each set, they take two shots from five different positions outside the three-point line (a total of 10 shots), with a three-minute break between sets. The test was also conducted without time limit, with two researchers assisting in passing the ball. Ultimately, the study will record and calculate the average shooting percentage of the participants across all three groups (a total of 30 shots) as an indicator of their static three-point shooting ability.
Time frame
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 8 weeks, and a 3 months follow upSecondary outcomes
1
Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)
This scale consists of 39 items, corresponding to five sub-dimensions respectively: (a) Observing; (b) Describing; (c) Acting with Awareness; (d) Non-judging of Inner Experience; And (e) Non-reactivity to Inner Experience. Participants are required to rate the description of each item based on the Likert five-point scale (1= completely inconsistent, 5= completely consistent). The total score ranges from 39 to 195 points. The higher the total score and the scores of each sub-dimension, the higher the level of mindfulness traits of the individual in the corresponding aspect. This scale has been translated and subjected to rigorous psychometric tests in Chinese samples. The research by Deng Yuangui et al. (2012) shows that the Chinese version of FFMQ has good internal consistency reliability. The Cronbach's α coefficient of its total scale is.88, and the α coefficients of each subscale range from.75 to.91.
Time frame
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 8 weeks, and a 3 months follow up2
Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)
This scale contains 15 items that describe scenes of attention deficit in daily life. Participants were required to assess the frequency of these situations based on the Likert six-point scale (1= almost always, 6= almost never). The scoring method is to directly add up the scores of all 15 items and take the average. Therefore, the score range is from 1 to 6 points. The higher the score, the higher the individual's level of attention and awareness in daily life. MAAS is a classic tool in the field of mindfulness research. It has a widely used Chinese version and has demonstrated good reliability and validity among Chinese college students. The study by Chen Siyi et al. (2012) verified the one-dimensional structure of the Chinese version of MAAS and reported its internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α) as 0.82.
Time frame
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 8 weeks, and a 3 months follow up3
Athlete Mindfulness Questionnaire (AMQ)
AMQ consists of 16 items and is mainly divided into three core dimensions: Present moment attention, Awareness and Acceptance. This scale is scored using a 5-point Likert scale (for example: 1 = "Never" to 5 = "always"), with a total score range of 16 to 80 points. The higher the score, the higher the level of trait mindfulness of the athlete in the sports situation. Previous studies have shown that AMQ has good reliability and validity. In the application of sports psychology, a higher AMQ score is significantly associated with lower experience avoidance, athlete burnout and negative emotions among athletes. Meanwhile, it is positively correlated with higher well-being, flow experience and positive emotions (Zhang et al., 2015), which shows the important value of AMQ in evaluating the psychological state and potential performance of athletes.
Time frame
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 8 weeks, and a 3 months follow up4
Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being (18-item)
The scale is scored using the Likert six-point scale. Some reverse questions need to be processed first, and then the scores of the six sub-dimensions are calculated respectively, with each dimension consisting of three items. The higher the score, the higher the individual's level of psychological well-being in the corresponding dimension. The Chinese version of this scale has been widely verified. Li's (2006) research shows that the Chinese version has good reliability and validity in the sample of college students, and the internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α) of each subscale ranges from.63 to.84
Time frame
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 8 weeks, and a 3 months follow upSponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov