Research summary · Sport psychology
Mindfulness and performance under pressure in youth soccer
A six-week mindfulness programme is compared with an education-based attention control using selection-style matches and blinded video assessment.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Randomized active-control trial
- Journal
- Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology
- Population / context
- Male youth academy soccer players
What the publication reports
Fifty-two male academy outfield players were randomized. Performance under pressure improved more after mindfulness and remained better at three months; flow increased and somatic anxiety decreased. The aggression change was not maintained, and exploratory mediation did not clearly explain performance gains.
Limits and interpretation
The sample was small, male and academy-specific. Selection-style trial matches may not reproduce every competitive setting, and the study did not establish the mechanism behind performance changes.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement in Youth Soccer: A Randomized Active-Control Trial of Objective Performance Under Pressure and Psychological Outcomes
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42086215DOI: 10.1123/jsep.2026-0002Reader discussion
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