The use of self-talk during elite cricket batting performance

• Instructional self-talk acted as a continual narrative to enhance skill execution.
• Motivational self-talk enhanced self-efficacy during declining performance.
• Both types of self-talk redirected thoughts to performance-related cues.
• Self-talk was a commonly used psychological skill in cricket batting performance.
• The findings show the importance of psychological skills education within cricket.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to qualitatively investigate the use of self-talk during cricket batting performance through an innovative approach that allowed for within performance responses to be examined.Design and methodFive elite cricketers were interviewed alongside edited video footage of their batting innings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather in-depth information and explanations about the participants' use of self-talk during each critical incident.Results and conclusionsThe findings of this study highlighted the use of instructional and motivational self-talk as a fluctuating continual narrative that enhanced skill execution, self-efficacy and focus of attention, whilst reducing performance anxiety. In particular, the athletes described the effectiveness of self-determined self-talk on their performance. Specifically, they advocated self-talk that narrowed their attentional focus and redirected their thoughts to performance-related cues during periods of declining performance.