during the last FIFA World Cup final. A recent mixed-methods study demonstrated that a high-pressure penalty kick protocol increases anxiety and predominantly evokes the distraction-based mechanism in professional footballers (Ellis & Ward, 2022). Despite this knowledge, less is known about the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions for mitigating the detrimental effects of these mechanisms under pressure in real-world performance environments. One intervention known to reduce anxiety and stress is slow breathing; however, its effectiveness in high-pressure situations remains underexplored.

This PhD project aims to address these gaps by investigating the effect of slow breathing on psychological and psychophysiological response, and penalty kick performance under high-pressure conditions. There is also scope to explore alternative interventions.

Phases of the research include implementing an established high-pressure penalty kick protocol to establish baseline responses; conducting interviews or focus groups to inform the intervention design; delivering the intervention to an experimental group alongside a comparator group; examining participants’ experiences of the intervention through psychometric measures and/or qualitative methods; and conducting transfer and retention assessments to evaluate the durability and application of intervention effects.

This project is intended to be conducted with professional male/female football players through established or newly developed partnerships, facilitated by both the supervisory team and the successful candidate. Given the challenges of applied high-performance settings, there is flexibility in both design and delivery, allowing the project to be adapted to context and available access.

For subject specific enquiries please contact: l.ellis@hud.ac.uk

We encourage you to discuss your ideas with potential supervisors in advance of application.

Type of Award: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Eligibility: These scholarships are open to UK applicants only; ideally with an MSc in a relevant subject area, applicants with a First-Class Honours degree may also be considered.

Location: Huddersfield/Online

Funding: Fee waiver

Duration: 3 years full-time / 6 years part-time

during the last FIFA World Cup final. A recent mixed-methods study demonstrated that a high-pressure penalty kick protocol increases anxiety and predominantly evokes the distraction-based mechanism in professional footballers (Ellis & Ward, 2022). Despite this knowledge, less is known about the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions for mitigating the detrimental effects of these mechanisms under pressure in real-world performance environments. One intervention known to reduce anxiety and stress is slow breathing; however, its effectiveness in high-pressure situations remains underexplored.

This PhD project aims to address these gaps by investigating the effect of slow breathing on psychological and psychophysiological response, and penalty kick performance under high-pressure conditions. There is also scope to explore alternative interventions.

Phases of the research include implementing an established high-pressure penalty kick protocol to establish baseline responses; conducting interviews or focus groups to inform the intervention design; delivering the intervention to an experimental group alongside a comparator group; examining participants’ experiences of the intervention through psychometric measures and/or qualitative methods; and conducting transfer and retention assessments to evaluate the durability and application of intervention effects.

This project is intended to be conducted with professional male/female football players through established or newly developed partnerships, facilitated by both the supervisory team and the successful candidate. Given the challenges of applied high-performance settings, there is flexibility in both design and delivery, allowing the project to be adapted to context and available access.

For subject specific enquiries please contact: l.ellis@hud.ac.uk

We encourage you to discuss your ideas with potential supervisors in advance of application.

Type of Award: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Eligibility: These scholarships are open to UK applicants only; ideally with an MSc in a relevant subject area, applicants with a First-Class Honours degree may also be considered.

Location: Huddersfield/Online

Funding: Fee waiver

Duration: 3 years full-time / 6 years part-time