Purpose Taekwondo has a rich history that dates back to ancient Korea. It promotes discipline, respect, and physical fitness. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between static and dynamic vividness, and the degree of anger expression, in a group of 100 taekwondo athletes (57 males and 43 females), aged between 18 and 23 years (M = 20.6, SD = 2.05). Methods Measures included the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire-2, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, and the Resilience Scale. Results A 2 × 2 (gender × elite-non-elite) between-groups MANOVA showed differences in the variables by gender and skill level. The results of the mediation analysis showed that resilience plays a mediating role between static imagery and anger. Conclusion These findings suggest that resilience, as protective factor, could be an important key to developing an imagery intervention strategy to help athletes anticipate situations, rehearse strategies, and build confidence, reducing anger by allowing athletes to feel more in control.
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