Performance enhancement from a psychological perspective
VCE Unit 4 Identify and explain psychological factors which impact on performance (Unit 4) Motivation Arousal and Anxiety Confidence Mental Imagery Concentration
Ideas for Classes/Assessment Activities Study Guide Assessment Outcome 2 Evaluate practices and/or strategies that are used in conjunction with each other to enhance performance On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and evaluate strategies designed to enhance performance or promote recovery.
Mental Skills in Sport Psychological Skills Training (PST) Skills Like physical skills Can be learned and ultimately lead to peak performance
Awareness Performance Profiling
Motivation Intensity and direction of effort Intrinsic and Extrinsic Task and Ego Orientation Measures: Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation (Sport Motivation Scale, SMS) Task and Ego Orientation Questionnaire www.brianmac.co.uk/
Long- and Short-term Goals
Smarter Goals Specific Measurable Accepted Realistic Time-framed Exciting Recorded
Resources Mental toolbox http://www.usaswimming.org/ Tennis http://www.britishtennisparents.com/maximisingpotential/goalsetting/
Arousal and Anxiety Arousal General physiological and psychological activation Anxiety A subjective feeling of apprehension and heightened physiological arousal Somatic Cognitive
Performance Theories of Arousal and Anxiety Low Skilled Putting in Golf Tackling in Football High Skilled Inverted- U Theory Weightlifting Optimal Performance Zone Optimal Performance Zone Optimal Performance Zone Arousal
Measuring Arousal and Anxiety Heart Rate Questionnaires SCAT Sport Competition Anxiety Test (Martens, 1977) CSAI2 Competitive State Anxiety Inventory2 Cognitive, somatic, self-confidence
www.brianmac.co.uk/
Managing Arousal / Anxiety Relaxation Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) Breathing Meditation (many scripts available online) Pumping Up Breathing Positive talk Music Pre-competitive workout
Performance Confidence Belief about achieving success (can be a trait or a state) Underconfident Just right Overconfident
Improving Confidence Goal-setting Game Plans and Routines Imagery Self-talk Thought-Stopping Rationalisation Affirmations
Mental Imagery Imagery Using all the senses to create or re-create an experience in the mind (Mental Practice/Visualisation) Imagery Ability Vividness Controllability Measures Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ) Sport Imagery Ability Measure (SIAM) Widely used at elite level Large number of uses
Model of Choking in Sport Conditions Leading to Choking Important competition Critical plays in a competition Evaluation by coaches, peers, and parents Physical Changes Increased muscle tension Increased breathing rate Increased heart rate Attentional Changes Internal focus Narrow focus Reduced flexibility Asafa Powell 2007 World Championship Won by Tyson Gay Performance Impairment Timing and coordination breakdown Muscle tightness and fatigue Rushing Inability to attend to task-relevant cues Leaped out of the blocks and was ahead at the 60 mark But then I heard Tyson s footsteps and I froze "I felt him coming on my shoulder and that's when I panicked" I just couldn t relax. I tied up and he shot past me for the win.
Strategies to Enhance Concentration Grid exercise Breathing/relaxation Imagery Cue words follow-through Pre-shot routines Pre-competition routines (superstitions)
Pre-Performance Routines
Jonny Wilkinson Kicking routine crucial to Wilkinson's game "My stance has come from a physical and mental development where I've tried to learn relaxation techniques"
Focus of Attention and Imagery "Forget the posts - let's aim for something else. Imagine there's a woman sitting in that seat, 20 rows behind the goal, holding a can of Coke.." As Wilkinson prepares to kick, he visualises the flight of the ball ending up in Doris's lap, knocking the drink out of her hands. Catch this Doris Instead of aiming at the posts - aiming at something specific 30 yards back it made me really kick through the ball."
Case Study