Arousal Flashcards
What is arousal?
arousal is a physical and mental state of alertness/excitement, varying from Deep Sleep to intense excitement
How does arousal affect the performer?
arousal affects both the physical and mental state of a performer.
Physically: increases in arousal may cause a rise in heart rate or cause performer to sweat more.
Performers must use specific strategies to control the levels of arousal, as if it is not at the correct level performance may suffer
The inverted U theory
See book for pic
The inverted U theory explained
as arousal increases so does performance.
Up to the optimal/perfect level.
If arousal increases further performance will decrease
How to control arousal
deep breathing(physical/somatic)
Mental rehearsal/visualisation/imagery (mental/cognitive)
Positive self talk (mental/cognitive)
What is deep breathing?
deep breathing as a physical/somatic technique, which involves perform, exaggerating their breaths in and out.
The top half of the body should be
relaxed and slow, deep breaths should be used to allowed the performer to control arousal, unfocused their thoughts on the task in hand.
I can calm nerves and control arousal and help the performer focus the mind
What is mental rehearsal/visualisation/imagery?
Mental rehearsal involves to perform a picture of themselves, perform in the school perfectly before attempting it.
It relaxes and focuses the mind on the task at hand, and can be used before, and during performance to control arousal levels
For example: controlling arousal prior to cooking a rugby conversion
What is positive self talk?
self talk is a mental/cognitive technique, whereby the performer talks to themselves in their head.
you can reassure the performers that they are doing well, or a well-prepared, and can relax their body and mind controlling their arousal level.
Example: ago for reassuring themselves that they can hole a putt
