Chapter 13 - Performance enhancement and recovery strategies: psychological, nutritional & hydration Flashcards
U4 AOS2
13.1 - Nutritional needs of athletes: a balanced diet
Balanced diet
The appropriate balance of nutrients needed to supply the body w/ energy for physical activity & to aid in the recovery after exercise
* supplies energy
* nutrition & hydration are key to optimal performance
* important through choice of fod, timing & quantitiy
* essential nutrients:
- CHO
- fats
- protein
- vitamins
- minerals
- water
- fibre
13.1 - Nutritional needs of athletes: a balanced diet
Balanced diet
Considerations
- specific nutritional requirements of sport
- individual energy expenditure
- individual metabolism
- state of health
13.1 - Nutritional needs of athletes: a balanced diet
Balanced diet
Pre-training/comp
During-training/comp
Post-training/comp
Pre: aims to keep athlete from feeling hungry before & during exercise, & maintain optimum levels of energy stores for the following activity
During: acts as an alternative fuel source & maintains fluid lost through exercise bout.
- beneficial for events longer than 30min
Post: ingested in a timely manner, aims to optimise recovery following the exercise session
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
CHO
Functions:
* major energy fuel source for high-intensity activity
* regulate metabolism of fat & protein
* nervous system relies on them for energy to function
* broken down in glycogen & stored in the liver & muscles
* transported into the bloodstream in form of glucose
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
How much CHO
- excess beyond what liver & muscles can store becomes fat
- amount of CHO consumed impacts amount of muscle glycogen available for activity
- most imprant factor is the number of ingested grams
- 7-10g of CHO per kg body mass
- needs are dependent of type of training/competition - frequency, duration & intensity
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
Glycaemic index
A scale that ranks CHOs by how much they raise blood-glucose levels over 2hr compared to pure glucose
* allows for determination of what CHOs to eat & when
* manipulated to enable optimal CHO availabiliy - enhances performance & recovery
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
CHO nutitional classifications
Nutrient-dense CHO
Foods and fluids that are rich sources of other nutrients including protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants in addition to CHO
- Breads and cereals
- Fruit
Everyday food that should form the base of an athlete’s diet.
Helps to meet other nutrient targets
Nutrient-poor CHO
Foods and fluids that contain CHO but minimal or no other nutrients
- Lollies
- CHO gels
- Sports drinks
Shouldn’t be a major part of the everyday diet but may provide a compact CHO around training
High-fat CHO
Foods that contain CHO but are high in fat
- Pastries
- Cakes
- Chips
- chocolate
‘sometimes’ foods best not consumed around training sessions
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
Rebound hypoglycaemia
Low blood glucose follwied by a rapid rise of blood glucose
* rise will supress the use of fats as an energy supply - muscle relies more on CHO
* results in a drop in blood glucose levels in inital stages of exercise
* low Gi foods should be consumed during pre-event meal
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
CHO meals
Pre exercise
During exercise
After exercise
Pre: provide oppurtuity for athletes competing in loger endurance events (>90min) to increase fuel storgae
During: CHO should be consumer regularly to enhance endurance & performance.High GI food are recommended & therefore are more readily available got an immediate energy source
After: consits of high GI foof to promote muscle glycogen resynthesis
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
Benefits of low GI foods
in general terms daily nutritional choices should shift towards low GI foods. benefits include:
* lowered lipid (fat) levels in blood
* assistamce in weight control
* decreased risk of heart disease
* decreased risk of diabetes
- personal factors have an influence on nutritional choices
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
CHO gels
- concentrated CHO
- to be effective they should be consumed w/ water
- provides similar benefits to sports drinks
- shouldn’t be taken w/ sports bars when high sweat rates occur - increase in CHO concenration & resultant slowing of hydratioj rates
- supplements CHO supply for muscular activity
- an immediate fuel source directly from bloodstream to resynthesise ATP
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
CHO gels
Situations
- Compact fuel source for endurance athletes during exercise lasting longer than 90 min - especially where it is impractical to carry large amounts of sports drinks (i.e. cyclists)
- Compact fuel source for team sports athletes during breaks in play during extended training or competition sessions
- Compact &portable source of CHO for post-exercise recovery when regular foods aren’t tolerated
- Low-fibre & compact pre-event snack for athletes unable to tolerate regular foods & fluids
13.2 - Nutritional needs of athletes: CHO
CHO gels
Concerns
- Gastrointestinal intolerance may occur due to concentrated CHO load
- Sports gels should always be consumed with adequate fluid to meet hydration needs
- Athletes should practise use of gels & assess tolerance during training sessions if they are intended for use during competition
- Gels may lead to over-consumption & over-reliance on low-nutrient CHO sources
Gels are an expensive alternative to regular food & fluid choices - supplement should only be used for specific conditions for which its suited
13.3 - Nutritional needs of athletes: proteins
Protein
Functions:
- muscle construction & repair
- promoting glycogen resynthesis
- plays an important role in the immune system
- facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses throughout the nervous system
- preventing sports anaermia by promotion an increased synthesis of haemoglobin, myoglobin & oxidative enzymes
- broken down through digestion into amino acids:
- essential amino acids: cant be made by the body, so must be consumed.
- non-essential amino acids: can be made from other amino acids in the body.
13.3 - Nutritional needs of athletes: proteins
Protein
Structural protein
Regulatory protein
proteins can be classified as:
- structural proteins: build connective tissue, cell membranes & muscle cells
- regulatory proteins: act as enzymes or transported vehicles.
13.3 - Nutritional needs of athletes: proteins
How much protein
- protein plays a key role in post-exercise recovery & repair
- should be 15% of daily intake - strength & endurance athletes require more for growth of muscle tissue
- guideline of 1-2g/kg of BM
- after intense exercise muscle protein is broken down due to catabolic microtrauma from exercise demands
- protein consumption immediately after is essential to reverse the negative protein balance
13.3 - Nutritional needs of athletes: proteins
Protein and CHO
- when consumed together they stimulate a greater release of insulin - enhance amino acid uptake & promote glucose delivery to depleted muscle cells
- 1:4 ratio of protein to CHO for glycogen replinishment immediately
- insulin stimulates protein synthesis & helps to reduce protein breakdown & enhance skeletal muscle protein
13.3 - Nutritional needs of athletes: proteins
Protein supplementation
- protein powders made into shakes or bars
- excess protein can’t be stored - broken down & excreted
- large quantities can place strain on kidney
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Nutritional recovery
- due to frequency of training each meal must be considered carefully so all nutritional requirements are met
- need to avoid chronic CHO depletion - impairs training adaptations & competition performance
- need to acheive optimal work & avoid fatigue from inadequate nutrition
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Factors causing nutrition-related fatigue
- depletion of glycogen stores
- hypoglycaemia
- dehydration
- low blood sodium levels
- gastrointestinal upset
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Nutritional prep for shorter-duration sports
- fatigue isn’t caused by glycogen depletion in high-intensity sports under 60min
- fuelling during events 30min+ can be beneficial - provides brain w/ feed-forward mechanism to increase rate of neural firing, aids in maintaining intensity & preventing fatigue
- fluid replacement should match fluid loss - main focus
- water is adequate in short-duration activities
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Nutritional preperations for moderate intensity/intermitten sports
- sports lasting 60-90min can be fuelled bu ‘normal’ glycogen stores in well-trained athletes
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Nutritional prep for prolonged submaximal events
- atheltes in events 90min+ should consume additional CHO before event (CHO loading)
CHO loading: involves the manipulation of training & nutrition prior to endurance events to maximise muscle glycogen (CHO) stores - increases muscle stores by 50-100%
- should happen 4-8hr before event
- aerobic endurance training trains muscles to store greater amounts of glycogen & use it sparingly
- during event consumption pf 30-60gCHO/hr & fluid replacement is needed
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Fuelling during exercise
- sports less than 90min can be adequately fuelled from stored CHO & fat w/o replinishment
- sports longer than 90min benefit from high GI foods - keeps blood-glucose in normal range, provides extra immediate fuel sources & delays fatigue
- start refuelling early in event having 30-60g CHO with a high GI per hour
- examples of 60g:
- 2 large bananas
- 1.5 sports bars
- 95g of jelly beans
- 1 jam sandwhich
Carbohydration: the combination of hydration w/ the replenishing of CHO lost during activity, in order to avoid dehydration - should replace fluids at 500-1,000mL of fluid/hr
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Nutrition & recovery from exercise
- must restore glycogen & rehydrate asap - immediately after when glycogen synthesis is greatest
- proper ratio of nutrients enhances rebuilding of catabilic mudvlr microtrauma & resotores energy reserves
- should consume CHO rich foods/drinks providing 1-1.5g CHO/kgBM within 30min
- initial couple hrs muscles are more receptive to restoring greater amounts of CHO
*
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Nutrition & recovery from exercise
Main considerations
- consuming high GI foods allows for a faster absorption & resynthesis of glycogen in muscle & liver
- consumption should occur in first 30-60min when muscles are most receptive to converting glucose to glycogen
- a high CHO diet should be maintained for 4-6hrs
- consumption of CHO & protein post-exercise enhances recovery process
- appropriate post-exercise nutiotion will support the immune system
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Combining CHO & protein for enhanced recovery
- CHO & protein work in synergy to enhance recovery
- stimulate insulin production - a powerful anabolic hormone to increase uptake of amino acids and enhance muscular recovery & growth
- combo of high GI foods & fast-digesting (whey) protein is the best recovery combo
13.4 - Nutritional recovery in relation to the type of sport or activity
Recovery nutrition to support the immune system
- intense training supress the immune system & continues in the hrs following
- athletes are more suspectible to illness
- adequate consumption of Vitamin C & E, glutamine, zinc & probiotics reduce risk
- consumption of adequate CHO before, during & after prolonged or high-intensity exercise reduces susceptibility
- CHO reduce stress hormone response & supplies fuel to WBC
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Hydration
- the body needs to replace about 2L of fluid lost daily
- fluid has many functions:
- to transport energy, waste, hormones & antibodies
- dilute waste products
- lubricate surfaces & membranes
- to help regulate body temp
- to be involved in all chemical reactions in the body
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Dehydration
the deficiency in the body’s fluid stores caused by the lack of fluid replacement demanded by physcial activity
- result of thermoregulatory fatigue
- vital to ensure that fluid intake compensates for sweat loss
- develop a good fluid intake before, during & after
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
How much fluid
- 200-600mL prior
- 500-1,000mL per hr of event
- should be drinking early in exercise & consume small volumes (200-300mL) every 15-20min
- replacing body fluids lost is an integral part of training recovery
- in endurance exercise up to 6L or the equivalent of 3-4kg of body weight can be lost through sweat
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Estimated sweat rate & loss during exercise
- measure body weight (kg) before & after at least 1hr of exercise
- post exercise athletes should aim to drink 1.2-1.5L of fluid for each kg lost
- body also loses electrolytes that need to be replaced
- water is suitbale of activity is under 60min
Sports drinks: are specially formulated drinks in which CHO and electrolytes are dissolved - if concentrations are right they can spead up process of absorption & the retention of water in the body
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Over-hydration
- results from athletes trying too hard to prevent dehydration
- hyporantremia (low blood sodium lebels) is a common complication
- develops from drinking too much fluid before, during & after exercise
- inexperience endurance athletes are most at risk
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Signs & symptoms of hyponatremina
- similar to dehydration - thirst will preces other symptoms of dehydration
- symptoms:
- disorientation
- confusion
- headache
- muscle weakness
- nausea & vomiting
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Water vs. sports drinks
- sports drinks rehydrate, replace elctrolytes & replenish CHO
- electrolytes are used by muscle, nerve & cardiac cells to maintain voltages across their membranes & allow electrical messages across them
- higher CHO in a drink the slower the rate of stomach emptying
- elecrolytes reduce urine output, enbale fluid to empty quickly from the stomach, promote absorption from the intestine & encoruage fluid retention
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Types of sports drinks
Isotonic
6-8% CHO 4-8g CHO/100mL
- CHO & electrolytes provide flavouring & taste that can increase polatability & stimulate consumption
- sodium aids retention of consumed fluids w/in intracellular spaces w/o inhibiting thirst mechanism
- CHOs aid in enerjy replenishment
- have the same osmolality as the blood
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Types of sports drinks
Hypotonic
low CHO level (<6%) <4gCHO/100mL
- quickly repace fluids & electrolytes lost throigh sweat
- low osmolality
- more diluted - absorbed at a faster rate than water
- suitable for athletes who need fluids w/o added CHO or electrolytes
- e.g. jockeys, athletes in hot, humid conditions
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Types of sports drinks
1. Hypertonic
high CHO lebels (>8%) >8gCHO/100mL
- help to meet energy requirements during & after prolonger endurance & utra-distance events
- higher osmolality than blood - absorption is slower than water
- ingested after exercise to resynthesise muscle glycogen stores & during exrecise to top up blood-glusocse levels to meet energy requirements
- during exercise they need to be comsumed in conjuction w/ water or isotonic drinks to replace fluids effectively
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Sports drinks
Application of consumption
Before: useful to fine tune fluid & fuel intake. the CHO can increase CHO availability & added sodium may redice urine loss before exercise
during: primarily designed for exercise longer than 90min by providing optimal fluid/fuel delivery. may allow athlete to perform for longer & more effectively by prociding energy to working muscles & brain
recovery: help meet nutrient recovery goals by replacing fluid & electrolyyes lost in sweat & helping to replave glyocogen stores. if there was limited time bewtween sessions drinks w/ higher sodium concentration will promote more effective reydration. to meet all recovery goals drinks should be consumed w food providing adequate CHO, protein & other essential nutrients
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
When to use water or sports drinks
- Use water when…
a. Exercising to lose weight
b. Exercising for an hour or less- Consider using a sports drink:
a. For fuel when doing intense sustained exercise for 90+ min. You need at least 30gCHO/hr
b. When the outcome of a competition is more important and the individual needs to perform at your best. Using small amount every 10-15min can make you feel like your working harder
- Consider using a sports drink:
13.5 - Hydration needs of athletes
Intravenous drips
IV hydration: the provision of fluids, usually saline into a vein to correct fluid and electrolytw deficits in people unable to do this normally by eating and drinking
- a prhibited substance by WADA
- corrects fluid, CHO & electrolyte deficits in those unable to do so through eating/drinking
- delivers fluids & nutirents directly into bloodstream
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Sports psychology
the sports science that seeks to understand psychological and mental factors that affect performance in sports, physical activity, and exercise, and applying these to individual & team performance
- focus is on techniques that can be used to maintain control
- psychological skills training (PST) helps to make adjustments to actions, thoguhts feelings and physical sensations
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Sleep
- essential for gaining anabolic effects of training
- plays a role in:
- tissue growth and repair
- immune function
- allowing the brain to rest & recharge
- essential for recovery & performance
- lack of slepp has psychological effects - reduced concentration & visual processing ability
- improves:
- weight control
- reaction time
- stamina
- recovery
- accuracy
- motivation
- decision making
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Sleep
Sleep hygiene
the routine an individual goes through befroe falling asleep
- essential for a good nights sleep
- quantity & quality of sleep are important
- establishing a pre-sleep routine is important
- following factors imperative to quality sleep:
- switching off from the days activities
- slowing down the functioning of the brain
- going to bed when tired
- avoiding screen time close to bed
- avoiding stimulants
- dont consume large meals directly before bed - 4hr before bed
- relaxation techniques assist w/ winding down before bed
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Confidence
self-confidence: what an individual has when thye believe that they can successfully perform a task & achieve their goal
- when they have self-confidence they will:
- persevere when things aren going to plan
- show enthusiasm & motivation
- be positive in approach & take share of responsibilty
self confident athletes will:
- believe in themselves/skills
- exhibit positive emotions
- remain calm under pressure
- think more positively
- have a greater ability to follow, understand & execute game plans
- can be lost if athlete focuses on things outside of their control or become overly critical of individual performance
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Choking
can cause…
when an athlete fails to perform effectively under pressure conditions
- can result from attnetional chnages or include physical changes including increased HR, RR & muscle tension
- anxiety about performing the skill correctly & under pressure can result in impaired performance
- often occurs at crucial times, resulting in:
- increase on negative self talk
- poor judgement & decision making - results in poor skill execution
- decrease in selective attention & inability to attend to relevant cues
- rushing skills
- decrease in coordination & timing due to muscular tension
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Confidence
Will have confidence by:
- knowing what to do
- knowing how to do it
- having the resources & ability to do it
- knowning when to do it
- wanting to do it
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Confidence
Atheletes can build confidence by:
- working hard at training
- practising good self-management
- rewarding themselves when successful
- recording/loggin success
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Motivation
a reason for participating in an activity
- successful performance depends on the athlete being fully committed & motivated to achieving goals
- linked to satisifcation gained from participation from achieving ambitions
- high levels exhibit:
- a desire for success
- a willingness to take risks
- acknowledgment of their own ability as crucial to their success
- ability to increase their effort and concentration as the task difficulty increase
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Motivation
Goal setting
setting plans to work torwards achieving specific and beneficial objectives & results
- a widely used method for motivation
- to be successful it needs to meet the following criteria based on the acronym: SMARTER
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Motivation
SMARTER
Specific - athletes & coaches should make goals as specific and detailed as possible
Measurable - goals should be measurable & assessed against a standard or previous performance otherwise there isnt a way to determine if they were achieved
Accepted - all parties invovled in te setting of goals should accept them
Realistic - goals need to be challenging, but also achievable. they should be framed in a positive manner & focused most importantly an improvement, rather than just winning
Timeframed - short-term & long-term goals should be set & there should be a specific date for when they will be achieved
Exciting - the goals set should challenge, excite & inspire
Recorded - agreed goals should be recorded by the coach & athlete to provide a constant reminder and act as the motivation
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Motivation
Goal setting - goal categories
Outcome goals: related to the overall results of a competition
performance goals: related to the athletes own personal level of performance irrespective of others
progress goals: related to performance goals but the athlete focuses on the physical movement or game strategy aspects
13.6 - Psychological strategies: sleep, confidence & motivation
Motivation
Intrinsic & extrinsic motivation
Intrinsic: comes from within
occurs when factors like enjoyment/satisfaction or improvement are the primary motivation
Extrinsic: external factors
involve a form if material benefit
- intrinsic is more desirable - serves as more powerful & sustainable source
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Performance anxiety
Anxiety: an emotional state associated w heightened arousal
- maladaptive
- associated w heightened arousal & interpreting a situation as threatening
- negatively affects performance
- manifests itselfs in 2 ways:
- physical (somatic) anxiety - butterflies, nausea
- mental (cognitive) anxiety - worrying, negative thoughts
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Performance anixety - factors affecting it
- importance of the event/competition: more important, more anxity
- level of spectator support: home ground advantage
- individual vs. team sports: individual sports are more anxious due to sense of isolation
- expectation of success: individuals & teams can be affected by the expectation that they will win
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Arousal & performance
Arousal: the readiness an individual experiences when faced w a sporting situation or task
- continuum
- degree of activation experienced when faced w a sporting situation
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Arousal & performance - drive theory
If athlete is appropriately skilled it will help them to perform well if their drive to compete is aroused
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Arousal and performance - inverted-u hypothesis
- predicts that the relationship between arousal and performance approximates an inverted-u shape
- arousal increases as performance imporves - only up to a certain point
- moderate degree of arousal is optimal for performance
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Arousal and performance - optimum arousal theory
- will perform best if arousal is within optimum zone
- differs between athletes - maintaing performance involves finding this
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Techniques to decrease arousal - progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)
- undergo a series of exercises leading to PMR & eventually total body relaxation
- tensing one muscle group at a time then releasing
- induces a state of mental relaxation & calmness
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Techniques to decrease arousal - controlled beathing
- releases tension & anxiety before & during activity
- helps focus for next action
- during over-arousal breathing is disrupted
- ensures enough oxygen is taken up - relaxes athelte & provides a greater sense of control
- beneficial in sports/skills requiring significant concentration & focus
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Techniques to decrease arousal - meditation
- involves focusing the mind on a particular thing for a period of time
- can involve using a mantra or blanic meditation
- reduces stress before event
- calms & relaxes mind & body
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Techniques to decrease arousal - biofeedback
- learn to recognise cues that inform them of their relatedness
- can be physcial indicators or mental indicators
- data generally analysed is HR, BP & respiratory responses
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Techniques to decrease arousal - stress inoculation training (SIT)
- involves the athlete being exposed to increasing levels of stress
- builds up to levels similar to those imposed during competition
- 3 stages:
1. conceptualisation stage - awareness of positive & neagtive thoughts
2. rehersal - learning to use coping strategires
3. application stage - practising the coping strategies initially in low-stress situations & gradually progressing to high stress situations
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Techniques to increase arousal - elevated breathing rate & act energetic
elevated breathing rate: taking short, sharp breathing can trigger CNS into increased state of awareness
act energetic: increasing physical intensity and ‘pumping themselves up’ when feeling low
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Techniques to increase arousal - positive self-talk & energising imagery
self-talk: repeating positive self affirmations can increase arousal
imagery: visualising something uplifting to increase arousal
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Maintaining control
Techinques to increase arousal - use of music, & pre-competition workout
use of music: a common strategy used to control arousal. has a physical & emotional impact w the ability to inspire & motivate
workout: raise arousal levels before competition through warm up exercises
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Mental imagery
invovles an athlete visualising that they are performing a skill flawlessly without making any physical movements
- variety of techniques use it:
- mental practice: used for a specific movement/skill
- mental rehersal: used for a complete athletic performance. involves as much detail possible, visualising them flawlessly in a game environment
- mental review: recounts a past performance, including learning from an negative aspects & moving past to focus on positive responses
- self-affirmation: improves self-confidence by imaging successful performances
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Mental imagery
simulation
simulation: training in an environment specifically designed to emulate actual conditions during competition.
- should be used w mental imagery for max effect
- avhieved by making the physcial training environment at simular to game demands
- works on the theory that athletes will learn to concentrate effectively in actual situations
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Concentration
the ability to focus on a task at hand & ignore distractions
- key to successful performance
- common distractions incude:
- anxiety
- public announcements
- skill error/mistakes
- fatigue
- negative thoughts
13.7 - Psychological strategies: arousal, mental imagery & concentration
Concentration
Improving concentration strategies
- centered or controlled breathing
- mental imagery and rehersal
- positive self-talk & cue words
- utilising a pre-performance routine
Psychological strategies - additional content
Concentration
3 parts
- focusing on the relavant evironmental cues: known as selective attention and enables players to block out irrelevant cues
- maintaing attention focus over time: maintaining focus over extended periods of time and not allowing concentration lapses to occur
- having awareness of the situation: the ability to size up the game situation, opponents and other environmental factors and bring about the most appropriate response. The key skill relates to being able to focus attention on specific tasks and situations so the body can work in synchrony
Psychological strategies - additional content
Attention
- can be described in terms of width and direction
width: how narrow or broad it is
direction: either an internal or external focus
Psychological strategies - additional content
Attention
4 types
- Borad Internal focus: focus on thoughts and feelings
- Broad External focus: focus outwards on an opponent’s actions
- Narrow Internal focus: focus on thoughts and mentally rehearsing upcoming movements
- Narrow External focus: focus on very few external cues
