CHAPTER 15 – Confidence, Concentration, Mental Toughness, and Peak Performance

Question 1

In general, what is peak performance?

Answer 1

• Used to refer an outstanding athletic performance.

Question 2

From a behavioural perspective, what is confidence and what is it not?

Answer 2

• Confidence is not necessarily an internal cause of successful athletic performance, but more of a summary label used to describe athletes who have performed well in recent practice or competition and who show certain behaviour patterns that would be described collectively as illustrating the belief that they will perform well.

Question 3

List four steps for developing confidence and concentration at practices.

Answer 3

1. Develop skills to a high level with practice drills.
2. Teach orientation to proper cues.
3. Transfer the control of sport skills from rules to natural cues.
4. Athletes should perform well in simulations.

Question 4

List seven steps for maintaining confidence on the day of a competition.

Answer 4

1. Athletes should have a restful, stress-free day prior to competing.
2. Athletes should relive best performances.
3. Athletes should focus on what they can control, bot on the uncontrollable.
4. Athletes should focus on realistic goals for execution or performance standards rather than worrying about outcome.
5. Athletes should focus on their strengths, not on their limitations or mistakes,
6. Athletes should use “countering” or “reframing” to counteract negative thoughts.
7. Athletes should prepare and follow a competition plan.

Question 5

Describe the inverted-U relationship between arousal and performance.

Answer 5

• Or a bell-curve of a level of performance and the level of arousal. At its peak lies athletic peak performance where the athlete feels “loose, lots of energy, feels really sharp, has quick reactions, and on top of your game.” (227)

Question 6

To what does an optimal level of arousal refer?

Answer 6

• The level of physiological arousal associated with peak performance; be in control of their emotions and arousal while still feeling physically relaxed.

Question 7

Suppose that an athlete’s level of arousal is far too low for a peak performance to occur. List four things that an athlete can do to increase their level of arousal.

Answer 7

• The athlete can use energizing imagery, energizing mood words, physical actions (such as high fives), and energizing music.

Question 8

Suppose that an athlete`s level or arousal is too high for peak performance to occur. List four things that an athlete can do to increase their level of arousal.

Answer 8

• The athlete can use deep-center breathing, muscle tensing and relaxing, using relaxing mood words, use of humour, and “tuning out” during breaks.

Question 9

Using an example, illustrate a solution to the problem of an athlete who experiences interfering emotions.

Answer 9

• If a basketball player steals the ball and fails a lay-up for easy points, they might get angered. Those emotions may linger and impede on future performance within that game. A solution would be to relax, regroup, and refocus. Athletes should be encouraged to practice strategies beforehand to use in game.

Question 10

Using an example, illustrate the solution to an athlete who loses concentration during a competition because of thinking too far ahead.

Answer 10

• For a doubles badminton team, during the first few serves an athlete hits the shuttlecock out of bounds in succession. While the anxiety beings to spike, they fear that they’ll lose the game and they won’t win gold. Using self-talk to focus on the here and now should control their behaviour at that particular point in time, rather than thinking too far ahead.