Core 2 - Psychological Strategies to Enhance Motivation and Manage Anxiety

Question 1

What are the Psychological strategies?

Answer 1

• concentration/attention skills (focusing)
• mental rehearsal/visualisation/imagery
• relaxation techniques
• goal setting

Question 2

Outline ‘Concentration/ Attention skills’ in terms of specific examples and how is it all beneficial

Answer 2

Concentration is the ability to focus + maintain attention on appropriate cues:
- Athletes need to be able to shut out distractions and focus on things that matter
- External distractions include weather, noise, movement
- Internal distractions include own thoughts about performance, thoughts about the coach, refereeing other players

Strategies to assist with concentration:
- Music, cues, set routines, training with distractions, practising refocusing, selective attention = narrow focus on relevant info, Trigger words = to bring focus back,

Question 3

What are ‘Mental Rehearsal’ and ‘Visualisation’ - include examples and ‘guidelines’ as to how they should be executed.

(these two phrases fall with ‘Imagery’ in the syllabus, so mention that too in a response)

Answer 3

Two major types of imagery used are mental rehearsal and visualisation:

Mental Rehearsal:
- Allows the athlete to experience the skill before it has actually occurred
- Useful for golf, archery, and long jump

Guidelines (how it should be executed by an athlete):
- Performed from athletes’ point of view
- Be successful, from start to finish

Visualisation:
- Differs due to lack of reality that can exist in the mental image
- If athletes trying to relax can focus on an image + scenario that calmed them down

• If trying to increase confidence can use more stimulating visualisation e.g. winning gold

Guidelines:
- Should be from the spectator’s perspective
- Rehearsed prior to competition
- Successful outcome

Question 4

Outline ‘Relaxation Techniquies’ - including specific methods

Answer 4

• Athletes susceptible to over-arousal need strategies to calm down + lower levels
• Allows greater control over movement + focus

Methods:
- Music (shouldn’t become overly dependent on what can’t have in the performance environment), controlled breathing (counting), meditation, yoga, progressive muscular relaxation( increasing tension of certain muscles then releasing + focusing on the relaxation occurring in the muscle)

(Don’t need to know all, just 1-2 with a general understanding)

Question 5

Outline ‘Goal Setting’ - more specifically what goals should be

Answer 5

A process which identifies a destination (long-term goals e.g. making the Olympic team) and how to get there (short-term goals)

Goals should be:
S- specific (clearly defined)
M – measurable (quantifiable)
A – adjustable
R – realistic (within limits)
T – time (timeframe defined to achieve)
E – evaluate (ensures realistic + achievable)
R – rewarded (personal satisfaction, prize money)