Interventions Flashcards
What is the purpose of performance profiling?
The aim of performance profiling is for athletes and their coaches to identify the characteristics needed to be successful in their sport
What characteristics can performance profiling assess?
Strengths and weaknesses in physical/biomechanical/technical/psychological characteristics
Name 5 applications of performance profiling
1) Provides motivation to improve
2) Providing a basis for goal setting
3) Identifying strengths and weaknesses
4) Develops athlete’s self-awareness
5) Can be used to monitor and evaluate progress
How does the visual nature of performance profiling help?
Will give the athlete a clear picture of their position at any time
What are the 3 processes of performance profiling?
Identifying constructs, assessment of constructs, and utilising results from assessment
What is the process of performance profiling?
1) An athlete will be asked “What psychological factors do you consider to be most important in helping you to achieve your best performance?”
2) From this they will come up with 10 factors, which are then called “constructs”
3) The athlete will then rank themselves 1-10 to show their current level on each construct
4) They would then rate how far they would like to progress towards their idea of perfection
5) From this data the coach and athlete can work together to progress the athlete
What is goal setting used to develop?
Motivation in an individual or team
Why is goal setting hard?
Goals that are too easy will only produce short term motivation, and goals that are too hard will produce demotivation as they are too hard to achieve
What is the timescale for a short-term goal?
1 day to 3 months
What is the timescale for a medium-term goal?
3 to 6 months
What is the timescale for a long-term goal?
6 months to several years
Why is it important to set both short and long-term goals?
It guarantees optimal levels of motivation for the longest period of time
What are the 3 types of goals?
Performance, outcome and process goals
What are outcome goals? Provide an example
They focus on the outcome of a competition or event
E.g. Winning a 100m sprint in the Olympics
What are performance goals?
They focus on achieving a certain standard of performance
E.g. Decreasing your 100m sprint time from 11s to 10s
What are process goals?
They focus on the processes or actions that an individual must produce to perform well
E.g. Ensuring you have correct block form for a 100m sprint
Usually, what type of goals are short-term goals?
Short-term goals are usually process goals
Usually, what type of goals are long-term goals?
Long-term goals are usually outcome goals
What is a mastery goal, and give an example
They are set with the aim of mastering specific skills or techniques
E.g., A footballer may break down their performance into a set of techniques that they need to master to improve their performance, like long passing
What is a competitive goal, and give an example
They are set for achieving specific thing in competitions
These may relate to the outcome of the competition but they could also relate to the individual skills that underpin the overall performance
E.g, A footballer may aim to be successful with 85% of their passes
When setting goals, you must use what principle?
SMART target
What does the SMART target stand for?
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timebound
What are the 3 types of imagery?
Visual, auditory and kin-aesthetic sense
What is imagery?
A skill that involves creating or recreating experiences in your mind
What is visual imagery?
Involves seeing yourself performing skills or behaving in certain ways
Why would an athlete use visual imagery?
They can use them to mentally rehearse a skill they are about to perform
Will help them to understand exactly what they are about to do, to remove any doubt or fear
What are the 2 perspectives of visual imagery?
Internal perspective - 1st person
External perspective - 3rd person
Generally speaking, what perspective is more useful, internal or external?
Internal
However external can be useful if you want to observe body language or behavior
What is auditory imagery?
Listening to sounds that you would usually hear when performing
What is kinaesthetic sense?
Describes the feelings that you have when you are performing a skill
E.g., holding something, or the emotions/feelings that you experience
How does imagery work?
When you imagine yourself performing a skill, the brain is unable to differentiate between a real experience and an imagined experience
The brain then sends impulses to the muscles
These impulses are not strong enough to produce a muscular contraction
The impulses are passed down the nervous system, the pattern becomes imprinted on the nervous system and is there ready for whenever you physically perform the skill
What are 5 ways that imagery can be used?
1) Reducing anxiety and stress
2) Influencing self-confidence
3) Imagining goals
4) Mental rehearsal
5) Pre-performance routines
How can imagery be used to reduce anxiety and stress?
You can imagine yourself in an environment that is calming, e.g. on holiday
This can help your body and mind to relax, therefore decreasing anxiety and stress
How can imagery be used to influence self-confidence?
By imagining yourself successfully performing skills/performing well, this can build up feelings that you actually will be successful
You could also imagine yourself behaving in a self-confident way with positive body language
How can imagery be used to imagine goals?
You can imagine yourself achieving a goal, e.g. finishing a marathon
This could increase motivation for you to then achieve these goals
It is important that the goals you imagine are big and bold, as these will have a greater impact on you
How can imagery be used for mental rehearsal?
Mental rehearsal embeds positive feelings
A popular technique to use is recalling past events where you performed well, and then applying these feelings to the performance you are about to produce
How does imagery help with pre-performance routines?
These are the steps that a sports person goes through before they perform a specific skill
Some of the routine may be physical but it will also involve imagery as they rehearse their skill
What are the 2 types of self-talk?
Positive and negative
Give an example of positive self-talk
“Play hard” - Mood words
“Swing slowly” - Command words
“You can do this” - Affirmation
What are 3 uses of self-talk?
1) Building self-confidence
2) Arousal control
3) Pre-performance routines
How does self-talk build self-confidence?
Self-talk can help to create feelings and thoughts that help you to believe that you can be successful and have the competency to achieve the task in hand
How does self-talk control arousal levels?
Self-talk can help you to calm down when arousal levels become to high
Phrases such as “breathe deeply” or “relax” will decrease arousal levels
How can self-talk help with pre-performance routines?
As part of a pre-performance routine, you can use self-talk to encourage yourself to do certain things during performance, e.g. breathe slowly
How will negative self-talk impact performance?
It may result in the athlete beginning to doubt their own abilities, and can diminish motivation and self-confidence
What are the 2 types of arousal controlling techniques?
Ones that lower arousal
E.g., relaxation
Ones that increase arousal
E.g., energising
What are 3 types of relaxation techniques?
1) Progressive muscular relaxation (PMR)
2) Mind-to-muscle techniques
3) Breathing control
What is PMR?
Progressive muscular relaxation (PMR) is the process of tensing and relaxing muscles
It is done by following a recorded script that takes you through the muscles of the body
How does PMR help?
It teaches you the difference between a tensed and a relaxed muscle, so if when performing you notice that your muscles are tense, you can then quickly relax them
PMR is particularly effective for sports performances with high ……. anxiety and …….. stress
PMR is particularly effective for sports performances with high somatic anxiety and negative stress
For individuals with high cognitive anxiety, what arousal controlling techniques are better suited than PMR?
Imagery or mental relaxation may be more effective
What are mind-to-muscle techniques?
By imagining a calming, relaxing environment in your head, the aim is that as your mind becomes more relaxed, these feelings of relaxation will spread to your whole body
How do mind-to-muscle techniques control arousal?
The feelings of relaxation will replace the tension in the mind and the body, and lower arousal levels to the optimum point of arousal
What is breathing control?
By controlling your breathing, it is a method that is used to reduce muscle tension and to lower anxiety levels
How can you use breathing control to relax your body?
By breathing deeper and slower, it will produce mental and physical relaxation
What are energising techniques?
Techniques that are used to increase arousal levels
What are the 3 types of energising techniques?
1) Increasing breathing rate
2) Pep talks
3) Energising music
How does increasing breathing rate increase your arousal?
By breathing short deep breaths, this will produce energy and help raise arousal levels
How do pep talks increase arousal?
Having someone talk to you in a very animated and upbeat way will increase arousal
You can use self-talk as a pep talk by using positive, reaffirmative phrases such as “you can do this” or “be confident”
How does listening to energetic music increase arousal levels?
Listening to upbeat, energetic music can produce energy before training or a competition, therefore increasing arousal levels
What is energising imagery?
Positive feelings can be created by imagining certain images in your mind
Often athletes think of animals that have attributes that relate to their sport
E.g., a sprinter imagining a cheetah
How does positive statements increase arousal?
Reading/hearing positive statements such as “tackle hard” or “burn hot” will create energy in the individual
