Lesson 5

Question 1

What are all the sports psychology strategies we covered?

Answer 1

1. Mental rehearsal
2. Self talk
3. Trigger words
4. Attention and concentration techniques.
5. Refocusing plans
6. Thought stopping
7. Relaxation and Energiser Techniques
8. Progressive muscle relaxation
9. Abdominal Breathing
10. Mindfulness and meditation
11. Listening to music
12. Performance routines

Question 2

What are tigger words?

Answer 2

Trigger words are instructional delf-talk that an athlete says to themselves as a reminder of what to do.

Question 3

Why are tigger words used?

Answer 3

Trigger words are useful when an athlete has trouble with over-arousal, anxiety or confidence.

Question 3

What do trigger words prevent?

Answer 3

Not using them can lead the to loss of concentration and a default to a less desirable action.

Question 4

How do trigger words work?

Answer 4

Saying a trigger word helps athletes to re-focus and concentrate on performing the desired response instead.

Question 5

Why are Attention and concentration techniques important in sports.

Answer 5

“During performance, maintaining concentration and ignoring relevant clues are vital for sustained successful play” (Amezdroz et.al, 2018).

Question 6

Why do some techniques that are normally used not apply to sports?

Answer 6

You can’t always use music or headphones to block out external distractions.

Question 7

What are 2 examples techniques that can be employed to assist and enhance attention and concentration and have a positive outcome on performance?

Answer 7

Refocusing plans
and
Thought stopping

Question 8

What is a Refocusing plan?

Answer 8

Studies have shown that elite athletes refocus faster on the next task then amateur athletes. This skill is also known as resetting.
Resetting “allows the athlete to recenter their focus on the present moment and stay emotionally under control” (Sports psychology movement institute, 2024)

Question 9

Why do athletes need refocusing plans?

Answer 9

One of the biggest mental struggles for athletes is letting go of mistakes.
Often athletes dwell on their mistakes allowing them to control their emotions and ultimately their performance.

Question 10

Refocusing plans need to be complex and thought out? True or False

Answer 10

False
often a refocusing plan can be as simple as positive, technical self-talk clues such as “hit the ball at its peak” or “slow your swing”

Question 11

What is thought stopping?

Answer 11

Thought stopping is about identifying when negative self talk is impacting your performances and putting some strategies in place to address this process.

Question 12

What are examples of thought stopping techniques?

Answer 12

Saying a key word out loud when you recognise negative thoughts creeping into your head.
Finding small distractions from the negative thoughts that allow you to focus on your goal.
And the Catch check change technique

Question 13

What is the Catch check change technique ?

Answer 13

The Catch check change technique is,1 Catching your thoughts.
2 checking if they are positive or negative and if they are effecting your performance.
3 change the negative thought into something better now that you are aware it is there and effecting you.

Question 14

What is Relaxation?

Answer 14

“Relaxation is the state in which one is physically and psychologically free from uncontrolled tension, anxiety and negative thoughts.
Its commonly characterised buy felling of ease, looseness and readiness

Question 15

What is the aim of relaxation training

Answer 15

The aim of relaxation training is to physiologically calm the body, shift attention away from anxiety-creating thoughts and ultimately achieve optimal levels of arousal.

Question 16

Why are relaxation techniques important?

Answer 16

Relaxation training is important in maintaining optimal arousal in both training and competition performance. Its also a useful mechanism for assisting in good sleep patterns.

Question 17

What are Energizer techniques?

Answer 17

Energizer techniques can lift an athletes mood, mindset, arousal and motivation.
They are techniques that improve performance as a result of improving personal psychological state” (Amezdroz et.al, 2018).

Question 18

What are 4 examples of relaxation techniques?

Answer 18

Progressive muscle relaxation
Abdominal breathing
Mindfulness and meditation
Listening to music.

Question 19

What does PMR stand for?

Answer 19

Progressive muscle relaxation

Question 20

What is Progressive Muscle relaxation?

Answer 20

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a form of therapy that involves tightening and relaxing your muscle groups , one at a time, in a specific pattern.

Question 21

What is the goal of PMR?

Answer 21

The goal is to release tension from your muscles, while helping you recognise what tension feels like.
When practiced regularly this technique au help you manage the psychological effects of stress anxiety and tension.”

Question 22

What is abdominal breathing?

Answer 22

They are breathing exercises that can be key to controlling anxiety and muscle tension.

Question 23

What are the benefits of abdominal breathing?

Answer 23

Helping you relax
Improving muscle function during exercises and preventing strain
Increasing ow much oxygen is in our blood
Making it easier for your body to release gas wate from your lungs
Reducing blood pressure
Reducing heart rate.

Question 24

Why is meditation/mindfulness used??

Answer 24

Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, improve sleep patterns and recovery times, enhance endurance and improve self-identity.

Question 25

Why do athletes listen to music?

Answer 25

Music can be used by athletes to evoke a psychological response. It can be used to help achieve optimal levels of arousal by both raising and lowering arousal levels based on choice of music.

Question 26

What does mindfulness/meditation achieve?

Answer 26

This results in higher self-confidence and enhanced performance.
Meditation increases an athlete’s awareness of and connection to their body, and is used by many elite athletes to optimise their performance.” (Amezdrox et.al, 2018)