psychological skills training

Question 1

what is psychological skills training?

Answer 1

the consistent practice of mental of psychological skills for the purpose of enhancing perforance, increasing enjoyment or achieving self-satisfaction

Question 2

what is mental toughness?

Answer 2

athletes ability to focus, rebound from failure, cope with pressure, persist in the face of adversity and be mentally resilient (PST targets building and developing these mental skills)

interaction between person and environment

Question 3

what is in the 4C model of mental toughness?

Answer 3

control - influential > controlled
commitment - pursuing goals
challenge - thriving under threat
confidence - belief in self

Question 4

name of questionnaire regarding mental toughness?

Answer 4

Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire

Question 5

how does the social-cognitive view mental toughness?

Answer 5

the individual and their perception of the situation will determine whether they act in a mentally tough manner

Question 6

what do some athletes attribute their mental toughness to?

Answer 6

factors tha are “caught” (not done deliberately to build mental toughness) e.g supportive parents and tough practices

Question 7

how can coaches enhance mental toughness?

Answer 7

positive motivational practice environment
intense compeitive practices
creating simulation
setting specific goals

Question 8

what percentage of sport do coaches consider to be mental?

Answer 8

at least 50%

Question 9

which sports are viewed as more mental and how much?

Answer 9

golf, tennis and figure skating

80-90%

Question 10

how mental did Connors describe tennis as?

Answer 10

95%

Question 11

what 3 things mae up superior performance knowledge?

Answer 11

knowing how to maximise your potential - knowing, stretching and sustaining yourself

knowing how to work with your environment - knowing, shaping and being in tune with your environment

knowing how to deliver high performance - planning & preparing, delivering and evaluating

Question 12

what are the 3 reasons that coaches and players neglect PST?

Answer 12

lack of knowledge

misunderstandings about psychological skills

lack of time

Question 13

what is meant by lack of knowledge?

Answer 13

people don’t understand / feel comfotable in teaching or practicing psychological skills

Question 14

how do coaches suggest psychological skills could be made more “user friendly”?

Answer 14

develop hands on, concrete examples and exercises
develop more mental skills training resources
involve coaches in mental skills coach education programmes

Question 15

were coaches and administrators more supportive about players receiving mental training for personal or performance issues?

Answer 15

performance

Question 16

main ‘barrier’ in hiring sport psychlogist consultants?

Answer 16

finances

Question 17

what is meant by misunderstandings about psychological skills?

Answer 17

misconception that champions are born equipped with the right mental skills to succeed and that they’re innate and can’t be taught

Question 18

most important reason for tennis coaches not teaching mental skills?

Answer 18

lack of time

Question 19

is there an increase in athletes openness in seeking mental training?

Answer 19

yes

Question 20

which mental skills are team sport athletes more interested in?

Answer 20

group cohesion and team dynamics

Question 21

which mental skills are individual sport athletes more interested in?

Answer 21

skills that would imporve performance

Question 22

what are 4 myths relating to PST?

Answer 22

PST is for “problem” athletes only who have psychological or clinical problems

PST is for elite training only

PST provides “quick fix” solutions

PST is not useful

Question 23

what 2 sources provide the knowledge base for PST?

Answer 23

research studies conducted with elite athletes

experience of coaches and athletes

Question 24

out of 15, how many olympians interviewed by Greenleaf said they used PST?

Answer 24

13

Question 25

reported by coaches and athletes, what would they find most useful in PST programmes?

Answer 25

``` arousal regulation imagery confidence building increasing motivation and commitment concentration skills coping with injury ```

Question 26

which interventions have been found to improve performance in athletes?

Answer 26

educationally based psychological interventions

Question 27

out of 45studies of psychological interventions, how many showed positive performance effects? but how may direct cause-effect relationships?

Answer 27

38 so 85% | 20

Question 28

intervention appropriate and not appropriate for low levels of narcissism?

Answer 28

low levels - emotional control | not appropriate - self-talk and relaxation strategies

Question 29

3 aspects of effective sport psycholigist consultants?

Answer 29

building connection with athletes buidlng professional consultation relationship meeting athletes needs

Question 30

what are the 3 phases of PST programmes?

Answer 30

education acquisition practice

Question 31

what occurs in the education phase?

Answer 31

convince them that acquiring psychological skills has a positive effect o their performance raise awarness of optimal arousal levels and challenge them to measure themselves raise awareness of skills

Question 32

what occurs in the acquisition phase?

Answer 32

tailor specific strategies and techniques to fit the indivdual and the situations they face teach them how and when to perform these skills

Question 33

what occurs in the practice phase?

Answer 33

automate skills through overlearning teach people to integrate the skills into their performance situations simulate skills which need to be applied in competition

Question 34

what is the ultimate goal of PST?

Answer 34

for the individual to self-regulate (monitor and manage ones thoughts, feelings and behaviours)

Question 35

what is contained in Kirschenbaum's 5 stage model of self-regulation?

Answer 35

problem identification commitment - to change execution environmental management - e.g seeing SPC generalisation - extending beh. to other situations

Question 36

what is the certification required to be a qualified sport psychology consultant?

Answer 36

AASP

Question 37

at what time is it best to administer an PST programme? | and why?

Answer 37

in the off-season or during preseason | more time to learn new skills and not pressured about winning

Question 38

name of programme developed for less skilled athletes in high school?

Answer 38

UNIFORM

Question 39

characteristics of ineffective SPCs?

Answer 39

lacked sensitivity to needs of individual athletes poor interpersonal skills relied on "canned" approach when implimenting psychological skills

Question 40

how to develop a PST programme? 5 steps and what they include

Answer 40

discuss your approach - highlight the educational value and that it is not for those who have a "problem". differences between eduational and clinical consultants and sell approach assess athletes mental skills - in greater need if performance is not consistent across training and different levels of competition. using semistructured interviews (don't ask why questions in first interview) and inventories and subjective (unethical to ask others) and objective. provide feedback over strengths and weaknesses determine which psychological skills to include - foundation, performance, personal development and team skills designing a schedule - better to hold frequent short meetings both formal and informal. periodisation evaluating the programme - interviews and rating scales as a form of feedback and also look at stats

Question 41

examples of psychometric assessments?

Answer 41

test of attentional and interpersonal style sport anxiety scale test of performance strategies trait-state confidence inventory

Question 42

stregths of performance profiles from both the athletes and SPCs perspectives?

Answer 42

increases self-awareness provides basis for goal setting motivates athlete to improve

Question 43

what are foundation skills and examples?

Answer 43

basic mental skills necessary to achieve success self-awareness and confidence

Question 44

what are performance skills and examples?

Answer 44

mental abilities critical to the execution of skills during sporting performance energy management attentional focus

Question 45

what are personal development skills and examples?

Answer 45

mental skills that represent significant maturational markers of personal development identity achieve interpersonal competence

Question 46

what are team skills and exampes?

Answer 46

collective qualities of the team which are instrumental in overall team success leadership cohesion

Question 47

what does periodisation mean? why is it important?

Answer 47

planned variation in key training variables (volume and intensity) over training cycles maintain peak performance whilst avoiding burnout and overtraining

Question 48

what are the 3 phases of periodisation?

Answer 48

preparatory competitive peaking

Question 49

what are the 4 common problems in implementing a PST programme?

Answer 49

lack of conviction lack of time lack of sport knowledge lack of follow-up

Question 50

how many hours does it take to become an expert?

Answer 50

around 10 000 over a decade

Question 51

how many hours to reach an acceptable level of performance?

Answer 51

less than 50