psychological skills training Flashcards
what is psychological skills training?
the consistent practice of mental of psychological skills for the purpose of enhancing perforance, increasing enjoyment or achieving self-satisfaction
what is mental toughness?
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
what is in the 4C model of mental toughness?
control - influential > controlled
commitment - pursuing goals
challenge - thriving under threat
confidence - belief in self
name of questionnaire regarding mental toughness?
Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire
how does the social-cognitive view mental toughness?
the individual and their perception of the situation will determine whether they act in a mentally tough manner
what do some athletes attribute their mental toughness to?
factors tha are “caught” (not done deliberately to build mental toughness) e.g supportive parents and tough practices
how can coaches enhance mental toughness?
positive motivational practice environment
intense compeitive practices
creating simulation
setting specific goals
what percentage of sport do coaches consider to be mental?
at least 50%
which sports are viewed as more mental and how much?
golf, tennis and figure skating
80-90%
how mental did Connors describe tennis as?
95%
what 3 things mae up superior performance knowledge?
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
what are the 3 reasons that coaches and players neglect PST?
lack of knowledge
misunderstandings about psychological skills
lack of time
what is meant by lack of knowledge?
people don’t understand / feel comfotable in teaching or practicing psychological skills
how do coaches suggest psychological skills could be made more “user friendly”?
develop hands on, concrete examples and exercises
develop more mental skills training resources
involve coaches in mental skills coach education programmes
were coaches and administrators more supportive about players receiving mental training for personal or performance issues?
performance
main ‘barrier’ in hiring sport psychlogist consultants?
finances
what is meant by misunderstandings about psychological skills?
misconception that champions are born equipped with the right mental skills to succeed and that they’re innate and can’t be taught
most important reason for tennis coaches not teaching mental skills?
lack of time
is there an increase in athletes openness in seeking mental training?
yes
which mental skills are team sport athletes more interested in?
group cohesion and team dynamics
which mental skills are individual sport athletes more interested in?
skills that would imporve performance
what are 4 myths relating to PST?
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
what 2 sources provide the knowledge base for PST?
research studies conducted with elite athletes
experience of coaches and athletes
out of 15, how many olympians interviewed by Greenleaf said they used PST?
13
reported by coaches and athletes, what would they find most useful in PST programmes?
arousal regulation imagery confidence building increasing motivation and commitment concentration skills coping with injury
which interventions have been found to improve performance in athletes?
educationally based psychological interventions
out of 45studies of psychological interventions, how many showed positive performance effects? but how may direct cause-effect relationships?
38 so 85%
20
intervention appropriate and not appropriate for low levels of narcissism?
low levels - emotional control
not appropriate - self-talk and relaxation strategies
3 aspects of effective sport psycholigist consultants?
building connection with athletes
buidlng professional consultation relationship
meeting athletes needs
what are the 3 phases of PST programmes?
education
acquisition
practice
what occurs in the education phase?
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
what occurs in the acquisition phase?
tailor specific strategies and techniques to fit the indivdual and the situations they face
teach them how and when to perform these skills
what occurs in the practice phase?
automate skills through overlearning
teach people to integrate the skills into their performance situations
simulate skills which need to be applied in competition
what is the ultimate goal of PST?
for the individual to self-regulate (monitor and manage ones thoughts, feelings and behaviours)
what is contained in Kirschenbaum’s 5 stage model of self-regulation?
problem identification
commitment - to change
execution
environmental management - e.g seeing SPC
generalisation - extending beh. to other situations
what is the certification required to be a qualified sport psychology consultant?
AASP
at what time is it best to administer an PST programme?
and why?
in the off-season or during preseason
more time to learn new skills and not pressured about winning
name of programme developed for less skilled athletes in high school?
UNIFORM
characteristics of ineffective SPCs?
lacked sensitivity to needs of individual athletes
poor interpersonal skills
relied on “canned” approach when implimenting psychological skills
how to develop a PST programme?
5 steps and what they include
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
examples of psychometric assessments?
test of attentional and interpersonal style
sport anxiety scale
test of performance strategies
trait-state confidence inventory
stregths of performance profiles from both the athletes and SPCs perspectives?
increases self-awareness
provides basis for goal setting
motivates athlete to improve
what are foundation skills and examples?
basic mental skills necessary to achieve success
self-awareness and confidence
what are performance skills and examples?
mental abilities critical to the execution of skills during sporting performance
energy management
attentional focus
what are personal development skills and examples?
mental skills that represent significant maturational markers of personal development
identity achieve
interpersonal competence
what are team skills and exampes?
collective qualities of the team which are instrumental in overall team success
leadership
cohesion
what does periodisation mean?
why is it important?
planned variation in key training variables (volume and intensity) over training cycles
maintain peak performance whilst avoiding burnout and overtraining
what are the 3 phases of periodisation?
preparatory
competitive
peaking
what are the 4 common problems in implementing a PST programme?
lack of conviction
lack of time
lack of sport knowledge
lack of follow-up
how many hours does it take to become an expert?
around 10 000 over a decade
how many hours to reach an acceptable level of performance?
less than 50
