Psychological strategies to enhance and improve performance (chapter 16)

Question 1

Psychological Skills Training

Answer 1

used to help athletes make adjustments to their actions, thoughts, feelings and physical sensations to help them achieve their goal

Question 2

Education phase

Answer 2

assess current use of mental skills

Question 3

Acquisition phase

Answer 3

focus on how PST will be learned by the athlete

Question 4

Practice phase

Answer 4

athletes make skills a part of their training and competition

Question 5

Player motivation

Answer 5

• extrinsic: prize money, trophies, certificates

- intrinsic: achieving best performance, being satisfied with one’s performance

Question 6

Signs of a motivated athlete

Answer 6

• attends training
• regularly meets expected targets during training and games
• performs at their best without needing rewards

Question 7

Forms of motivation

Answer 7

• positive reinforcement after athlete has displayed desired behaviour
• negative imposed after undesirable behaviour

Question 8

Scheduling reinforcement effectively

Answer 8

• provide frequent, continuous and positive reinforcement in early stages of learning
• reward successful steps towards goal
• reinforce effort
• verbal and non verbal feedback should be used

Question 9

Goal setting

Answer 9

can increase work output and improve performance by activating effort and promote development

Question 10

Outcome goals

Answer 10

focus on end result

Question 11

Performance goals

Answer 11

comparison of past and present performance

Question 12

Process goals

Answer 12

actions the athlete must perform during a competition to reach peak performance

Question 13

SMARTER GOALS

Answer 13

specific, measurable, accepted, realistic, time-phased, exciting, recorded

Question 14

Signs of an under confident player

Answer 14

• negative thoughts
• tense feelings
• focus on others
• lack of effort/willingness to give up

Question 15

Signs of a player in the optimum zone

Answer 15

• positive thoughts
• excited feelings
• focus on themselves and/or task at hand
• max effort
• willingness to take chances

Question 16

Signs of an overconfident player

Answer 16

• excessively positive thoughts
• blase feelings
• lack of focus
• lack of effort
• ignore advice of others

Question 17

Improving confidence

Answer 17

• act and think positively
• focus on next segment of play
• specific conditioning
• limit focus to own performance
• focus on small, immediate milestones

Question 18

Inverted ‘U’ theory

Answer 18

players who are overly confident or under confident will experience the same level of low performance

Question 19

Sleep and performance

Answer 19

• lack of sleep results in poor performance
• increased stress levels
• decreased ability to metabolise energy substrates
• reduced brain function and decision making abilities

Question 20

Arousal reduction techniques

Answer 20

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation: exercises which assist in relaxing the muscles resulting in total body relaxation
• Meditation: involves exercising an athletes attention
• Breathing control: breathing to release tension to help prepare for next action
• Biofeedback: recognising indicators for readiness for competition
• Stress Inoculation training: expose the body to certain situations, so it develops an immunity to that situation

Question 21

Arousal promotion techniques

Answer 21

• Elevated breathing rate: take short, sharp breaths to activate central nervous system
• Act energetically: jumping around
• positive talk and sound: listening to upbeat music

Question 22

Mental imagery

Answer 22

involves an athlete visualising themselves flawlessly performing a skills or competition event

Question 23

Mental imagery techniques

Answer 23

• mental practice: used for specific movement or skill
• mental rehearsal: used for complete athletic performance
• mental review: analyse past performance
• self affirmation: imagining successful performance

Question 24

Simulation

Answer 24

aims to train the brain to cope with circumstances that will occur in a game

Question 25

Concentration

Answer 25

focusing on relevant environmental cues

Question 26

Attention

Answer 26

• broad external focus: thoughts and feelings
• broad external focus: opponent’s actions
• narrow internal focus: mentally rehearse upcoming movements
• narrow external focus: very few external cues

Question 27

Choking

Answer 27

athletes sense a build up of pressure when there is a lot depending on the outcome of the next phase of play and

Question 28

Improving concentration

Answer 28

• simulation: practice blocking out irrelevant cues
• routine: facilitate almost automatic behaviour that isn’t affected by outside distractions
• overlearning: associated with autonomous stage, frees up attention to focus on other things