Psychology of Performance Flashcards
What are the four psychological skills key to performing well?
- Focus
- Visualization
- Dealing with distractions
- Setting effective goals
What is THE skill and what are the three that support it?
THE skill = Focus
Visualization, dealing with distraction, setting effective goals.
What is focus?
Focus is what you’re thinking about and feeling now, in the moment. It is confident and relaxed thoughts.
What is visualization?
It is about imagining what you need to focus on.
What is “dealing with distractions”?
It is about handling anything that gets in the way of performance.
What does it mean to set effective goals?
It is about picking goals that are realistic for their time period: today, next week, next month, next year and the far-off future.
What does visualization, dealing with distractions, and setting effective goals do for focus?
It strengthens focus.
What are the four main types of focus in sport?
- Broad
- Narrow
- Internal
- External
What is broad focus directed toward?
It is directed toward perceiving and interpreting many cues at the same time.
What is narrow focus directed toward?
It is directed toward perceiving and interpreting only one or two cues at the same time.
Where is internal focus directed?
It is directed inward, toward perceiving and interpreting cues that the performer feels or thinks.
Where is external focus directed?
It is directed outward, toward perceiving and interpreting cues in the surrounding environment that the performer can usually see or hear.
What is broad-external focus used for?
It is used to rapidly assess a situation.
What is narrow-external focus used for?
it is used to concentrate exclusively on one or two external cues.
What is broad-internal focus used for?
It is used to analyze and plan.
What is narrow-internal focused used for?
It is used to mentally rehearse an upcoming performance or control an emotional state.
What is an open environment?
An environment where many changes occur.
What type of sports require few shifts between types of focus?
Individual sports practiced/played in a closed environment or team sports in which primarily one athlete is performing at any given time. Individual sports practiced/played in an open environment or team sports in which two or three athletes are usually the key performers at any given time.
What type of sports require lots of shifts between types of focus?
Team sports played in either an open or a closed environment in which more than two athletes are key performers at any given time?
What is a focus plan?
Detailed plans setting out when and how athletes will work on all the things they need to think about and feel to perform well.
What 3 factors are involved with using focus plans effectively?
- Developing/revising a focus plan
- Executing a focus plan
- Debriefing performance
What is involved with developing/revising a focus plan?
You and your athlete/team develop/revise a focus plan.
What is involved with executing the focus plan?
The athlete/team executes the plan in a competition. Remind your athlete/team to use the focus plan.
What is involved with debriefing performance?
You and your athlete/team use the debriefing process to assess how well the focus plan worked in the competition. You and your athlete/team debrief whether things went well or badly in competition.
What 3 things do you need to do to develop or revise a focus plan?
- Work with your athletes.
- Tell athletes about focus.
- As athletes good questions.
What 3 benefits come with developing a focus plan with your athlete?
- Makes for more accurate focus plans.
- Saves everyone time and energy, because the focus plans are more accurate.
- Increases athlete commitment, because the athlete helped develop them.
What should you tell your athletes about focus?
What it is, what a focus plan is, why focus matters, and how athletes will work on focus.
What is visualization a blueprint for?
How they want to be, what they want to be focused on.
What is visualization an opportunity for?
To create a positive reality and allows the athlete to be well prepared for competition.
What is the only rule about visualization?
It must be positive.
How often should an athlete practice visualization?
3-5 minutes, 3 times a week.
What 3 things can a distraction be?
- Things athletes can control - their thoughts and feelings
- Things the coach may be able to control - Knowing heats/lanes, delays/changes, etc.
- Things that cannot really be controlled - Weather, injuries.
What are 4 important tips for dealing with distractions?
- Plan how to deal with them well in advance of any competition.
- Brainstorm everything you feel or know distracts your athletes.
- Develop solutions for each distraction you come up with (back up plan).
- Figure out who is in control of the solution, and modify responsibility for the solution as required.
What is the first step in replacing negative thoughts?
Recognize the existence of these natural thoughts. Think about the thought, stop it, and immediately replace it with more appropriate thoughts and sense the new feelings accompanying those thoughts.
Why do athletes need to control intensity?
Intensity can both support and distract the athlete. They need an optimal amount of intensity to perform well.
What is included in the three part process used for determining optimal level of intensity?
- Plan
- Execute
- Assess
What are the three types of goals?
- Outcome
- Performance
- Process
What do outcome goals focus on?
They focus on results. They are necessary and can act as motivators when competition is in the future, but can cause athletes stress on competition day.
What do performance goals focus on?
They focus on achieving one’s own performance objectives.
What type of goals are flexible and allow athletes a greater sense of personal control?
Performance goals.
What goals are helpful for athletes returning to play after an injury?
Performance and process goals.
What do process goals focus on?
The actions/movements that need to be carried out in a good performance.
What are the best type of goals to be thinking about on performance day?
Process goals.
What is the coaches role in debriefing performance?
To facilitate the athlete’s discovery of the focus that works best for him or her. Your role is to help lead this process,not direct it.
What is the purpose of “what?” questions?
These are questions that collect data about what happened and what athletes felt during the performance.
What is the purpose of “so what?” questions?
They ask athletes to draw and discuss conclusions, as well as discuss the relevance of the performance in their overall program.
What is the purpose of “now what?” questions?
These questions engage athletes in the planning process by encouraging athletes to apply their insights to other activities or situations.
What does the facilitate discussions approach involve?
Involves guiding athletes in a certain direction by asking them questions or using probing statements with a specific purpose to gather specific additional info or broaden or deepen athletes’ thinking and feeling.
When should questions about goal-setting be asked?
Before a performance and after a performance.
What types of questions are involved with other aspects of focus?
- General questions
- Questions about feelings and reactions
- Questions about learning
- Questions about applying the skill
