Sport Psychology Flashcards
explain some relaxation techniques
Music Listen to music that promotes enthusiasm or is associated with heroic efforts e.g. Rocky, Remember the Titans, Danger Zone.
Music is personal preference – not one song fits all as it may cause some players to become over aroused.
The music should be up-tempo with a rhythmic beat.
Pre game routine Performance routines before the game can be used to increase arousal levels
E.g. The All Black Haka is a pre-game performance ritual which increases their arousal level and aims to decrease the self-confidence of their opponents
ex[plain mental imagery
We know that the mind is a powerful tool that controls how we think and perform
While talking (to yourself or others), the use of emotive words such as tough, aggressive, hard-hitting, dependable, forceful, strong & commitment has been found to increase arousal levels
explain what positive self talk is
We know that the mind is a powerful tool that controls how we think and perform
While talking (to yourself or others), the use of emotive words such as tough, aggressive, hard-hitting, dependable, forceful, strong & commitment has been found to increase arousal levels
explain how skill level and type off activity effect motivation and arousal levels
Influence of age The ability to maintain concentration is heavily influenced by age
Typically the younger the individual, the more likely they are to lose focus on a regular basis
This is important for coaches who must reduce the length of drills and activities in order to maintain the attention of the individuals
As a result older children learn faster than younger children because of a longer attention and concentration span
Influence of skill level The ability of an individual to attend to relevant stimuli is influenced by their skill level
As discussed earlier, highly skilled athletes are better able to attend to relevant stimuli whilst ignoring distractions
As a result, when coaching less skilled participants, coaches must provide more predictable, closed environments, allowing the players to focus on a reduced number of stimuli
As the players become more skilled, the environment can become more open, allowing the individuals to develop the ability to filter out distractions whilst also shifting their attention from one stimuli to the next.
Influence of activity type Activities that provide constantly changing stimuli are more likely to maintain the attention and focus of an individual
This is further enhanced by whether an individual finds the task enjoyable
Compare the attentional demands of a soccer goal keeper to a midfielder
The soccer goal keeper is able to switch off whilst the ball is at the opposite end of the field whilst the midfielder must maintain concentration at all times.
explain how stress can effect an athletes gameplay
An athlete needs to have a certain level of stress to produce optimal performance.
Too little stress results in boredom, low motivation and poor performance
Optimum stress levels produce best performance
Too high stress levels negatively affect performance
Stress can either be;
Physical which is the body’s reaction to different triggers
Emotional which occurs when a person finds the demands placed on them become too big or difficult to manage
explain self confidence
An athletes confidence is influenced by two main factors
Self efficacy
Self belief
Confident players believe in themselves & their abilities (both physical & mental) to reach their potential.
explain intrisic motivation
Intrinsic motivation in sport refers to internal motivations that result from the process of participation in sport.
Intrinsic motivation would include; Playing for enjoyment Social affiliation Self-challenge Thrill seeking e.g. big wave surfing
define arousal
The amount of readiness a person experiences when faced with a task
What happens when an individual is over aroused
Excessive tension nervous the performance will decrees
Excessive tension nervous the performance will decrees
What happens physically when someone is under aroused
peformace will drop
They will be relaxed and lack motivation
- Motivation can be enhanced intrinsically and extrinsically. Identify which of these are dominant for different age groups and differing skill levels?
As age increases the more intrinsic the motivation.
This can be graphed in a reverse exponential manner (age v motivation type).
This is exactly the same for skill level (i.e. more skilled = more intrinsic).
- Identify and explain two methods/techniques we could employ to enhance our motivation?
Goal setting, role models/leaders, role allocation = ownership.
Concentration is our ability to focus on the task at hand for extended periods of time. What is the correlation between skill level and concentration?
Successful athletes are less likely too be distracted by irrelevant cues, can focus broadly and switch too narrow, can cope with both internal and external cues
- Identify three traits of successful athletes when it comes to concentration?
Not distracted by irrelevant cues; Task (not outcome) focused;
Can switch between broad and narrow focus easily;
Can cope with internal & external cues without overload.
- Niddeffer’s Model of Attentional Awareness outlines four main zones of focus. Summarise the following zones with a very brief explanation and example for each!
BROAD INTERNAL:
- Thoughts and feelings
- Big picture / Game plan
BROAD EXTERNAL:
*Opponents actions
*Quick evaluation of opponents movement
NARROW INTERNAL:
*Mental rehearsal of routine
*Visualising the performance
NARROW EXTERNAL:
- Focus on tennis ball alone
- Watching shuttle cock
