strategies Flashcards
What are the strategies that we will be using in this unit
Mental Rehearsal
Self-Talk
Attention and Concentration Techniques
Relaxation and Energiser Techniques
Performance Routines
Mental rehearsal
where the performer pictures themselves executing a skill and practises the skill in their mind, focusing on the specific stages and correct technique
Imagery
Imagery in sports psychology is the mental technique of creating vivid, detailed images of a successful performance in the mind. It involves visualizing actions, movements, and outcomes to enhance focus, confidence, and readiness for physical performance.
Self-talk
Self-talk is defined as the verbalization or statements athletes repeat to themselves prior to or during skill execution. Self-talk, whether internal or spoken aloud, is a key psychological strategy in sports, with forms like negative (“I’ll never make this shot”) and positive (“You can do this!”) impacting performance.
Negative Self-Talk
Negative self-talk is “critical and unhelpful dialogue that you say to yourself” (Amezdroz et. al. 2018)
It is often critical of your abilities and actions and is detrimental to performance outcomes.
Overcoming negative self-talk
Trigger Words
Refocusing plans
Thought stopping
Trigger Words
Trigger words are instructional self-talk that help athletes manage anxiety, over-arousal, or confidence issues by refocusing their concentration to perform the desired action
Attention and Concentration techniques - refocusing (reseting) plans
Refocusing, or resetting, is a key mental skill for athletes, allowing them to quickly let go of mistakes and regain emotional control, often through positive self-talk cues like “Hit the ball at its peak” or “Slow your swing.”
Attention and Concentration techniques - thought stopping
Thought stopping involves recognizing when negative self-talk affects performance and using strategies like saying a key word or finding distractions to refocus on goals.
What are Relaxation techniques
The aim of relaxation training is to physiologically calm the body, shift attention away from anxiety-creating thoughts and ultimately achieve optimal levels of arousal. Relaxation training is important in maintaining optimal arousal in both training and competition performance. It’s also a useful mechanism for assisting in good sleep patterns.
What are energiser techniques
energiser techniques can lift an athlete’s mood, mindset, arousal and motivation. They are techniques that improve performance as a result of improving personal psychological state
Examples of relaxation and energizer techniques
Progressive muscle relaxation
Abdominal breathing
Mindfulness and meditation
Listening to music
Progressive Muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a form of therapy that involves tightening and relaxing your muscle groups, one at a time, in a specific pattern. The goal is to release tension from your muscles, while helping you recognise what that tension feels like.
When practiced regularly, this technique may help you manage the physical effects of stress anxiety and tension.”
Abdominal Breathing
Abdominal breathing is a deep breathing technique that involves fully expanding the diaphragm, allowing the abdomen to rise and fall with each breath, promoting relaxation and improved oxygen intake.
Breathing exercises can be key to controlling anxiety and muscle tension. Abdominal breathing offers several benefits including:
Helping you relax.
Improving muscle function during exercises and preventing strain.
Increasing how much oxygen is in your blood.
Making it easier for your body to release gas waste from your lungs.
Reducing blood pressure.
Reducing heart rate.
Mindfulness and meditation
Mindfulness is the practice of staying aware and present in the moment, observing thoughts and feelings without judgment. Meditation is a structured practice used to focus the mind, often to cultivate mindfulness, relaxation, or clarity.
“Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, improve sleep patterns and recovery times, enhance endurance and improve self-identity. This results in higher self-confidence and enhanced performance. Meditation increases an athlete’s awareness of and connection to their body, and is used by many elite athletes to optimise their performance.”
