Stress Flashcards
What is stress? Give an example
A negative response of the body to a threat causing anxiety
Eg feelings of apprehension and anxiety during the warm up of a show jumping final
What is eustress? Give an example
A positive response of the body to a threat or a challenge once it has been overcome
Eg extreme sports such as sky diving, challenging yourself to jump from a higher height
What is a stressor? Give an example
The cause of a stressful response
Eg local derbies
What does eustress do to a performer
Makes them want to achieve
Tests their abilities
Provides an adrenaline rush
Heightens emotions
Enhances performance
Gives them intrinsic satisfaction
Boosts confidence
What does anxiety and stress do to a performer
Increases arousal
Makes them lose concentration
Creates a feeling of apprehension
Forces attentional narrowing
Decreases performance levels
Creates a fear of failure
Sweating, muscle tension, nausea and increase HR
What are some examples of stressors in sport
Frustration
Fear of failure
Nature of crowd
Media pressure
Attitude of coach
Importance of event
Status of opponent
Extrinsic reward
Injury
What does somatic stress cause
Increased HR
Increase in sweating
Nausea
Muscular tension
What does cognitive stress
Negative thinking
Feeling of inability to cope with the demands of the situation
Loss of concentration- attention narrowing
What is attention narrowing? What can this lead to
As arousal increases, the ability to take information or cues from the environment is reduced
This can lead to information being missed and fear of failure and worry being felt by the performer
How can a warmup impact/reduces stress
Reduces cognitive and somatic stress
Focuses the performer on the activity
Improves concentration
Controls HR
Reduces muscle tension
What are the somatic stress management techniques
Progressive muscle relaxation
Centring
Biofeedback
What is progressive muscle relaxation
Using recorded instructions, the performer alternates between a state of tension in a group of muscles and a state of relaxation in those same muscles
Where does progressive muscle relaxation work from and to?
The periphery of the body to the core
What is centring? What is it used for?
A form of breathing control where the performer learns to relax the shoulders and chest whilst concentrating on the slow movements of the abdominals when taking deep controlled breaths
Used to divert attention from a stressful situation
What does biofeedback use? Give examples
Uses a measuring device to help the athlete recognise the physical change that will happen under stress
Heart rate monitor recognises an increase in HR
Galvanic skin response measures an increase in electrical activity when sweating
Electromyography measures muscle tension
What do the devices help the athlete with during biofeedback
It helps the athlete to recognise changes in their body without the measuring device so they can use stress management techniques to reduce physiological responses
What is imagery? What is it used for
The performer can recall the actual movement in the mind
Used to recall a successful image of the action from the past
How do some performers avoid stress using imagery
Some performers use imagery to avoid stressful situations by imagining a calm place
What is visualisation
Uses a mental image of the skill
The image is relived when the skill is performed for real
What can visualisation and imagery both be? How are these defined?
Internal and external
Internal - looks at emotions and feelings of a skill
External - focuses on the environment almost as if the player is watching themselves on television
What are the cognitive stress management techniques
Thought stopping
Positive self talk
Mental rehearsal
Psychological skills training
What is thought stopping? What triggers thought stopping?
When negative thoughts occur a learned action is used to remove them
The physical action or cue can be a simple movement or rehearsed action linked to the thought used to redirect attention eg pinching yourself
What is positive self talk?
Player replaces negative thoughts with positive words
What can positive self talk be used for
To help with focus or to overcome weakness
What is mental rehearsal
The process of going over movements of a task in the mind before the action takes place
When is mental rehearsal most effective
In calm situations prior to the event
What is psychological skills training
Performer trains and practices uses any cognitive stress management techniques
What does Niddefers 1976 research show? What does this ensure
That attentional wastage can be prevented if attentional styles are carried out to suit the situation happening
This ensures that performance levels are maintained
What are Niddefers 4 styles of attention
Broad
Narrow
External
Internal
What is the broad attentional style
When a number of cues can be identified
What is the narrow attentional style
When it is best to focus on one or two cues
What is the external attentional style
When information is drawn from the environment
What is the internal attentional style
When info is drawn from within the performer
What do broad and external cues pick up? Give an example
A wide range of cues from the environment
Eg position of players on a netball court
What do broad, internal cues focus on? Give an example
Mental analysis of numerous cues
Eg analysing games and plan tactics
What do narrow, external cues focus on? Give an example
Focus is directed to one environmental cue
Eg a golfer concentrating pm putting into a hole
What do narrow, internal cues focus on? Give an example
Mental practice of one of two important cues
Eg concentrating on a weakness
What is attentional narrowing
As stress arousal increases, the ability to take in information decreases
How is the ability to process info linked to moderate levels of arousal
Moderate levels of stress and arousal mean that the performer picks up relevant information and performance can be successful
How is the ability to process info linked to low levels of arousal
Low levels mean that the performer is able to process lots of cues meaning confusion is caused as there is too much info
How is the ability to process info linked to high levels of arousal
High levels of stress and arousal means that only limited info can be processed which may cause important info to be missed - attentional wastage
