Unit 2 Flashcards
Psychological Skills Training (PST)
Skills that can…
- be learned
- practiced
- not all equal
- Often assume people have the skills
- Requires Self- Awareness
- Physical and Mental
Self-Regulation
- Arousal Control –> optimal level of arousal
- Anxiety/ Stress Model
- Will Power (Motivation)
- Confidence
If Psychological Skills are so important to performance, why do we do such little training?
- Lack of Knowledge- relatively young field
- Belief that Champions are born; not made- overemphasis on talent
- Lack of time- takes time to learn and practice the skills
How to increase practice for PST
Develop a habit- require less mental effort
-Cue-> Routine-> Reward
Eventually we being to anticipate reward
- “Craving” or “Desire”
Myths about PST
- for problem athletes- in fact used to optimize function
- Elite Athletes- in fact most people can benefit (incl. kids)
- Quick Fix- requires practice
- Not Effective- lots of studies show effectiveness
Bottom Line: It works, but it is not magic
-compliments physical training
PST Program Stages
- Education Phase
a. assess awareness
b. assess motivation
c. Rationale- explain why it works - Acquisition Phase- learn the skills
- Practice/ Implementation- progress reports, check in, correct, question
- Evaluate- modify/ next step/ new skill
Progressive Relaxation
- Alternate tensing and relaxing
- Full body relaxation
- God for type A people
- once a day
- 18 to 20 minutes
- caution with injuries
Autogenic Training
- 15 minutes
- body scan
- no tensing
- warm and heavy
- face is cold and light
How to Respond and Manage Stress
- Reduce Stressers
- Decrease Vulnerability
- Physiological Intervention
a. Programmed relaxation
b. Autogenic
c. Meditation
d. Hypnosis
e. Biofeedback - Cognitive Intervention
a. Cognition Therapy
b. Reframing
c. Problem Solving - Modify Stress Responce
a. Sleep Hygine
STRESS: Vulnerability
Genetic, Prior Experience, Health Status, Development Stage, Coping Skills
STRESS: Stressors
Major events (+/-), Life Changing Events, Daily Hassles, Social Stressors, Environment Stressors (Chronic or Acute)
STRESS: Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
Cortisol, Fight or Flight, Respiratory Activation
STRESS: Cognitive Apprasial
Threat, Coping Resources, Attribution (Negative)
STRESS: Stress Responce
INCREASED Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Anxiety, and Irritability.
DECREASED Immune System
-Depression, muscle tension, headaches
Other models of Arousal
- Inverted ‘U’ Function (Arousal v. Performance)
2. Flow Theory (Challenge v. Skills- be in middle zone)
Under Arousal- Less Common
Causes…
- Not Enough challenge-> Overconfidence
- Burnout/ Overtraining
- Depression
- Lack of Sleep
- Lack of Interest
- Worry/ Distraction
How to Increase Arousal
- Music
- Verbal Encouragement
- Change Routine
- Fun
- Competition (low stakes)
- Day Off
- Self- Talk
- Act Energized- feelings follow actions
Attention/ Focus/ Concentration
- Ability to focus on relevant task cues while ignoring distractions
- Attention is a complex multi dimensional, psychological process