C4 Sports Psychology

• is the belief in oneself • results from the comparison an athlete makes between their goal and their ability • increases athlete’s positive thoughts, clearer focus, higher performance

• a form of confidence • the belief one can perform within a specific situation • affected by how highly a person values the activity

• high: choose challenging tasks, persistance, adapative, positive, growth mindset • low: worry, anxiety, depression, avoidance, give up

• overconfidence is an overbelief that one will succeed, regardless • reduces attention and focus as they have no reason to change their strategy

• provides incentive to prepare properly (focus attention, physically and mentally ready) • motivation to learn and receive feedback

• Performance accomplishments: past successful achievements motivate and improve the confidence (done it before, do it again) • Vicarious experiences: watching others succeed convinces an athlete they may be capable also (they can do it, I can too) • Verbal persuasion: external sources such as a coach can give words of encouragment • Physiological states: knowledge that one’s body is physiologically ready to perform

• aims or targets which give our efforts direction and purpose • increase work output and success

all three types are progressively linked in order (steps): PROCESS - focus on performance of a physical movement/strategy - reference point for performance - provide structure as a base for other goals - improve self-efficacy/confidence PERFORMANCE - achieving a standard or objective against one’s previous performances (athlete can control this) - PBs, improving success %, times OUTCOME - the overall result of an event - rankings, places, medals, wins - also depends on external factors (teammates, opposition, ref/judges etc) - therefore harder to achieve

• short: manageable focus points/steppings stones for athletes • long: aim at a larger target • both are necessary • stepping stone/staircase model: long term at top, w short term as steps leading up to it from the current ability • a PROGRESSION of goals

• enhance focus and concentration (reduce distractions) • boost self confidence (control over performance and progress) • create positive mentality (persistence, growth mindset, committment) • increase intrinsic motivation to excel (provide purpose) • enhance skill, technique and strategy (skills developed through goal process) • improve overall success

• Specific: to focus attention and define the target • Measurable: able to be quantified against a standard • Accepted: accepted by all people involved • Realistic: extend ability/challenging, but within reach • Time-phased: include a date, providing direction and point of progress • Exciting + evaluated: inspired and motivated to achieve and receive feedback • Recorded + reviewed: written down and reminded/reassessed regularly

• maintain control by minimising distractions and maximising preparedness • what does an athlete need to do to be successful? • review, improve and maintain this plan

PRIOR TO ARRIVAL - rest (sleep + wake times, hrs) - diet (what, how much, when) - equipment check (+ spares) - spare time (how spent?) - travel (arrival, departure + method) - mental prep (when?) AT COMP VENUE - arrival time - who to report to (coach, teammates, officials) - phys prep (when, length, activity, people) - mental prep (arousal, visualisation, relaxation) - dressing for the contest (when) - meetings (team, indv. diss. w coach) - who to spend time w (best mindset, reduced stress) - final personal prep (indv. based)

have a number of common elements - athlete/team’s game plan (set plays, pacing, formation, positions) - performance reference points/checks (specific time/point to monitor + reassess performance/adapt, eg. half time, timeout, enhances conc and focus on performance) - task relevant factors (focus on technique/performance components, help overcome fatigue/conc loss) - mood/cue words (key phrases enhance focus, said or thought, eg. push, switch on, heads up)

• key performance indicators • eg. making 70% successful tackles, 20 disposals, 80% serve rate

• secondary plans/behaviours in place if each preferred behaviour should fail/be innapropriate • must know that 1. necessary changes able to be made, 2. they are ready phys. and ment. to cope • apply to every aspect of prep (pre, during and after) • part of team strategy • w/o, team/ath is placed under huge pressure • eg. hostile crowd (taunts/boos distract from performance, refocus thru task rel. factors/game plan)

trying to endure accumulated lactic acid, dehyrated, lack of fuel is a psychological task 1. expect the pain (not come as a surprise) 2. accept the pain (agree that w sport comes discomfort) 3. train for the pain (train at intensity + for specific environment/physiological stressors) 4. pain as a mental signal (provides focus on the task, signal for increased conc)

• a process of performance review, highlighting positives, negatives + influencing factors of performance • what went right/wrong? what was useful but didn’t work? what can be changed? • PURPOSE: boost confidence, ability to improve + adapt, review own performance GUIDELINES - ASAP afterwards (fresh in mind) - identify factors of performance that were not done (eg. not enough hydration, poor diet) - strategy (identify ineffectiveness + reason for failure, for all - pre, during, coping) - involve the athlete (able to analyse own performance, not rely on coach)

• a state of physiological tension produced by internal or external forces • this causes stimulation and release of hormones • stressors can be external (physiological, eg temp, injury, illness) or internal (psychological, eg relationship issues, failing, change)

• the amount of readiness or activation a person experiences when faced with a task • high stress = high arousal = anxiety

• most universally accepted • arousal on X, performance on Y as arousal increases, so too will the quality of performance until arousal is beyond the optimum level, at which performance will then diminish. • creates U with a peak ‘zone of performance’ • the location of the U is dependent on the sport (eg. sports with low arousal, U is further to the left, high arousal further to right) PEAK AFFECTED BY: - level of experience of the athlete (beginner = lower than skilled ath) - personality - perception of comp - level of distraction - therefore indv considerations must be taken into account to find optimum for each athlete TYPE OF SKILL - fine/complex skills: more focus required to move in a precise, controlled way (eg. golf, darts, archery) = LOW AROUSAL - gross/simple skills: more based on physical exertion, full body (eg. running, long jump, rowing) = HIGH AROUSAL

• includes 3 aspects: physiological arousal, performance, cognitive anxiety increases in arousal will benefit performace as long as cognitive anxiety is relatively low. • A: at optimum, arousal/anxiety (somatic + cognitive) is high but balanced, enhancing perf • B: continued arousal = sharp drop in performance. Ath will either: • C: continued arousal = continued perf decline • D: lowering arousal, refocus = gradual return (potentially to optimum)

• a feeling of apprehension closely associated with an athlete’s concept of fear • physical and mental response • state anxiety: a response to a particular situation (eg. grand final, skydiving, test) • trait anxiety: anxiety based on the personality of an athlete, perception of situations, etc • choking: high stress/pressure causing a decrease in performance

• can be physiological (somatic), psychological (cognitive) or behavioral HIGH ANXIETY - cognitive: indecision, confusion, negative mindset, irritable, fear, avoidance - somatic: increased BP, RR, HR, sweating, trembling, tightness, nausea, sleeplessness - behavioural: biting nails, introversion, fidgeting, avoiding risks