Sport psychology benefits

A. Selling sport psychology (300 word limit)

Dear colleagues, students and managers,

You were the overwhelming favourites going into the World Cup final in South Africa. You easily disposed of the opposition thus far and you intended to do so again. Yet you lost the game and it seems unexplainable. You were the better team, you had the physical and technical edge, but what went wrong?

This is where sports psychology and the mental fitness component of success comes in. For your players it all got too much. The hostile environment, the dogged opposition and the hype of the occasion affected their performance. These are natural occurrences, but most importantly, sports psychology can help your team deal effectively with them.

Take imagery as a paramount example. Mental practice involves taking a skill and engaging in “visual or kinaesthetic imagery of the performance of a skill or part of a skill” (Magill 2004, p.349). Imagery can help your team and athletes in times where they can’t physically train or before/during and after training/competition. It helps players perfect their techniques and they can do more repetitions without fatigue.

Visualization has also been shown to be “more effective than no practice, but not as effective as physical practice” (Clark, cited in Hemayattalab and Movahedi 2009). However, in some circumstances it has been found to be equal to physical practice. Another advantage is that mental practice can be used in conjunction with tactics, to aid performance and cope with the many distractions we, as players face. It has become an integral part of any training regime and is based on the notion that “any idea occupying one’s mind will also be expressed in one’s muscles” (Onestak 1997).

Strong advocates of imagery include Ronan O’Gara, Jonny Wilkinson and Keith Wood. Keith Wood uses imagery before throwing a lineout. He imagines where his teammate will be and where the opposition will be prior to his throw. This allows him to zone into a narrow focus where all previous cognitions and crowd noise is irrelevant (O’Sullivan and Smyth 2002, p.172). It is a routine that he has perfected over the years.

Sports psychology as a domain researched by sports scientists, practitioners, etc needs to be utilized to its full potential. It can be implemented with training or as a recovery session/session in itself. It can often be the one defining factor between winning and losing.

What will distinguish you from the rest?

Thank you.




B. Applying Sport Psychology.

1. Present a “needs assessment” of a sport / sport participant using Taylor’s model as a guide (200 words).

Sport examined: Soccer

Sport demands (Psychological):
• Confidence/self belief in own ability and that of your teammates
• Motivation/determination-drive to succeed, to go training, reasons
for playing soccer
• Positive and resilient-optimistic view even in defeat, ability to
rebound after failure, injury, etc.
• Mental toughness- cool under pressure, maintain optimal anxiety
level
• Concentration/decision making-based on information, when to
pass, shoot, attack, defend, etc.


Sport demands (Physical/Technical/Logistical):
Physical:
• Co-ordination-rapid movements, body working as a collective unit-
feet, eyes, etc.
• Strength-hold off opposition, challenging and recovery from
knocks-soccer requires explosiveness and endurance over 90-120
mins
• Agility and speed- ability to turn and change movements, reaction
time and pace. Can you outrun your marker and dribble at speed?

Technical:
• Skills, for e.g. the cruyff turn, heading the ball, tackling and close
control
• Soccer involves a mixture of gross and fine motor skills, depending
on position, e.g. shooting, heading and tackling
• Soccer is also made up of many short performances, yet depending
on the game situation, players may be faced with a series of long
performances, for e.g. defending an away goal lead

Logistical:
• Movement of players relative to position, a players ‘positional
sense’ and sense of awareness.
• Tactics deployed-e.g. the off-side rule, man or zonal marking, when
‘to hold the line’, attack, defend, etc.



Performer needs (Psychological contributors to performance):
• Self-awareness-the individuals role in the team and what is
expected, e.g. captain to lead and encourage players
• Trust-player needs to know that the manager has trust and belief in
them and that they can go to him/her with any concerns, etc.
• Motivation and confidence: a player lacking motivation and
confidence may lack in his/her performance, and a player overly
motivated and confident may lunge into tackles, lose confidence if
substituted
• Intensity and concentration: soccer being an explosive and intensity
driven sport requires high and alert levels of concentration. One
slip up or lapse could cost your team points and this may affect
confidence and motivation.







2. Based on the psychological demands of the sport what mental skills (present at least 2) are most important in this activity and why? Support your answer with evidence from your readings (800 words).

Based on the psychological demands of soccer identified in part one, the two most important mental skills in this sport are the use of positive mental imagery and relaxation strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation.

The use of positive mental imagery as a mental skill is paramount for any soccer player and team as it can aid confidence and belief in one’s own ability, and thus has a direct impact on performance. Imagery involves mentally practicing aspects of your activity. It allows players the chance to see them performing at their best, and it is a valuable aid in clearing the mind of distractions, such as the environment, crowd chants, etc, while preparing the player for his own game in a positive setting (ASPN 2007).

Imagery is “more effective if you can use all the senses” and one should “imagine the sounds, smells and physical sensations that go along with the scene” (ASPN 2007). An example in soccer would include a free kick on the edge of the box where the taker could imagine the wall, the goalkeeper’s position and his target. The reason why imagery should be positive is because it has a direct effect on confidence. A player can imagine a skill that they failed to execute properly in their last game, for e.g. a volley and mentally rehearse it, viewing the successful execution of the skill and learning the techniques involved (ASPN 2007).

Thelwell et al (2006) argue for the inclusion of imagery in any training programme on the basis that it not only aids motivation, but because it can help performers gain inner confidence in their ability and aid decision making as the effects of fatigue set in. Imagery harmonises many of the psychological demands of soccer: it prepares players for competition where they imagine themselves at their peak, it prepares them for the actions they may have to execute during the course of the game, e.g. tackles, clearances and winning headers and helps them recover from errors and previous poor performances (Lesyk 1998).

It is vital for every soccer player to believe in their own ability and recover from misjudgements or errors, for e.g. an own goal or yellow card. If they lack confidence and start having negative cognitions, the anxiety cycle will kick in and their muscles will tense and seize up, making them prone to more errors and affecting performance. Mental imagery has been shown to be more effective than no practice and even in some circumstances equal to physical practice (Clark, cited in Hemayattalab and Movahedi 2009). It is thus suitable for players returning from injury and can be incorporated into training sessions or as a recovery session in itself. Imagery premises the notion that “any idea occupying one’s mind will also be expressed in one’s muscles” (Onestak 1997), so if a trainer is to adopt this mental skill for his/her soccer players/team it should in incorporated in a positive framework.

A second mental skill that is equally important is progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), which I will use as a relaxation analogy from herein. PMR is a relaxation and stress control technique which involves tensing various muscles for several seconds, relaxing them and moving on to other muscle groups. The aim of PMR is that with practice the participant, in this case a soccer player can learn to relax the muscles and relieve tension within seconds (Scott 2005).

Relaxation strategies, such as PMR are appropriate because they reflect the psychological demands of soccer, i.e. they help players stay cool under pressure, aid concentration and help them to regulate arousal. It has also been found that these strategies “may benefit performers’ perceptions of pain and fatigue” (Thelwell and Greenlees, cited in Thelwell et al 2006). If there is any symbolic relationship between this, it may suggest that a player whose perception of pain and fatigue is positively distorted may have greater self belief and determination to go the distance and win the game. However, this is a research question rather than a hypothesis that has yet to be proved correct.

Players must work hard to find their optimal level of arousal. With techniques such as PMR incorporated into their training, they can learn how to relax their muscles within seconds, thus intervening in the muscle tension phase of the anxiety cycle and helping them to “prepare well for your sport, perform at your peak during the event, and react appropriately to things that happen during the game” (ASPN 2007). Soccer players have to make quick decisions based on information they receive, for e.g. by looking up to see a teammate in space and they launch an attack, they have to react to difficult situations within split seconds, the bounce/flight of the ball, a quick free kick, etc.

Relaxations strategies can aid their concentration levels, which have to be strong over the course of 90+ minutes. We often see soccer teams switching off at corners, or thinking they have the game won with minutes remaining. Using such techniques could increase their team’s points tally during the course of the season. Especially for soccer players, such techniques could help them when moving from a high arousal state to a lower state, for e.g. a tackle to a throw, corner or even a penalty kick.

Lesyk (1998) suggests that the most successful sports performers know when to reduce anxiety, without it hindering their intensity. Relaxation techniques if performed in soccer help give players something to focus on. This means that they do not dwell on past mistakes or negative cognitions, but they play in the “here-and-now”.

These strategies can be learned and improved with instruction and technique. It would be rather naive to suggest that they can be learned in a day. They should be encouraged and implemented in training sessions for small periods. Ultimately, they will prepare each individual for the sports situations they can and will face in the field setting where they compete (Taylor 1995).

References

ASPN (2007) ‘Imagery’ [online], available: http://www.aspn.com.au/imagery.htm [accessed 15 Mar 2010].

Hemayattalab, R. and Movahedi, A. (2009) ‘Effects of different variations of mental and physical practice on sport skill learning in adolescents with mental retardation’, Research in Developmental Disabilities, 31(1), available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VDN-4XJN4S5-1&_user=103702&_coverDate=02%2F28%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1267583970&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000007923&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=103702&md5=ad7ecf96a44f2fd136769bf2afb14740 [accessed 15 Mar 2010].

Lesyk, J.J. (1998) ‘The Nine Mental Skills of Successful Athletes’ [online], available: http://www.sportpsych.org/nine2.html [accessed 15 Mar 2010].

Magill, R.A. (2007) Motor Learning and Control Concepts and Applications, 8th ed., New York: McGraw-Hill.

Onestak, D.M. (1997) ‘The effect of visuo-motor behavior rehearsal (VMBR) and videotaped modeling on the free-throw performance of intercollegiate athletes’ [online], available: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-19619548/effect-visuo-motor-behavior.html [accessed 15 Mar 2010].

O'Sullivan, E.M. and Smyth, P.J. (2002) ‘The Attacking Mindset’, in Hale, B.D. and Collins, D.J. (eds.) Rugby Tough, Champaign: Human Kinetics.

Scott, E. (2005) ‘Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)’ [online], available: http://stress.about.com/od/stressmanagementglossary/g/pmr.htm [accessed 15 Mar 2010].

Taylor, J. (1995) ‘A Conceptual Model for Integrating Athletes' Needs and Sport Demands
in the Development of Competitive Mental Preparation Strategies’, The Sport Psychologist, 9(3), 339-357.

Thelwell, R.C, Greenlees, I.A. and Weston, N.J.V. (2006) ‘Using Psychological Skills Training to Develop Soccer Performance’, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 18(3), 257-270.