Sports Psychology - Essay Example

? Sport Pyschology - Strategies. Sport psychology draws heavily from the disciplines of kinesiology and psychology. The interdisciplinary approach explores how psychological factors influence performance, as well as how participation in sport and exercise impact on psychological and physical factors. The employment of psychological strategies to enhance sports performance has become prominent over the years. This emanates from the realization that psychology can play a fundamental role in shaping the performance. The capability of the mind to develop thought patterns, influence emotions, excite or diminish arousal has modified the manner in which many athletes approach their events. Sport Psychology - Strategies. Introduction The common areas of study of sports science include personality, coaching, youth sport, team dynamics, and evolutionary perspectives. One of the prime areas of study within sport psychology is the association between personality and performance. This centers on certain personality characteristics and how they relate to performance such as mental toughness. Mental toughness features a psychological edge that aids one to perform at an enhanced level consistently. Performance in sports is influenced by a number of factors such as physical factors, psychological factors, and external factors. Psychological factors relate to an athlete’s mental preparation encompassing relaxation techniques and imagery (Dosil, 2006). Coaches are central to athlete performance and form an integral population where intervention can be effective in enhancing performance. Coaches can create two motivational climates by manipulating the situational and environmental factors, which include task oriented and ego oriented motivational climate. Task oriented motivational climate is self-referencing and focuses on building skill, improvement, and mastering the task (Cotterill, 2013). Ego oriented motivational climate, on the other hand, pursues superior ability and competition, but fails to promote effort or personalized improvement. Behavioural/psychological Problems Experienced by the College’s Basketball Team throughout the Season Last season was quite challenging for the college’s basketball team in which I am a member. On top of not qualifying for the championships, the team encountered diverse psychological and behavioral problems. First, the outstanding problem is that the team had low confidence, especially when playing the opponent. Second, some players showed signs of being over-aroused and showed difficulty filtering out environmental distraction, especially prior and during competition. Third, most of the players in the team encountered difficulty in controlling negative talk emanating from critics and the players easily lost focus due to discouragement. In fact, the coach once observed that the players were withholding effort during training. Forth, the team encountered a string of injuries for a number of players, who became a significant source of problem due to attitude. Lastly, most of the players in the team appeared stressed (high competition stress) and frequently became anxious, especially during pre-competition training regime. Psychological Factors Impacting on Sport/performance There are diverse psychological factors that impact on sports performance; anxiety, self confidence, personality, opposition, and motivation. Motivation infers an inner state that stimulates, directs, and maintains behavior towards attaining a set goal. Motivation is what steers behavior and is crucial to reach an optimal level of performance. Motivation can be categorized as positive or negative, and intrinsic or extrinsic (Tracey, 2003). Positive motivation requires a continual reinforcement by the athlete (internal), the coach, family, spectators, or friends (external). In order for the athlete to perform well and be positively motivated, the coach must spotlight a variety of ways to reinforce the positive behaviors of the athlete such as through incentives progress charts with rewards (Smith & Bar-Eli, 2007). Although negative motivation (improvement in performance due to fear of consequences or not attaining (external expectations) may be effective sometimes, persistent or perpetual negative motivation may be destructive to an athlete’s self esteem/self confidence, especially in instances in which the athlete feels that the negative motivation was unwarranted (Davies,1995). Strategies to Tackle the Outlined Psychological/behavioral Problems and Enhance Performance Some of the psychological skills that can be employed to manage the competitive performance environment include employing relaxation skills such as progressive relaxation, slow, controlled, deep abdominal breathing, and autogenic training; utilizing attention styles (types of concentration); imagery (visualization and kinesthetics); appropriate self-talk, and instituting a pre-competition mental routine to be used immediately prior to competition on game day. The pre competition routines are mainly short [1-2 minutes] and utilize a variety of mental skills (Taylor & Taylor, 1997). Strategies to Respond to the Psychological Problems Respectively Strategy 1: Imagery Imagery (motor imagery) infers using multiple senses to develop or recreate experiences in one’s mind. One of the outstanding attribute of this strategy is that the vivid the images, the more probable they are interpreted by the brain as matching the actual event, which enhances the effectiveness of mental practice with imagery. Effective imagery attempts to fashion a striking lifelike image via the use of multiple senses (such as sight and smell), suitable timing, perspective, and precise portrayal of the task (Moran, 2004). Mental rehearsal and visualization/imagery entails where individuals conduct a virtual performance, or construct an environment in which it is carried out in their mind before a performance, hence enhancing their capability to perform the skills when required (Thatcher, Day & Rahman, 2011). The visual image can aid the performer to highlight the movements required to yield an optimal performance, enhance concentration and performance. Research findings and anecdotal evidence from athletes imply that imagery is a successful tool that can be employed to improve performance, and the accompanying psychological states critical to performance such as confidence. The coach can employ this strategy a day prior to an event (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). Strategy 2: Arousal regulation Arousal regulation centers on entering into and sustaining an optimal level of cognitive and physiological activation so as to maximize performance. This may encompass relaxation techniques in the event that the athletes become too anxious through techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and breathing exercises, or the employment of energizing techniques such as listening to music if the athlete is not alert enough (Davies,1995). Athletes in a state of over-arousal can employ relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing, meditation, massage, yoga, progressive muscular relaxation, and self-hypnosis so as to manage the over-arousal (Smith & Bar-Eli, 2007). Relaxation techniques infer techniques, which, with practice, minimize arousal intensity and minimize the influence of over-arousal. Relaxation aids the athlete to lower their stress level and calm themselves prior to a performance. Concentration and attention skills (focusing) can enable the athlete to focus on the task at hand and ignore distractions (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). Focusing aids athletes to focus on relevant cues and ignore distractions such as the crowd. This strategy is effective when employed prior and during competition. The employment of meditation (mindfulness) is a prominent practice in the arena of arousal recognition. The Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) theory is a dominant approach of mindfulness in sport. The purpose of the approach is to maximize human potential in order to attain a full and meaningful life (Taylor & Taylor, 1997). Strategy3: Positive Self-talk Self-talk infers the thoughts and words that athletes frequently say unto self, usually in their minds. Self-talk phrases/cues are employed to direct attention towards a certain thing so as to enhance focus. Psychological strategies can be beneficial in minimizing negative self-talk and enhancing the self-confidence of the athletes within the camp who felt weighed down by criticism. Research indicates that either positive or negative self-talk may enhance performance whereby the efficacy of self-talk phrases hinges on the individual’s interpretation of the phrase (Coon, 2006). Strategy 4: Self Efficacy Athletes mainly possess strong body awareness and take delight in the ability of their bodies; besides, the capability to train and compete entails an enormous ego. Nevertheless, injuries are potentially devastating, whether physically or psychologically. Injured athletes mainly experience at least three emotional responses; isolation, frustration, and mood disturbances (Tracey, 2003). An injury forces an athlete to become detached from teammates or even the coach, thus making the athlete feel isolated. Secondly, the athlete becomes frustrated since he/she perceives the injury to be an enormous loss of months or years of training and skills mastery. Thirdly, mood disturbances are rife among injured athletes as the athlete experiences moments of depression (withdrawal, rage, or insomnia) or having low confidence in the rehabilitation process. It is essential to inform the athlete the extent and nature of the injury, the prognosis for recovery, suggested course of therapy and rehabilitation, and an estimation of period needed prior to resumption of training. The coach should avail psychological support as a critical part of treatment and rehabilitation process (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). Enhancing self confidence is essential to minimizing the performer’s long term susceptibility to anxiety, frustration, or feelings of isolation (Andersen, 2005). Building situation-specific self confidence (self efficacy) enables the performer to believe that he/she possesses the ability to succeed and that his activation system is accurately set up, complete with processes needed so as to succeed and overcome injury (Taylor & Wilson, 2005). This strategy should be employed when the athlete is undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. Strategy 5 Anxiety-blocking Stress stems from individuals facing events that they perceive as endangering to their physical or psychological wellbeing. Anxiety mainly emanates from four main sources; fear of physical harm, ego threat, fear of punishment, and fear of inanimate objects. Fear of physical harm and ego threat is particularly relevant to most sport situations (Andersen, 2005). The anxiety in this case emanates from the individual perceiving the situation outstripping his/her ability to cope. Anxiety is manifested through cognitive and physiological arousal either through an increase in the level of emotion manifested by feelings such as worry, concern, or negative thoughts and feelings (Moran, 2004). Stress may be marked by somatic complaints, such as muscle tension, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal disturbances, fatigue, irritability, muscle tension, or even injury. The majority of anxiety-blocking strategies utilize relaxation techniques and can be categorized according to their cognitive (mental), physical, or behavioral emphasis. For instance, the coach could employ progressive muscular relaxation to athletes experiencing excessive muscle tension (Coon, 2006). Similarly, the coach may employ standardized clinical meditation, which enables one to focus attention inwards while unblocking negative thoughts. The coach should evaluate the emotional status of the athlete through a careful, non-judgmental questioning. Evaluating the emotional status of the athlete can aid to reveal interpersonal problems, as well as anxiety relating to an upcoming competition (Meyers, Whelan & Murphy, 1996). In order to ensure that anxiety does not exercise a negative impact on performance, coaches should aid their athletes to learn how to manage their personal anxiety levels. This strategy can be employed any time when necessary. Other Appropriate Strategies Goal-setting Goal setting infers the process of systematically establishing modes of attaining certain accomplishments within a certain period. The coach should emphasize the significance of goal-setting to ensure that the team members have a concise idea on what they intend to pursue. Goal setting can be a significant part of an athlete’s training plan, whether the goal is to enhance his/her physical skills, mental skills, or enjoyment of the sport. Goal setting enhances motivation and dedication levels for the athlete. The set goal must be specific, measurable, realistic, and attainable to be effective guided by both the situation and the athlete’s ability. Secondly, the set goal must be time bound and responsive to circumstances in which the athlete can readily exercise control (Thatcher, Day & Rahman, 2011). Research on goal setting in sport reveals “do your best” goals are a more effective method for enhancing performance compared to setting no goals. Short term goals should be employed to aid in achieving long term goals (Moran, 2004). Furthermore, it is essential to set goals in positive terms by highlighting existing behaviors rather than absent behaviors. Pre-performance routines Pre performance routines encompasses actions and behaviors that athletes employ to prepare for a game or performance such as pregame routines, warm-up routines, and the tasks that an athlete will regularly do mentally and physically prior to executing the performance. Per-performance routines may also incorporate imagery and self talk (Dosil, 2006). Pre -performance routines aid the athlete in developing consistency and predictability. The routines aid the mind and the muscles to develop effective motor control. The coach should encourage the basketball team to dribble at the foul line and engage in preshot routines prior to a basketball match. The coach should employ sport and exercise psychological skills so as to optimize performance and enjoyment via the employment of psychological skills (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). The coach should utilize the best methods of rewarding and reinforcing behaviors, giving feedback, communicating, and circumventing self-fulfilling prophecies among their athletes. Conclusion Athletes should minimize tension and stress as the two may yield a decline in performance, or constrain maintenance of high-level performances over an extended period. The coach should understand and employ the concepts of motivation, arousal, and management of anxiety so as to maximize the ability, as well as performance of athletes. Training should be geared at preparing the body both physically and mentally. Studies indicate that mental preparation translates into enhanced performance, thus the mind must be stimulated and controlled effectively to attain better results. Hence, the coach should explore psychological means of enhancing the mental side of performance such as motivation, which then can influence performance consistency. References Andersen, M. (2005). Sport psychology in practice. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Burton, D. & Raedeke, T. (2008). Sport psychology for coaches. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Coon, D. (2006). Psychology: A modular approach to mind and behaviour. Belmont, CA: Thomson Higher Education. Cotterill, S. (2013). Team psychology in sports: Theory and practice. New York, NY: Routledge. Davies, D. (1995). Psychological factors in competitive sport. Hampshire, UK: Falmer Press. Dosil, J. (2006). The sport psychologist’s handbook: A guide for sport-specific performance enhancement. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons. Meyers, W., Whelan, P. & Murphy, M. (1996). Cognitive behavioral strategies in athletic performance enhancement. Progressive Behavioral Modification, 30 (1), 137-164. Moran, A. (2004). Sport and exercise psychology: A critical introduction. New York, NY: Routledge. Smith, D. & Bar-Eli, M. (2007). Essential readings in sport and exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Taylor, J. & Taylor, S. (1997). 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