Applied Sport Psychology - Case Study Example

The mind-body connection is a very powerful one. For anything an individual imagines in his/her mind, their body has a reaction, in spite of whether it is factual or illusory. Thus, the performance of any individual depends heavily on the mind as the mind-body connection plays a vital role. For sports personnel, it is even more important as these are individuals who make use of the mind-body connection the most. This is because the level that an athlete performs on any given day depends on his/her ability to utilize both his/her mind and body to the fullest. Thus, in order to realize the full potential of the player coaches and other sports personnel should take appropriate measures to make their athletes’ mind strong. In this paper, I will present the in depth synopsis of the hypothetical individual and will relate the issues of stress and anxiety as a part of a sports psychological report. One such case is of an individual, Sean Brooks who is an upcoming talent in English county cricket. Sean Brooks is 20 years of age and is looking to get one step further in his career. He is an all-rounder, with the ability to control the game with bat or bowl in hand and is an outstanding fielder. Even though, Sean Brooks is an extremely talented individual, he displays his brilliance on specific days, that is, he might perform exceedingly well one day and the next day he would be completely out-of-sorts. Furthermore, his performance fluctuates even during games, where he might be batting extremely well, would have complete control over the game and then suddenly he would lose his wicket to a lose ball. This rise and fall in his level of performance not only affects the overall performance of the team but it has a negative influence on his future career as a cricketer. Information gathered from coaches and numerous articles suggests that Sean, although an extrinsic and social individual, experiences some level of stress while playing cricket. But there is also some information that suggests that there are environmental stressors that could be the cause for the inconsistent performances that Sean is experiencing. Sean belongs to a cricketing family as both his father and older brother have played cricket at a high level, therefore expectations are high. Furthermore, as Sean is an extrinsic individual, he apparently tends to be a bit of a show-off. For example there is a coaching report that illustrates that when Sean was batting, and batting well, the crowd around the ground began to clap and cheer for more quick runs, i.e.; four and sixes. To try and please the crowds’ needs, Sean instigated on playing shots which where uncalled for, it then lead to the downfall of his wicket. This is a clear example of how the stress from the crowd prompted a rise in arousal in Sean’s temperament towards his batting, which eventually lead to the downfall of his wicket. It is this type of behaviour that is holding Sean back from making his way into the England under-21 cricket squad. It is clear to coaches and fans of Sean Brookes, that if Sean was able to come out these psychological mishaps, he would grow into a great talent, both for his county and for England. It is for this reason that Sandeep Singh, Sean’s coach is seeking the help from a sports psychologist. He hopes that Sean can learn to develop his mental approach to cricket. With 80% of cricket played in the head the area; sports psychology is of paramount importance to Sean’s cricket development. (Sandy Gordon, 2007) Stress is viewed as an imbalance in physiological systems that activate physiological and behavioural responses to restore balance. In this way a stressor is like a load, a force that’s acts on a biological system (Dishman, 2000). This is clearly evident in Sean’s life; family ambitions, crowds, pressure games; they all act as major stressors and result in a decline in performance. Emotions and mood also act as stressors and to exemplify how these relate to stress, it will be useful to focus upon Selye’s concept of stress and Lazarus’s concept of stress process. Lazarus (2000) defines an emotion as “an organized psycho physiological reaction to an ongoing relationship with the environment, most often, but not always, interpersonal or social” (p230). One of these emotions is anxiety, which he defines as “facing uncertain, existential threat” (p234). Anxiety can have a substantial effect on an individual’s performance and the evidence points to Sean experiencing anxiety during his games. Positive mood and emotion can have an effect on the overall anxiety of an individual. Emotions such as anger, guilt and shame, relief, happiness and pride all have affects on Sean’s performance on a given day. Anger for example, is often considered a negative emotion, yet it may have an inhibitory or an excitatory effect upon performance (Cerin, 2000). We can now understand how cricket as a sport can be so stressful, because it is a slower paced sport, there are short intervals where play is at a standstill (no bowls being bowled), and it is during these interval where players begin to think about their mistakes or catches they have dropped. This would be labelled as distress, but then distress can also creep into a player’s game while listening to the crowd or even hitting really good shots can tip a player’s anxiety levels and cause a cut in performance. Since we understand that a stimulus can cause an imbalance between physical and psychological process and we can now justify why Sean may be suffering from stress while playing cricket. McGrath (1970) produced a four stage stress model to help understand how stress is brought about by an individual such as Sean. It is through these stages that I hope to clearly identify the psychological factor disturbing Sean’s performances. The first stage, discusses what environmental demands are being placed on an individual. The demands might be physical or psychological. In Sean’s case we must underline the psychological demands placed on him by his family and team-mates, pressuring him to perform in every game. We can also factor in the potential psychological demands that crowd noise puts on Sean’s shoulders, they obviously play significant role creating an imbalance in the physiological systems. Nevertheless physical demands such as his ability to learn and develop new skill can also disrupt stress patterns. Even though Sean is an amazingly talented individual, but he needs coaching and executing new skills in a match can be a difficult task for any individual. The second and third stage of McGrath’s (1970) model illustrates how an individual perceives demand and how they respond to the stress that has been exerted. Sean, as discussed earlier, is a more extrinsic individual and it seems that he perceives no imbalance or perceives the demands to be non-threatening. Yet his response to these ‘stressful’ demands suggest otherwise. Sean perception of stress maybe hidden but the situation of the demand may make him feel threatened and therefore cause an increase in state anxiety, which can be defined as an immediate emotional state that is characterised by apprehension, fear, tension, and an increase in physiological arousal (Spielberger, 1971). It is this state anxiety that increase worries (cognitive state anxiety, which concerns the degree to which one worries or has negative thoughts (Spielberger, 1971) and increase physiological activation (somatic state anxiety), or both. This could cause Sean to have other reaction such as a lack of concentration and increased muscle tension. But it is in the fourth stage of McGrath’s (1970) Model where actual behaviour is recognised. If Sean perceives an imbalance between capability and demands and feels increased anxiety does his performance deteriorate? Or does the increased state anxiety increases intensity of effort, therefore improving his performance? Well from the evidence that has been presented earlier, we understand how stress is affecting Sean and causing an imbalance in physiological processes, and it is this imbalance that is resulting in the inconsistency in Sean’s game. Since we have established which stressors are affecting Sean and how they are upsetting the balance of anxiety, and in turn affecting the levels of arousal, we need to realise how arousal affects performance. This relationship can be realised through many theories, but I will look at two specific theories, the drive theory and the inverted – U hypothesis. The relationship between arousal and performance was thought to be direct and linear. According to this view, called the drive theory, as an individual’s arousal increases, so too does his performance; for example, the more psyched up Sean becomes, the better he will perform (Martens, 1990). But the drive theory does not explain the correlation between over-anxiety and performance. That is why we turn to the inverted- U theory, to explain the relationship between arousal states and performance (Landers & Arent, 2001). If we relate this to Sean we can understand how he needs to learn to maintain a homeostasis between physical and psychological arousal. If Sean holds a low arousal level then his performance will be below par but as he psyches up and arousal increases so does performance but up to an optimal point where he will perform at his best. Further increases in arousal, however, can cause performance to decline (Weinberg & Gould, 2007). This is why Mr Singh, want a sports psychologist to intervene and help Sean to maintain this level optimum level of arousal. To maintain Sean’s optimum level of arousal, the sports psychologist’s first and foremost duty would be to carefully observe Sean’s behaviours and actions carefully. To do this, he would stay with him during training sessions, practice sessions and games. After identifying the issues that are resulting in Sean’s dismal performances, the psychologist will have to work with Sean on the four basic mental qualities; concentration, confidence, control and commitment. These skills in Sean would allow him develop an optimum level of arousal which would ultimately result in improved and successful performance. Concentration is the psychological quality to pay attention on the chore to be performed. Sean faces the great problem of being unable to concentrate on the game due to the different stressors he encounters. Thus, due to his lack of concentration he is unable to successfully or competently apply his talent to the game. The psychologist needs to aware that the tactics to develop concentration are very personal. Therefore, he would need to work with Sean on a personal level and help him focus on the tasks that are needed of him. Firstly, to help Sean uphold his concentration, the psychologist will assist him in setting process goals for each portion of the competition or the game. For this technique, Sean will have an overall goal, for which he will recognize numerous process or sub- goals that will assist him in concentrating on particular dimensions of the play. For every individual goal Sean can make use of a trigger word (a word which instantaneously refocuses the player’s focus on the goal). This would enable Sean to establish a habit for the games that may comprise of the night prior to, the morning, before the competition, competition and after the competition practices. If these habits are properly designed and induced in Sean, then they can be certainly be a helpful tool in improving his level of concentration. Another way that the sports psychologist can help Sean perform better is by improving his self-confidence. Confidence of player consequences from the contrast a player makes between the goal and his skill. The only way Sean can regain his self-confidence is if he thinks he can achieve his goal. If the psychologist helps Sean develop the right kind of self-confidence while he is playing, he will be able to maintain a high energy level when things are not going according to the plan, demonstrate enthusiasm, be optimistic in his approach and take his part of the responsibility in both victories and failures. To establish the right kind of self-confidence, the sports psychologist cam make use a technique called mental imagery. Mental imagery would involve Sean to imagine himself in the cricket field batting or bowling. The images should have Sean performing these tasks extremely well and effectively. He should view himself taking pleasure in the game and feeling contended with his performance. To develop his self confidence, the psychologist can make Sean use mental imagery to: imagine earlier good performance to jog his memory of the look and feel picture a variety of situations and how he will deal with them One aspect that needs special attention from the psychologist for Sean’s overall performance is the control. The psychologist needs to recognize when Sean feels a certain emotion or stress and comprehend the cause for the emotion. This is because understanding of the cause of the emotion or the stressor is significant in helping the player achieve emotional control. A players capability to uphold control of his emotions in the face of hardship and stay optimistic is necessary to successful performance. Two emotions that are frequently linked with poor performance and are greatly faced by Sean are anxiety and anger. Anxiety appears in two kinds- physical and psychological. In order to reduce the level of anxiety, Sean needs to employ the relaxation techniques. When he becomes angry, the reason of the irritation time and again becomes the center of attention. This then results in a lack of concentration on the game, performance worsens and assurance in ability is lost which increases the anger. The most imperative aspect in playing any sport is the level of commitment a player has towards his/her sport which Sean lacks. To overcome this issue with Sean, the psychologist should help him set specific and achievable. This would not only boost his confidence but would lift his feelings of value, give him combined possession of the goals and therefore become more dedicated to achieving them. Leadership also plays an important role in guiding young players like Sean towards the right path and in achieving the desired goals. This guidance can only be accomplished if the team captain and the coach develop a relationship with the player and constantly encourage him to perform better. Furthermore, the coach, the captain and all the senior players should help him realize his potential and help him polish the raw talent he possesses. Moreover, the team management needs to continuously support Sean so that he feels secure about his place in the team and provide him with constant feedback and reinforcement. This would help him improve because this encourages an individual’s intrinsic motivation. But a certain limit should be set so that he is aware of the fact that if he continues to perform inconsistently then his place in the team would be taken by another talented young player. Thus, as already mentioned 80% of a cricketers success is determined by what takes place in his head. Learning the abilities and beliefs that facilitate an individual are fundamental to accomplishing one’s potential and to performing consistently well. Therefore, Sean will be helped in expanding those skills that will take his game to the next level. Also he needs to have beliefs and habits of mind replaced, and to be provided with a range of skills that will help him overcome the challenges. He will be helped to take more wickets, score more runs, and become a better more concentrating fielder. These training services would mix together in the fitness regime and will be according to the needs of Sean. There is a number of times that when how Sean will feel will decide how he performs. Here are just a few that he will recognize: Right before batting During hold ups in batting After reaching a batting milestone When bowling on flat wickets When being hit around  During long periods in the field Thus for Sean to realize his full potential as an exceptional cricketers, he has to start training his mind as well as his body. Just as he has developed physical skills and techniques, he must learn to develop these mental skills. He should: Stay relaxed under pressure and good nervous Concentrate on what is significant and leave everything else. Recover from mistakes and breakdowns. Manage self-doubts and negative thinking. Use mental practice for approaching performances. Motivate by establishing personally significant and forceful goals. Identify mental hurdles and avoid them. Expand self-confidence and a positive attitude. References Cerin, E., Szabo, A., Hunt, N., Williams, C. (2000) Temporal patterning of competitive emotion: A critical review. Journal of Sport Sciences, 18. Dishman, R.K. and E.M. Jackson. (2000) Exercise, Fitness and Stress. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 31. Landers, D.M., & Arent, S.M. (2001) Towards a better understanding of physical fitness and activity. Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway Lazarus, R.S. (2000) How emotions influence performance in competitive sports. The Sports psychologist, 14. Martens, R., Vealey, R.S., & Burton, D. (1990). Competitive anxiety in sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics McGrath, J.E. (1970). Social and psychological factors in stress. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Sandy Gordon, et al. (2007) Sport and Exercise Psychology: International Perspectives. Fitness Information Technology. Selye, H. (1983). The stress concept; Past, present and future. In C.L. Cooper, Stress Research. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Spielberger, C. D. (1971). Trait-state anxiety and motor behaviour. Journal of motor Behaviour, 3. Weinberg, R.S., & Gould, R. (2007) Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Human Kinetics. Bibliography: Cox, R.H. (2007) Sports psychology: Concepts and applications. McGraw Hill; international edition. Weinberg, R.S., & Gould, R. (2007) Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Human Kinetics. McArdle W.D., Frank I., Victor L. (2000) Essentials of Exercise Physiology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Read More