The training and preparing the psychology of an athlete is equally as important as the physical training for the physiological side of the athlete.
Each of these factors supports the other, for example - if
an athlete was physically superior to his/her competitors, but was so nervous when
competing that he/she could not perform if the pressure overwhelms them. If an
athlete was mentally very strong, he/she
can cope with the pressures of a competition but not be able to win because
they lacked physical fitness/strength.
Psychology is defined as “Psychology is the scientific
study of human and animal behavior with the object of understanding why living
beings behave as they do”.
This was sourced from http://www.mindfocus.net/nc00100.html.
To be more specific in a sporting context sports psychology is defined
as “the study of the psychological and
mental factors that influence and are influenced by participation and performance
in sport, exercise, and physical activity, and the application of the knowledge
gained through this study to everyday settings”. This was researched from http://www.livestrong.com/article/134188-definition-sport-psychology/#ixzz2Dbt2aWJE
The psychology of any athlete can vary and this can affect
with how they are motivated and this in turn can affect their training and how
they perform in competition.
Short Term Psychology
Preparation:
Bandura developed the principle of self efficacy which is
defined as the self confidence of an athlete/individual in a specific
situation. This was sourced from the Edexcel
PE Textbook.
There are four factors
that influence an athletes self efficacy which then affects their performance.
These are Performance Accomplishments, Vicarious Experience, Social Persuasion
and Physiological and Emotional States. Image was sourced from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol3/issue4/staples1.gif
Performers
Accomplishments
I recall past experiences from training and competing to
keep me motivated and focused. This makes me want to replicate these moments
but performing them at bigger/higher level of competitions. One of these is
getting three personal bests at the Irish Championships for Powerlifting.
Vicarious
Experiences
I researched my sport by watching other Powerlifters train
on the television so I can learn from what they are doing. This ranges from
monitoring their technique to what sort of training they are doing to improve
their performance.
Social Persuasion
Self reflection and I get advice from my coach and other
Powerlifters which helps to improve my technique, training or nutrition. They
give me advice on how to prepare for a competition and what to do during it,
for example what weight I should start at for my opening lift.
Physiological and
Emotional States
When I am training and competing I deliberately focus on not
becoming anxious and I remain calm as
possible. I just listen to music and I think on the task at hand so I am not
losing focus or worrying about what is everyone else doing.
Powerlifting is very much using the Drive Theory which was
created by Zajonc (1965). The more aroused you are, the better your performance
should be. This theory fails to take into account the individual’s personality
and their performance. Powerlifting requires a high arousal level when compared
to other sports such as tennis. Image
was obtained from http://www.teachpe.com/images/psychology/drive_theory.jpg
However, another theory is more effective to use. This is
the Inverted-U Hypothesis which was created by Yearkes and Dodson (1908). Image
was sourced from http://www.teachpe.com/images/psychology/drive_theory.jpg
To explain it better I am using the images describing the optimal zone as shown below.
It needs to be said each individual athlete will have their own individual psychological make up and will react differently to pressure. Each athlete has their own zone of optimum performance. These zones will be influenced by their sport. Some athletes are more introverts and others extroverts which again affects their performance in a particular sport.
Hanin describes it well with the ZOF with three different athletes.
A poor performance will occur if arousal levels are either
too low, or too high. To produce the best performances the arousal level has to
be in between high and low. This is the “zone of optimal functioning” where
maximum performance occurs.
When there is a complete loss in performance due to being
too over aroused. This is known as choking and it is defined as “the inability to perform to an athlete’s
optimum performance – sudden impairment of failure of sports performance due to
anxiety”. This was taken from the
Edexcel PE Textbook.
The theory for this complete loss in performance is called
the Catastrophe Model created by Hardy (1996). This theory is linked with both
the Inverted-U Hypothesis and the Drive Theory.
Anxiety
is defined as a natural reaction to threat in the environment (this was taken
from the Edexcel PE Textbook) – part
of our preparation for flight or fight. There are 3 dimensions for anxiety
which are:
Cognitive Anxiety
Worry and negative feelings about
your own performance
Somatic Anxiety
Physiological symptoms such as
raised heart rate, increased perspiration, shortness of breath.
Behavioural Anxiety
Experiencing tension, agitation
and restlessness.
Sports performers can suffer from
two types of anxiety linked to performance, these are state and trait anxiety.
State Anxiety
This is situation specific and can
be linked to a particular role such as taking a penalty kick in football.
Trait Anxiety
This is a general and enduring feeling of
apprehension.
When I am competing in a Powerlifting competition I am not
thinking about what others are lifting or what their score is. I am focusing
about my own performance and what goals I have set myself for example, to
attain new personal bests. I use relaxation techniques such as listening to
music to prepare me for each competition.
I turn up my music really loud so it drowns out all outside
noise so the only thing I can hear is my music and my own thoughts. As I am
listening to the music, I am thinking through each individual step to lifting
the weight. This includes how I approach the bar, where my feet should be,
where my grip should be etc.
Even though I know how to do all of this, it keeps me
focused and prevents me from getting distracted.
When I go to train or compete I am
motivated to win. This motivation comes from within me (this is known as
intrinsic motivation). I want to improve my own performance and make the
national team - that is my motivation. Other athletes are motivated by tangible
rewards such as prize money. This is known as external motivation. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9582630/Record-19.3m-prize-fund-allays-Australian-Open-boycott-fears-as-Andy-Murray-returns-to-action-at-Japan-Open.html
Long Term
Psychological Preparation:
When planning my training to improve my physical performance have to also look at improving my psychological performance as well. I have used the SMARTER principle to help plan my goals. The principle is defined as:
S.M.A.R.T.E.R PrincipleWhen planning my training to improve my physical performance have to also look at improving my psychological performance as well. I have used the SMARTER principle to help plan my goals. The principle is defined as:
The S.M.A.R.T.E.R stands for, Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Time-Bound, Exciting and Recorded.
Specific; Its goals are
specific to the Sport and are challenging to improve performances. In my
Development Plan, the training is tough and specific to Powerlifting but will
help me achieve my goals.
Measurable; Its concerned
with the performer must be prepared to evaluate their progress critically and
adjust their goals as necessary. E.g. Maybe after retesting myself I find I am
already achieving a goal, I need to reassess my goals again so I am not peaking
to early.
Agreed; Goals set should be
discussed with others such as your coach. This will help you set realistic
goals and achieve them within a set time frame. I sat down with my coach and
was designed this programme around me to help develop my muscular strength for
Powerlifting.
Realistic; Goals are sensible
and can be achieved by the performer. If a coach was to set the target for a
100m sprinter to break the world record when the sprinter is only 15 years of
age, it is a pretty unrealistic target. The goals set by the coach and the
performer should reflect the performer’s ability. The goals my coach has set me
are all doable within the Development Plan.
Time-Bound; All of the goals
of any athletes programme should be divided into short and long term goals.
These goals should get progressively harder over the programme to challenge the
performer.
Exciting; The goals set need
to motivate the performer so he/she wants to keep improving their performance.
If the training is not exciting the performer will become bored and not want to
train.
With the SMARTER principle and my Periodisation I have
divided my goals up, these are: -
-
Outcome
goal: are concerned with the end product e.g. getting onto the Ireland team
for Powerlifting.
-
Performance
goals: relate to the achievement of a performance e.g. getting a personal
best lift in the Bench Press.
-
Process
goals: are centred on the technical elements that underpin performance as a
focus for development. E.g. a weak grip caused a foul in the deadlift, this
needs to be addressed and fixed so it does not occur again.
-
Short
Term goals: the building blocks that need to be achieved consistently
leading to the successful realisation of long term goal/goals.
-
Long Term
goals: have a larger objective and only can happen once short term goals
have all been completed.
To further enhance my performance I am using the Profile
Cycle. The cycle is made up of 4 stages:-
-
Stage 1:
Introduction- learn the importance of the programme to you, undertake an
honest appraisal, and agree a commitment.
- Stage 2: Construction- construct a performance profile, and undertake a series of strategies to enhance your desired/optimum profile goals
- Stage 3: Implementation- make the psychological skills training programme an automatic daily routine and apply it to actual competitive environments
- Stage 4: Assessment- review and reconstruct your profile.
- Stage 2: Construction- construct a performance profile, and undertake a series of strategies to enhance your desired/optimum profile goals
- Stage 3: Implementation- make the psychological skills training programme an automatic daily routine and apply it to actual competitive environments
- Stage 4: Assessment- review and reconstruct your profile.
Below is an example of a Performance Profile.
1/ Set Goals and set areas for Psychological Skills training
2/ achieve optimal motivation
3/ develop decision making
4/ understand the attribution process
5/ evaluate and review
6/ begin performance profiling
Andrew Richardson, Founder of Strength is Never a Weakness Blog
I have a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sport Science and a Merit in my MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and I passed my PGCE at Teesside University.
Now I will be commencing my PhD into "Investigating Sedentary Lifestyles of the Tees Valley" this October 2019.
I am employed by Teesside University Sport and WellBeing Department as a PT/Fitness Instructor.
My long term goal is to become a Sport Science and/or Sport and Exercise Lecturer. I am also keen to contribute to academia via continued research in a quest for new knowledge.
My most recent publications:
My passion is for Sport Science which has led to additional interests incorporating Sports Psychology, Body Dysmorphia, AAS, Doping and Strength and Conditioning.
Within these respective fields, I have a passion for Strength Training, Fitness Testing, Periodisation and Tapering.
I write for numerous websites across the UK and Ireland including my own blog Strength is Never a Weakness.
I had my own business for providing training plans for teams and athletes.
I was one of the Irish National Coaches for Powerlifting, and have attained two 3rd places at the first World University Championships,
in Belarus in July 2016.Feel free to email me or call me as I am always looking for the next challenge.
Contact details below;
Facebook: Andrew Richardson (search for)
Facebook Page: @StrengthisNeveraWeakness
Twitter: @arichie17
Instagram: @arichiepowerlifting
Snapchat: @andypowerlifter
Email: a.s.richardson@tees.ac.uk
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-richardson-b0039278
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Richardson7
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