Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Mental Fitness  The aspects of mental fitness are:-  Motivation  Mental rehearsal  Arousal  Relaxation  Anxiety control  Managing emotion

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Motivation  Can be gained from outside sources  Awards schemes  Trophies  Money  Praise

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Motivation  Can be gained from internal sources  Desire to do well

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Mental Rehearsal  Often used by performers in individual activities  Performer can run through the event in their minds before taking part

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Mental Rehearsal  Swimmer can visualise the start, swim, turn and finish of their race

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Arousal  This is how prepared the body is for action  When threatened the body prepares to react  This fact is used to prepare performers for action

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Arousal Level of Performance Level of Arousal Low Medium High LowMedium High

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Arousal  Coaches use this to ‘psyche up’ a performer  Coaches also use this knowledge to calm down a nervous performer  If you are tired your level of arousal may be low  Stress may also adversely affect your performance

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Relaxation  Performers may need to relax so that they are not too tense to perform well  Many relaxation techniques can be used to achieve this:-  Imagery – Imagine yourself in a warm, comfortable place Continued …

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Relaxation Relaxation Imagine yourself somewhere warm and relaxing Continued …

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Relaxation  Control of breathing  Try to slow down your breathing  Try to feel as if the tension is flowing out of each muscle

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Managing Emotion  In a demanding situation performers must be able to control their emotions  Allows the performer to concentrate on what they are doing

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Managing Emotion  When taking a crucial penalty the player must be controlled to ensure most chance of success  When performing in front of an audience a performer must not let this affect their concentration so that their performance is not affected

Physical Education – Intermediate 2/Higher Preparation of the Body - Concept 3 – 1 Mental Fitness ©The Education Network (TEN) 2008 Anxiety Control  This can be helped by being able to relax  If you are anxious about your performance you may suffer high levels of arousal  You may be too tense to perform at your best