1. Using the top two inches to improve our sport
Sport Psychology
Using the top two inches to improve our sport

2. What is arousal?
Arousal in sport is your state of ready ness before a match or a race.
Feels like you need to pee.
And you feel a little apprehensive or nervous.

3. More Arousal
Athletes need to reach an optimal level of readiness where they are aroused but not over aroused as to affect performance

4. It’s all about the INVERTED U THEORY

5. Inverted U hypothesis

6. You can be over aroused
Happens when your nerves and stress levels get to high.
You start worrying about outcomes before you have even started the activity.

7. Examples of Over Arousal
English football team
All Blacks in the World Cups
Australia at the olympics

8. High Arousal
High levels of arousal are characterised when athletes are:
tense
highly excited
or anxious.

9. High Arousal
High levels of arousal result from an increase of a hormone called adrenalin in the bloodstream which increases heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure and respiratory (breathing)rate.

10. Low Arousal Low levels of arousal are characterised when athletes are:
bored,
tired,
felling unwell
or not directly involved in the action of a game.

11. How do athletes manage Arousal?
Sport Psychology seeks to give athletes techniques to help manage arousal, in particular over arousal, to help reach optimal performance.
These techniques include:
Centering
positive imagery
relaxation techniques
self talk
and mental conditioning.
Using these techniques an athlete can control their own levels of arousal before an event and ensure they are at the optimal level of arousal.

12. The Four C’s Confidence: believing in one’s own abilities
Concentration: maintaining focus on relevant cues
Confidence: believing in one’s own abilities
Control: maintaining control over the emotions
Commitment: working hard to achieve your goals

14. Mental Rehearsal
Athletes can often try to reach their optimal level of arousal by practicing their performance in their mind.
This visualisation of movements you are about to perform can help...
Arousal control
Improving attention and concentration
Build Self-confidence
Learn new skills
Recover from injury

15. Key Words and Self Talk
During the performance or a break in an event, athletes can use key words to help them maintain focus on their performance.
This might be a free throw, penalty kick, line-out, top of a difficult run.
Key words hold a meaning to the athlete and remind them of key movements in their performance to help perform the movement well and be positive.
These words help create an image in the athletes mind of a successful, positive performance.

16. The Basketball Free throw
In pairs or small groups identify the main parts of a basketball free throw routine and then identify the technical movements that would make this movement successful.
Give each part of your routine a key word that associates with the technique you have uncovered.
BOUNCE: Bounce the ball three times, relax the shoulders and clear the mind.

17. Basketball Free Throw continued
BREATHE: Breathe in and visualise the ball sailing through the air and into the hoop.
LEGS: Bend the legs, feet shoulder width apart
ELBOW: Have the ball in front of you and elbow pointing toward the hoop
RELEASE: Release the ball smoothly in a fluid action

18. Why does it work?
The athlete focuses on the performance not the outcome
The movement is broken down into small achievable parts
Self talk and cues helps athletes make links from what they do in training to performance in matches

19. Attention Control and Relaxation

20. Relaxation
Relaxation can be used before, during or after a competition or event.
It helps the athlete stay calm and reach the correct level of arousal for the situation
Relaxation techniques include deep breathing, meditation and centering exercises.

21. Concentration
Concentration is recognised as the most important mental factor for effective performance.
Concentration skills can be trained and improved and are as important to practice as physical skills
There are many external cues or stimuli happening in any single athletic event. Concentration is the recognition of relevant cues and the ignoring of irrelevant cues.

22. Attentional Focus
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Low level of Optimal level of High level of Concentration Concentration Concentration

23. Examples of Attention Roger Federer John Walker Greg Chappell
Phil Charman

24. Training Attention Control
Athletes need to be able to recognise relevant cues to help their performance
Athletes need to stay in the here and now
Athletes must focus on performance goals rather than result based goals
Athletes should have a mental routine that helps them best reach the optimal level of arousal and optimal level of attention

25. Personal Mental Skills Routine
Design your own mental training routine to help you prepare for your particular sport.
This should include:
Preparations you make the day before the game, the day of the game, an hour before the game, mental strategies for during the match, and after match analysis and evaluation.