1. PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATION The Role and Use of Sports Psychologists Relaxation Techniques

2. The role and Use of Sports Psychologists Sports psychology is viewed as a standard training tool by coaches and athletes as they attempt to describe, explain and predict the attitudes, behaviour and feelings of sports participants.

3. The role and Use of Sports Psychologists For athletes to compete at their best they must be able to: – Reduce or cope with stress – Handle pressure – Psyche out opponents – Learn skills – Develop team strategies – Think clearly – Relax – Be motivated and enthusiastic – Enjoy themselves

4. The role and Use of Sports Psychologists Types of psychological skills that athletes can develop to enable them to perform optimally are: – Mental imagery – Goal setting – Concentration – Anxiety and arousal control – Relaxation techniques

5. The role and Use of Sports Psychologists These skills can be practised the same way as physical skills in training. Athletes must be able to turn themselves ‘on and off’ and ‘up and down’. Therefore they must practise psychological skills at training, home, on the bus and in the competitive environment.

6. The role and Use of Sports Psychologists These methods are skills and strategies that will enhance the psychological abilities and are practical for both coach and athlete. – Focusing – Centreing – Self-talk

7. Focusing Staying in a controlled emotional state and concentrating on the immediate event. Athletes focus on elements of the coming even and re-focus during the event. Cue words and thoughts are often used to maintain focus.

8. Focusing Cue words – Technique – ‘stay low’, ‘reach’, ‘pull’ – Relaxation – ‘be smooth’, ‘easy’, ‘flow’ – Self-encouragement – ‘I can do this’, ‘I am in control’

9. Focusing Other focus points can be used as well: – Counting strides – Focusing on a specific point e.g.. Finish line, person in front, distant tree

10. Centreing Process that gives the athlete a feeling of being ‘grounded’, calm, receptive to stimuli, and clear in thought. Centred = in control of personal feelings and confident in physical performance. Involves breathing and the focusing of attention.

11. Self Talk Talking to oneself. Can be aloud or mentally. Can be based on – Physical task – Emotional mood

12. Self Talk To be effective it should be positive in nature. It can help in: – Rehearsing a skill – Correcting a skill – Re-focusing

13. Activity Consider the following and for ach scenario answer the questions that follow: – A rugby league player who does not get ‘into’ the game until the twenty minute mark. – A golfer who becomes distracted by the crowd when putting. – A soccer player who finds it very difficult to take a penalty kick at goal with any confidence.

14. Activity Questions 1. What sort of psychological techniques would be useful in each of the situations? 2. Why would they be useful? 3. As the coach, what would you say or do in each?