Demands of Performance (Psychology of Sport)

What you need to be able to do :

• Describe the terms: stress, fatigue, introvert, extrovert, tension, anxiety, aggression, motivation, arousal, boredom, tedium.

• Explain the factors that can contribute to stress and fatigue

• Explain how the above factors can affect a sports performer both physically and mentally

• Suggest ways in which a sports performer can reduce their levels of stress & fatigue

What you need to know:

• What fatigue and stress are• The factors that can lead to the onset of fatigue and stress• The effects these can have on the performer both physically and mentally• How the following can have an impact on how stress/fatigue effects the individual:

- Personality/emotions - Tension/anxiety- Aggression - Motivation/arousal- Boredom/tedium

World Cup 2010: England boss Fabio Capello: ‘The pressure has got to Wayne Rooney but he will bounce back’

"Sometimes the pressure is so big for all the important players.”

Almost half a century since they won their only major tournament, England burdens its players with a crippling level of expectation and pressure, and pays no heed to the enormous body of evidence that they cannot handle it.

England and Germany Face Possible Early World Cup Exits

England players faced harsh criticism from their media and fans after their scoreless draw against Algeria last Friday.

England's football World Cup is in the balance with everything up for grabs Wednesday for all the four teams in Group C.

After the match against Algeria, England players were booed by their own fans.

Prior to the Germany game:

Andy Murray is hoping to get the royal seal of approval at Wimbledon on Thursday when he plays in front of the Queen.

"I hope it doesn't affect me in the match," said Murray. "I think it's one of those things that when you get out there you're aware of it, but then it is our job to be able to concentrate and to focus, not let things that are going on off the court distract you.

Murray insisted last weekend that he loved the game, and despite the enormous expectations he faces each year at Wimbledon, he maintained that the fortnight was his favourite time of the year. “I don’t mind it,” he said of the expectations. “There’s definitely more pressure on me to play well.”

Objectives

• All: Describe the following : arousal, personality type, stress

• Most: Explain how can these factors affect performance?

• Some: Suggest ways in which a sportsman/woman could overcome these factors and deal with stressful situations positively.

What is stress? “It is the body’s reaction to a change that requires physical, mental oremotional adjustment or response”

Some people may become more aggressive, others may find their level of arousal is increased when they are stressed.

- Excitement can lead to tension. Tension can then lead to tight muscles that will in turn effect performance (this is a form of stress)

- Anxiety can be make you feel apprehensive before and during a performance. Mistakes increase if you are over anxious. Most athletes need some degree of anxiety to help them focus, but too much anxiety can make a person argumentative, for example (more on anxiety next lesson)

- Nervousness can also lead to increased tension levels – some performers experience shakiness and sickness

- Motivation often decreases when any of the above three reactions are witnessed.

Personality types

• Introverts: Reserved, less outgoing, less sociable, enjoy time on theirown. Likely to have smaller circles of friends.Not necessarily shy.Suited to individual sports/repetitive sports e.g. Marathon running, gymnastics, golf, cycling

• Extroverts: Assertive, interested in seeking out excitement, enjoy social interactions, enthusiastic, talkative, loud, outgoing, enjoy new/un familiar situations.Suited to team sports e.g. Football, rugby, netball

Arousal

“The level of readiness of an individual to perform a task”

- What happens to your performance if your not ‘up for it?’- What happens if you are too ‘up for it?’

Per

form

ance

Arousal

Inverted U Theory

As arousal increases you get better - up to a certain point, after which you get worse

Type of person?Pe

rfor

man

ce

Arousal

Player 1

Player 2

Player 3

The individual can affect the placement of the curve

Type of Sport?Pe

rfor

man

ce

Arousal

Archery

Surfing

Kick boxing

The sport can affect the placement of the curve

Increasing / decreasing arousalWays to increase: Ways to decrease/control:

Starter:

With a partner discuss and be ready to define and explain at least two of the following terms:

Stress -

Arousal -

Introvert -

Extrovert -

The body’s reaction to a change that requires physical, mental or emotional adjustment of change

The level of readiness of an individual to perform a task. (How ‘psyched up’ the performer is)

Reserved, less outgoing, prefer being in small groups – suited to individual/repetitive sporting activities

Assertive, ‘thrill seeking,’ enjoy social interactions, suited to games based activities

Further Q: Can you explain the link between personality and arousal levels?

You have 5mins to revise for a TEST on everything you have

studied in GCSE PE so far.

Now complete the SCAT test

Objectives

• All: Describe the following : anxiety, SCAT test, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

• Most: Explain how anxiety and motivation can affect performance?

• Some: Suggest ways in which a sportsman/woman could overcome or reduce their anxiety.

Anxiety• ‘When a person is uneasy or troubled, often caused by fear of

underperforming’

• All performers experience some degree of anxiety before or during a performance. The level of anxiety will depend on the nature of the activity (if the stakes are high or if the crowd is large) and the personality of the individual

• How do you feel before competing for your team in a PE lesson?• When competing for the school?• If you were competing for the county?• If you were representing the country?

It was your homework to find out what this it and how it affects performers

MotivationMotivation is:• the driving force that compels people to do something. • “….is why people do what they do…”• the direction and intensity of one’s effort

What motivates you take part in sport? Take GCSE PE? Play for the school team? Play sport outside of school etc?

Motivation can take 2 forms: Intrinsic and Extrinsic

What motivates them?

Intrinsic or Extrinsic Motivation?So, David Beckham, what persuaded you to sign that £128m deal with LA Galaxy? Los Angeles Reporter

Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.Lance Armstrong

Every kid around the world who plays soccer wants to be me. I have a great responsibility to show them not just how to be like a soccer player, but how to be like a man.Pele

Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.Muhammad Ali

'Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts' Winston Churchill

I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok.Shaquille O'Neal

I'm motivated by trophies - not money - and that's why I joined Manchester CityGareth Barry

The key to immortality is living a life worth remembering.Bruce Lee

Intrinsic motivation comes from the activity itself – ‘for the love of the game’You enjoy the sport regardless of the rewards.

Extrinsic motivation comes from rewards and outside factors like winning, prize money, rankings and sponsorship

Intrinsic or Extrinsic Motivation?

Consider this question: Would you rather play badly and your team win, or you play

well and your team lose?

What does the answer say about your motivation?

TASK:Create a psychological profile for yourself.As a minimum you must do the following:

ALL of you must:- Identify whether you are an introvert or extrovert (explain why)- Explain how you cope with anxiety in sport- Identify whether you are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated (explain why) Most of you should:- Explain how these factors link to affect how you deal with stress in a sporting

situation and how this affects your performance overall- Explain the arousal theory in relation to your own personality/sport

Some of you could:- Suggest how your arousal levels/reaction to stress is different in varying situations- Suggest ways to control your levels of stress/anxiety in competition

BEGIN IN DRAFT ON FLIP CHART PAPER, A4 OR A3 PAPER, then complete in best for homework. Due this Thursday.

Example

Mr Boaler

I am more extroverted than introverted. I can be loud, I enjoy interacting with team mates and I enjoy the excitement of winning in team sports. But I also enjoy quieter sports/activities, like going to the gym and cycling (they give me ‘me’ time, which is typical introvert behaviour)

My SCAT score is 18 indicating that I have an average (low average) level of anxiety. I know this to be true as I often get a little nervous, but I enjoy the nerves and they help me perform better.

This would often have a positive impact on my performance within martial arts competitions. My hands would shake a little and my heart rate would rise, but this actually helped me as I felt a heightened sense of awareness and ‘up for it’.

My arousal level ….

I am predominantly intrinsically motivated which means…

To deal with this I could …

Boredom, Feedback, Aggression

Bronze: Define and explain ‘boredom’ and ‘feedback’

Silver: Explain how boredom and feedback can affect motivation

and performance

Gold: Suggest ways in which a coach could prevent boredom

and provide effective feedback to help a performer to improve

Boredom

You are totally uninterested in what you are doing, your concentration lapses and the chances are you will try very little if at all.

Boredom is also referred to as Tedium

• How many of you experienced this during the first task? • What was changed to make it more interesting/challenging? • How do you think boredom effects motivation and

performance? Can you think of a situation in sport where this has applied to you?

Feedback

It is through feedback that progress and learning occur (think about the feedback we give at the end of the leadership sessions). Without feedback improvements would be limited.

There are 2 main forms of feedback:

• Internal (Intrinsic) – from ‘inside the body’ – what it feels like. Can you think of examples of this?

• External (extrinsic) – this comes from outside the body through sound and vision and provides information about the performance – ‘knowledge of performance’ and about results – ‘knowledge of results’ e.g. video recording/verbal feedback from a teacher/coach

Knowledge of performanceFeedback about how to improve the skill/technique

e.g. ‘keep your arms straight in the handstand’ ‘keep your head up when dribbling with the

ball so you can see where the defender is’

Knowledge of results Feedback about how well the sportsperson performed.

e.g. ‘You saved 5 goals and only let in 1 – well done’

‘You finished the race in 58.58’

REMEMBER: Feedback should always motivate the

performer as well as correct thetechnique/performance

Starter: Boredom and Feedback

With a partner: How many of these can you answer in 2 mins???

1. What is intrinsic feedback?

2. Define boredom

3. Give 2 ways a coach could alleviate boredom in a training session

4. What is ‘knowledge of results’?

5. Give an example of feedback given as ‘knowledge of performance’

6. Give 2 effects on performance that you would expect if the performer is bored?

Start the computers!!

Bronze (C/D): Describe the difference between direct and indirect aggression and give examples of this.Define fatigue and describe basic effects this can have on performance

Silver (B/C):Give examples of how fatigue can affect performance and explain how it could be reduced

Gold (A*/A): Explain how performers in a high level sporting context have been effected by fatigue. If you were there coach what would you do to a) help them perform to their best despite fatigue b) try to prevent this occurring again

Today’s lesson: What level are you happy with?

Aggression

What is aggression? Discuss this with you partner.

“Aggression is defined as behaviour aimed at causing harm or pain, psychological harm, or personal injury or physical distraction.”

or“Acting with intent to injury someone”

When does this occur in sport?Do we really want players to play with more aggression?

There are 2 types aggression:

• Direct – players make contact with each other• Indirect – aggression directed towards a ball/other object

– When may some ‘aggression’ be a positive?– When would it be a negative? What may be the dangers of uncontrolled aggression?

Direct Aggression

• Contact sports involve physical contact.

Indirect Aggression

• You can still be aggressive in non-contact sports.

Direct or Indirect Aggression

Controlled and uncontrolled aggression

Extroverted people are often involved in sports which require a degree of aggression. Aggression can be a negative, although as long as it is controlled, it can also become a positive.

Aggression can sometimes be the same as being assertive and determined, in non-contact sports especially, this is usually a good thing. In contact sports, aggression, if uncontrolled, can lead to rule breaking and injuring the opponent

Aggression

Examples of aggression. Consider the following… ‘Are they examples of direct/indirect aggression.?’ Justify your answer.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF4iWIE77Ts

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SszJZNB0XsM&feature=fvw

FatigueFatigue is a feeling of extreme physical or mental tiredness brought on by extreme exertion. It can result in temporary loss of strength and energy.

It can be caused by a lack of sleep, but this is not the only cause. What else do you think could cause fatigue?

Overtraining (too much, too long)

Lack of variety in training (tedium)

Insufficient rest between training sessions

Research Task: Use a search engine to find examples from sport where fatigue has had dramatic consequences.

Discussion carousel based on fatigue articles

• 1 min – summarise to a partner what you found out• 1 min – partner explains to you what they found out• Swap partners:

• 45 secs – summarise to your partner – swap over• 30 secs – summarise what you first partner said, swap over• Swap partners:

• 3 mins: summarise what you have discussed so far – ‘How do you think fatigue can affect your performance?

Fatigue

Effects of fatigue:

- Your body or parts of your body may not be able to carry on with what you are doing due to local muscular fatigue. (You may need to stop altogether)

- Concentration levels will decrease and you are more likely to make mistakes of judgement

- Skill level decreases- You may be forced to stop

In games based activities – what is in place to help prevent injuries from fatigue occurring?

Fatigue

• Read the three profiles on the handout.• Remember: this task covers arousal, stress, anxiety, personality types

(introvert/extrovert), motivation, aggression and fatigue.• TIPS:

– Recognise the difficulty of the questions (Gold, Silver, Bronze)– Be aware of how many marks the question is worth

Objectives of this activity:A/A* - to ensure your knowledge is applied in the context of a real sporting scenario,

which enables you to show your depth of knowledge and understanding.. C/B - familiarisation with the format of the terminal GCSE exam and practise

answering questions to earn the available marks. D/C - to revise the key words and definitions associated with the Demands of

Performance (Sports Psychology) module. To allow anyone who has missed lessons to be able to catch up.

Scenario Task