Preparation of your body and mind for performance through what is called self-regulation.

Physical Control

Triad with three Aspects:

Physical, Cognitive, Environmental

1.Spend time increasing your awareness of your activation and how it affects your stress responses in all situations.

2.Increase this awareness during practice and performances.

What You Need To Do

Without this awareness you will not be able to adjust or control your activation and anxiety levels you will be at the mercy of luck and situation.

Understanding Activation Levels

Normal Level: your body operates during most of your daily activitiesRelaxed: Below normalPerformance: Peak ZoneTense: Past Peak Zone

4 Levels of Activation

TensePerformanceNormalRelaxed

Levels of Activation

Normal and relaxed are on the left side of the “U”Performance level top of the “U”Tense level right side of the “U”

“Tense muscle cannot be a relaxed muscle”

Relation to the inverted “U”

Relaxation

Biathletes:Combines endurance cross country skiing with rifle shooting.They can lower their heart rate and calm themselves in order to sight the target.

Know how to calm yourself at a moments notice will help you in the heat of battle and allow you to have better focus.

**** Research show poor performance results MORE from being too tense, not too relaxed.

Why does Relaxation Matter?It Helps Performance

Fight or flight response:Pumps adrenaline into body causeing HR and

breathing to go up; can increase your tension.

Relaxation Response:Opposite; caused your HR and breathing to go down,

thus, allowing muscles to relax.

Fall asleep quickly at nightConserve energy before competitionRejuvenate your mind and body during time off (half time/breaks)Rest while traveling in bus, van, ect.Hasten recovery from workouts/competitionsHasten recovery from injuryAllow you to enjoy yourselfStay relaxed during competition

Knowing Relaxation techniques can help you to:

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)Progress through body to recognize the difference between tension

& relaxation

Breath ControlSlow, diaphragmatic breathing will trigger a relaxation response.

ImageryCreating a “resource room” or “safe place” in your imagination will

give you a retreat to relax.Autogenic

Practice experiencing the poser of the mind in relation to the body: heaviness of limbs, warmth of limbs, slow heart rate, slower and deeper breathing, etc.

Award at first, but practice will make it easier and more successful.

Different Relaxation Techniques

video LinkHypnosis: Focused attention while in a deep, relaxed state. Some have referred to it as a guided meditation.

Misunderstood due to the stage shows. There is nothing mystical or supernatural about hypnosis.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is NOT Hypnosis is

A natural state of mind that is different from you normal waking state and from being asleepGiving hypnotist you coorperationA state of deep relaxation in which you are highly suggestibleAn avenue to plant suggestions into your mind in a powerful wayPossible (and easy), to do to yourself to harness its power for improved performanceA means of unlocking abilities that you have always had.

Mysterious and creepyA super natural foceGiving up your control over your own actionsBeing dominated by the power of the hypnotistBeing put to sleep or sleepwalking BrainwashingVery difficultA means of giving you abilities that you didn’t already possess

Hypnosis

Fixation: requires attention and focus small object

Relaxation & Receptivity: Deeper relaxationImplement SuggestionsPositive self statements“I am strong and efficient.”

“Waking Up”: Coming out of deep relaxation (or “trance-like” state)

Four Steps of Hypnosis:

BreathingIncreases breathing rhythm and use imagery

Stretch and ExercisePre-competition workout

5-10 hours before workoutto decrease anxiety and increase arousal

Music or videoswatch or listening to inspirational music/videos

Energizing verbal cuesself talkPowerful words: “Explode”

Strategies to ensure increasing Arousal Level

Getting energy from environmentThe sun, national anthem, etc

Transferring energyReframe negatives in energizing positives.“Butterflies mean I am ready!”

Pep talksshort and sweet

Bulletin BoardsQuotes, Signs, Reminders

Energizing ImageryMentally Focus

Strategies to ensure increasing Arousal Level

Trigger: like a switch that tells your body to adjust its activation state.

Activation/Anxiety Triggers

Practice building an association between your mind and body with the trigger and your activation levelWhen you reach your performance level, gently suggest to your self the trigger you have chosen while focusing on the comfortable relaxed feeling produced by the trigger.Establish one trigger that can be used to adjust the activation level in your body to a performance level immediately, anytime, anywhere, and in any situation

Practice

Words •“ready”, “up”, “relax”•Clenched fist•Number said repeatedly•Visualizing colors•Red increases activation•Blue decreases activation

Trigger Examples

It must be practiced and used frequently to be effectiveTrigger cannot replace the practice and mastery of the actual physical control skill

Reminder