Chapter 8: Thinking & Athletic Performance Flashcards
2 ways we can support effective thinking skills:
- mental rehearsal
2. self talk
Mental rehearsal or mental practice (sometimes referred to as visualization or imagery)
is an effective skill to help someone practice something without actually physically having to do it
- to make this skill as effective as possible, we want to involve all the senses (or as many as possible)
When an athlete is struggling with their participation in those seconds from a part of the game:
it’s important that they can ‘re-write’ how they want that situation to go in the future
- by imagining what it is that they could do next time & practicing this over & over again, they’ll be more likely to execute that way in the future
- it is helpful for athletes to practice this skill first when relaxed, with limited distractions
- you can lead them through a visualization (akin to a mindfulness or mediation practice) or athletes can write their own script & audio-record themselves
External imagery
like watching yourself on replay or on tape
Internal imagery
imaging the situations as if you are doing it can both be effective
Several situations where imagery can be effective:
-help an athlete get ready to practice- bringing up activation/intensity up to start practice off
strong
-instant-replays to help with build mind-body connection for repeat performances- supports
automaticity- doing the skills without thinking about them
-practicing outside of practice time- research has demonstrated that mental performance
training can augment physical training
-prepare before performing- in athletes with sports that rely on timed trials or single events,
rehearsing prior to the trial can be helpful. This is also the case for other sports, like shown with
the video clip above.
-imagining doing well in a specific environment- having athletes visualize and build into their
practice the act of seeing the space around them (e.g., what does that gym look like, what
colour is the walls, where do the spectators sit, how loud is it in there, where is the
scoreboard?, etc.) It can also be helpful to have athletes look to and focus on aspects of their
environment that are always there- the goal posts in football, the bench in an arena, the mat on
a gym floor- that athletes can bring their attention back to at any time.
Benefit that imagery can bring to competition settings:
it can be
used to support emotional control (helping athletes respond instead of react), staying in control
and confident, preparing before performing, and focusing on themselves to tune out
distractions.
Self-talk
is the things you say to yourself, in your head or out loud
We can encourage effective self-talk based in a variety of areas:
- to enhance motivation
- to support key movements/techniques (as prompts or reminders)-also can be referred to as ‘instructional self-talk’
- to create a desired emotion
- to direct attention & focus
- to refocus
- to reduce negative thoughts/emotions
Concentration
relates to ‘the ability to perform with a clear & present focus’
Focus
is the main (or centre) part of attention
- meaning, can you direct your attention to where you need, & switch focus successfully when needed, based on the task at hand
- self-talk offers a way to help athletes cue in when they should be changing their focus, & to what
Assessing
shift focus to the general external environment that is often changing rapidly throughout a performance
- for ex: a qb scanning the defense prior to the beginning of a play
Acting
shifts focus toward outward execution of a given skill
- for ex: a tennis player focusing on her toss as she begins to serve
Analyzing
shifts focus to reviewing one’s general thoughts & emotions throughout a performance
- for ex: a golfer considering shot selection prior to addressing the ball
Preparing
shifts focus to readying oneself to execute a given skill (ex: mental rehearsal)
- for ex: a basketball player reviewing his self-talk prior to taking a free throw
