Psychological Preparation for Sport Competitions PDF

Psychological Preparation for Sport Competitions Dr Deepak Mishra, PhD Scientific Officer (Sports Psychology)  Psychological Preparation for Sport Competitions Stages of Psychological Preparation Psychological Skills Training for Sport Competitio...

Psychological Preparation for Sport Competitions Dr Deepak Mishra, PhD Scientific Officer (Sports Psychology)  Psychological Preparation for Sport Competitions Stages of Psychological Preparation Psychological Skills Training for Sport Competitions  Stages of Psychological Preparation Psychological preparation involves teaching athletes need based psychological skills and techniques for mental self- regulation prior to, during and after competitions. Pre-competition Phase Competition Phase Post Competition Phase 1 2 3 4 5 6 Long Term Short Term Pre game Start of the During the After the Preparation Preparation Preparation Competition Competition Competition or Match or Match  Phase 1- Pre- Competition Phase Stage 1: Long Term Preparation: During training period Involves the following:- a) Goal- Setting: goals are very important motivators as they push and pull the players towards higher standards of achievement. Both long term and short term goals should be set Goals should be SMART Goals S= Specific M=Measurable A= Attainable R=Realistic T=Time Bound They should be followed by periodic evaluation and feedback b) Stress Management Training: Athletes face many stresses and anxieties before and during competitions. They should be taught in advance the techniques for managing their stresses. Stress management training is along term process. It includes “mind to body’ and “body to mind” relaxation training. Eg. Autogenic training- Mind to Body exercise Progressive Muscular Relaxation – Body to Mind exercise Deep Breathing/ diaphragmatic breathing Imagery Training Yoga and Pranayams Guided Meditation Centering Cognitive Behaviour Modification- eg. Thought stopping, thought substitution, self affirmations, positive self talk, trigger words etc. c) Confidence Building: Players gain confidence through successes encountered by them in the course of their sports training. Hence coaches should plan the training in a manner such that it gives athletes chances to learn, improve, achieve and succeed. Goal setting followed by evaluation and feedback, Use of frequent positive reinforcement rather than punishment Creating a motivational climate which emphasizes learning and improvement rather than winning, Rewarding improvements in performance not only the outcomes, Arranging small competitions or friendly matches from time to time, Assigning athletes tasks of responsibility from time to time, Communicating with athletes so as to keep their self esteem high, Avoiding use of threat or punishment as far as possible etc. Practising positive self talk and positive affirmations Maintaing psychological training logs and diaries d) Developing Concentration: Training for improving concentration trough regular yoga, pranayam,meditation etc. Practising concentration exercises and routines eg. Practising with concentration ‘yantras’, sport object manipulation, mental routines Practising guided imagery, deep/ diaphragmatic breathing, centering, mindfulness training, f ocusing and refocusing etc The above tools and techniques require regular practice to master them. e) Training for dealing with unexpected circumstances /Mental Toughness training: Competition situations are very different from training situations in many respects. Sometimes unexpected , unforeseen and difficult situations may arise during competitions. In order to deal with such circumstances /situations the athlete should be given long term mental toughness training during the training period. This includes: Playing against senior or tough teams/opponents. Practising on different surfaces and ground conditions Playing in different altitudes and weather conditions Practising for longer hours / playing longer matches than usual. Playing under different lighting conditions. Playing outside one’s comfort zones. All these help to make the player more adaptable and mentally tough to face any kind of unexpected situation during competitions Stage 2: Short Term Preparation: One month before competition This stage includes the following:- a) Stress Management Training: This training continues during long term and short term stages.The coach/ psychologist should keep on checking the anxiety level of the athlete from time to time to ensure that it is under control. The players should regularly practise relaxation exercises, deep breathing, yoga , pranayams, centering, imagery, positive self affirmations etc which they have learnt during the long term preparation period. Frequent pep talks by coaches and need based counseling sessions may be conducted by the psychologist to help the player maintain a positive mind set before competitions.  b) Imagery Training: Also known as mental practise/mental rehearsal , imagery training helps athletes to focus on the upcoming competition and to mentally practise their techniques, skills and strategies, game plan etc. This improves their focus and confidence and helps to develop a positive mindset before competitions. c) Attentional Control Training: As the competition comes close many athletes experience anxiety which causes attentional/ concentration problems. Hence relaxation combined with imagery and concentration training should be intensified at this stage. d) Arousal Regulation: The player should be in his zone of optimal functioning before a competition. If his arousal is too high or too low it may adversely affect his performance. Hence athletes should regulate their arousal through relaxation exercises, “psyching up” strategies etc.so that they remain in their zone of optimal functioning during competition. e) Providing Information to Athletes Prior to competitions: As the competition comes closer, coaches should provide the player with information about the place of the competition, the weather conditions prevailing at the place of competition, the altitude of the place, the local culture of the people, availability of food and provisions, the accommodation details details of travel, visa etc. This is part of mental preparation of the player before competitions.  Phase 2: Competition Phase: 48 hrs Before Competition Stage 3: Pre Game Preparation: About 48 hrs before the competition, the athlete should be kept away from any kind of distraction eg. media persons, unwanted visitors,relatives, friends and well wishers. Ensure that the athlete is taking light and nutritious diet, having proper sleep etc. The athlete should practise relaxation, deep breathing,, imagery of his past best performance and of the upcoming competition. Imagery practise should include positive images of performing well, enjoying, leading, scoring, winning, images of success, of crowds cheering etc.  Athletes should practice positive affirmations and positive self talk, The coach/psychologist should give positive pep talks and guided imagery as and when required. Coaches should check at least 4-5 times a day to see whether the player is relaxed or in tension, whether he is feeling confident or not, whether his arousal level is within his zone of optimal functioning or not and what the player is thinking, feeling etc. Based on the athletes pre competition mental state, he should be made to practice the appropriate mind training skills and techniques of psychoregulation.  Stage 4: Start of the Competition/ Match: Before the start of the competition ie before warm up, the athlete should focus on being relaxed and having good concentration. As time is short, deep breathing, centering and grounding techniques of mindfulness training can be practised. The athlete should practice positive affirmations and positive self talk to keep himself emotionally positive, motivated and to facilitate proper energy mobilization during the event. To increase focus and concentration, he should practice imagery of past best performance and positive imagery of upcoming competition etc.  Stage 5: During the Competition/ Match: The common psychological problems faced by the athlete During the competition/ match are as follows :- a) Loss of concentration when losing points b) Loss of confidence when training behind c) Increase in anxiety when making mistake or losing points d) Increase in aggression e) Loss of self control f) Stress induced mental and physical fatigue g) Improper energy mobilization h) Loss of speed and accuracy i) Accidental injury  In order to deal with these issues, the athlete should do the following: Make use of focusing and refocusing strategies Make use of trigger words for managing ones emotions/stress/aggression and regulating arousal level. Examples of trigger words are: Relax, focus, attack, keep it up, calm down, explode, fight back, good going, etc. Practice positive self talk/positive affirmations to increase his confidence, optimize his arousal and optimally mobilize his energy level. Following “mantras” should be kept in mind and followed:- Focus on the present, cut the past and shut the future. Focus on performance not result  Do not compare your performance with that of other players Give your 100% Enjoy the game/ competition Make use of positive task focused coping skills for coping with difficult situations during the competition/ match. Emotion focused coping and avoidance coping are maladaptive forms of coping and should be avoided.  Phase 3: Post Competition Phase Stage 6: Post Competition Period/ After the Match: A major part of psychological training for this stage involves learning to deal with success and failure. Extreme emotional reactions ie uncontrolled happiness/ jubilation upon winning or extreme depression/sadness upon losing which persist for a long time, can be harmful for future training and performance of the athlete. Hence athletes should be taught to maintain emotional control in order to get back to their training routine. Counseling intervention by the coach/psychologist is necessary at this stage.  Match analysis or competition analysis should be done by the coach and athletes together after the competition is over. Analysis of strengths and weaknesses of the player, the threats and opportunities faced by the player should be done and written down. Planning of strategies to overcome these weaknesses in future competitions should be done. Goal Setting for future- The coach and the player should reset new goals for the future and work out a training plan accordingly. xxx---xxx---xxx---xxx---xxx THANK YOU!!