Sports Psychology

Mental Skills Overview

Self confidence

Concentration

Arousal

Motivation

Stress Management

Mental Skills Strategies Overview

Goal setting

Relaxation

Imagery

Performance Routines

Self talk

Self Talk

Talking/thinking to yourself positively before, during or after the performance

• positive self talk is used to avoid/readjust negative thought patterns improving confidence and concentration

Relaxation

An activity undertaken to reduce tension and the effects of physical and mental stress. It involves employing a relaxation activity to achieve the physical or mental benefits

Performance Routines

A ritual a performer follows to prepare for the execution of a skill.

They assist with the performer’s focus, concentration, and arousal level.

Goal Setting

The process of deciding on something you want to achieve, planning the steps to follow that will help reach the goal, and then working towards achieving the goal.

Imagery

The mental recreation, using as many senses as possible, of a successful performance or skill

Group Cohesion - Definition and the 2 Types

A term used to describe the extent to which a group stays together and united in the pursuit of common goals and objectives.

Task Cohesion = How committed are the team members to achieving their predetermined common performance goal.

Social Cohesion = The degree to which the members like each other and enjoy being together. Reflects friendship within the group.

Strategies to improve group cohesion - Leadership

• Leadership groups are commonly used to give the players a greater sense of power whilst also entrusting the players with setting standards

• The leadership group is typically established during the forming stages of team development and must include clearly defined roles for each of its members

Strategies to improve group cohesion - Communication

• Communicating clearly and regularly so all members understand their roles and responsibilities

• Having clear and understood expectations

• Making clear what everyone must do for the team to achieve its goals

• Having regular team meetings

Strategies to improve group cohesion - Goal Setting

• Set challenging but realistic goals for the team as a whole and for individual players - players are involved in this process

• Make clear what everyone must do to achieve the goal

Strategies to improve group cohesion - Team Building

• Team building helps develop social cohesion by encouraging social interaction away from the sport. E.g. paintballing and BBQs

• Allows team to build stronger social bonds, establish clear goals, and create leadership opportunities

Strategies to improve group cohesion - Roles and Expectations

• Every team has their own group roles and group norms which influence the behaviour of its members as individuals and collectively.

• Each position in the team has certain responsibilities they must fulfill. If they fulfill these, group cohesion will improve.

Benefits of Cohesion

• Communication and motivation within the group are extensive

• Players work together to achieve team goals ahead of personal goals

• Players enjoy each others success

• Members are more satisfied within the group and are therefore more likely to stay in the group longer

Barriers to Cohesion

• Personality clashes between members

• Frequent changes to the group

• Lack of communication

• Disagreement on group objectives

Factors Affecting Group Cohesion - Social Loafing

The tendency for an individual to lessen their effort when they are part of a group.

May occur because:

• Players see other players working with less effort and believe they can do that too

• A belief that their efforts will not make a difference to the team

• The task is perceived to be meaningless

• They feel their effort is not essential to achieving the goal

How to Minimise Social Loafing

1. Evaluate all members of the group individually - members will be more productive if they know their individual contributions will be evaluated

2. Set challenging individual and team goals for each training session

3. Create appropriate group sizes - too large groups increase social loafing

4. Rotate responsibility and positions where possible to maximise individual contributions

5. Provide regular feedback to each individual player

Factors Affecting Group Cohesion - Leadership

Refers to the leadership style the coach and the captain used and how this affects the group cohesion.

• ensure the most appropriate leadership style is used for the environment they are working in

• mutual/positive relationships between athletes and leaders are crucial

Factors Affecting Group Cohesion - Team Dynamics

The collective identity/goals/aims/standards of the team. These factors include:

• Team stability = maintaining the same playing group over times increases cohesion

• Prior successes and failures increase cohesion

• Having common goals within the team increases cohesion

Stress Management

Stress occurs when there is an imbalance between the demands of the task and the ability level of the performer to respond in a situation where failure has consequences.

Concentration

The ability to focus on a task at hand whilst ignoring irrelevant cues or distractions.

Arousal

The degree of stimulation or alertness present in a performer about to perform a skilled task.

Motivation

The direction or intensity of effort by a performer towards a given task.

Self Confidence

The belief that a performer has in their own ability to successfully perform a desired skill or behaviour.