Some people look at certain stimuli as more stressful than other people do Characteristics of Mental Toughness Combination of psychological characteristics and psychological skills that athletes are not only better at achieving but do so on a consistent basis: Increased control and etter ability to cope Competitiveness Concentration Confidence commitment Desire Focus Persistence and determination Optimism Mental Toughness Example "l felt like I was in a good place mentally. I wasn''t too nervous. I was focused. I knew I had to ski an aggressive run if I wanted to medal. This is probably the bumpiest course IVe ever run, and I think that''s the worst thing you can have for a shin injury. It was definitely a challenge Just to make it down, but I was focused and determined and I Just tried not to think about the pain" Lindsey Vonn, gold medalist Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games Is mental toughness an innate trait or influenced by environmental factors? Are you born with it or can it be developed?
Research says both Developing Mental Toughness Skill that can be learned and cultivated Motivational Climate Enjoyment Coaches emphasize mastery and introduce skills in manageable chunks allow success and achievement Encourage self-belief Fun training Provide challenges Role models and siblings Environment of sport; people within this environment Supportive Others People that are there for you Peers, parents, coaches, trainers, sport psych consultants; not Just people involved in he sport but other people like friends, bf/gf, family Believe in ability Rationalize setbacks Reinforce success Help cope with critical incidents and transition Experiences In and Outside of Sport Role models Challenging competitors Competitive experience Physical training Life changing incidents Psychological Skills and Strategies Goal setting Imagery Self-talk Ability to focus Stress & anxiety management Pre-performance routines Internal Motivation and Desire High level of commitment Emphasis on personal success Autonomy Developing Mental Toughness Cont''d Positive self-talk and goal oriented statements Visualize success Model characteristics of mental toughness Focus on what you can control Develop coping strategies Create contingency plans Encourage confidence Emphasize task goal orientation Helping good athletes to become great... Implement tough physical practices Stimulate competition Provide experiences that present obstacles Experience competition Encourage fun competition between teammates Develop psychological skills Education for coaches and parents on how to support athletes and nurture mental toughness Maintaining Mental Toughness Does mental toughness require maintenance? YES
Desire and internal motivation is enhanced when practice mental skills and have a positive, supportive network Highpoint 3 years after high level competition Psychological Skills Training Introduction Literature reviews have indicated that psychological interventions enhance athletic performance 45 studies reviewed 85% reported significant positive effects Psychological Methods Practices that lead to a psychological skill Techniques Strategies Psychological Skills Characteristics needed for success in sport Innate traits Learned qualities When mastered, psychological methods ENHANCE psychological skills Relationship etween Psychological Method, Skill, & Performance Psychological method Relaxation Meditation Hypnosis Psychological skill Anxiety control Self-confidence Mental toughness Sport intelligence Work ethic Goal setting ability Hope Adaptive perfectionism Leads to better performance What PST? "a program or intervention that entails a structured and consistent practice of psychological skills" (Crocker, 2010, p. 01) PST benefits ALL athletes: Elite and non-elite populations Older and younger athletes Those with/without psychological/performance problems Psychological skills can be learned and developed over time and with practice but irst we must educate athletes and identify the demands of sport and the athlete''s needs 3 phases: Education Acquisition Practice Phase 1: Education Athletes recognize importance of psychological skills training May have some knowledge of skills but don''t understand complexity or how to use to gain the most out of performance Provide athletes with a knowledge base Explain what, why, when, how Provide understanding of principles program is based on - not Just procedure Phase 2: Acquisition Help athletes master psychological skills Athletes learn how to use them effectively May work on outside of practice and once mastered incorporate into practice and then competition Best time to implement a program is during off or pre-season before competition begins We want these skills to be well-learned May take up to 1 year to fully integrate a PST program Phase 3: Practice time it takes to practice and master the skill depends on if the skill is new Want skills to become automatic Should not be an additional distraction Evaluating Program Effectiveness Ongoing evaluation is necessary to: Judge effectiveness Determine athlete''s likes/dislikes Strengths/weaknesses of program
Make necessary adjustments Needs to be done throughout the season and one at the end of the season Effectiveness of a PST program may be influenced by a number of factors: Athlete''s interest & level of commitment to program Athlete''s ability & previous experiences with psychological skills/methods There is not a universal program that will be suitable to all athletes. Remember it should be developed for the individual and continually evaluated & modified to enhance performance Self-Talk What is Self-Talk? "overt [out loud] or covert [in your head] sport related statements that are addressed o the self, multidimensional, and somewhat dynamic in nature, include interpretive elements associated with the content of the self-statements, and seem to serve at least two functions for the athlete, instructional and motivational" - Hardy, 2004, p. 45 Engaging in self-talk when you''re muttering to yourself or listening to the voice in your head - telling yourself how to do something or to be strong Self-Talk Self-talk includes: Instructions "step, drop, step, kick" (learning soccer punt) Reinforcement "great execution" (mastering a skill) Statements re: convictions "l know I can make this shot" (shootout) Assessments re: feelings "l feel strong and confident" (day of tournament) Interpretations of perceptions "butterflies are normal, I am ready'' (before a match) Function of Self-Talk Reasons why self-talk is used: Instructional Skill related Strategy related Motivational Arousal Mastery Coping Dimensions of Self-Talk 1.
Valence: Content of self-talk Positive (praise, encouragement) Negative (critical, demeaning) Note: should be re-conceptualized as facilitative or debilitative self-talk Depends on how the athlete uses the self-talk for performance 2. Verbalization: How self-talk is verbalized Overt (external, out loud) Covert (internal, in head) Note: no research on influence of overt vs. covert self-talk on performance 3. Self- Determination: Degree of personal control Assigned (content provided for you) Freely chosen (athlete decides on content) Note: suggest self-determined self-talk may lead to greater interest, belief in effectiveness, and committed use 4. Directional Interpretation: Perception of self-talk Motivating De-motivating Note: both positive and negative self-talk may be motivating 5.
Directional Intensity Extent viewed motivating or de-motivating Often Never 6. Frequency How often self-talk is used Ranges from never-always Note: frequency of use changes over the course of a sport season Self-Talk & Performance How does self-talk influence performance? 1 . Attention-Performance Relationship (Nideffer) Self-talk helps athletes: Maintain focus Shift focus 2. Self-efficacy-Performance Relationship (Bandura) Self-talk is a form of verbal persuasion Self-talk increases self-efficacy by: Reinforcing beliefs Influencing emotions 3. Cognition-Performance Relationship (Ugotsky) Cognitive development is influenced by language Self-talk helps us: Learn new skills Perform under pressure Behaviour rules
Imagery-language interaction (can picture ourselves do something and talk through it at the same time) Controlling Self-Talk Negative self-talk is: Critical Self-defeating Demeaning Counter productive It often results in: Decreased self-esteem Increased anxiety & depression Increased feelings of helplessness Techniques of Controlling Self-Talk Thought stopping Use a trigger to interrupt or stop a negative thought Parking Conscious decision to deal with thought later Change to positive Substitute a positive thought for a negative thought Countering Use reasons & facts to dispute negative thinking Re-framing Look at situation from a different view-point Affirmation statements Positive, action oriented thoughts (abilities, successes, qualities); identify what you''re good at; "l know I can" Goal Setting What a GOAL? A GOAL a: Purpose Aim Objective Ambition Target "attaining specific standard of proficiency on a task, usually within a specified time limit" - Locke, Shaw, Saar'', & Latham, 1981, p. 45) Types of Goals Focus on personal improvements Process Focus on specific procedures/skills Behaviours we need to engage in to improve Outcome Focus on results Athletes, coaches concerned with this type of goal Multiple Goal Strategy Outcome goals are problematic Can become a distraction So focused on winning that we don''t focus on what we need to do in order to win There is going to be failure; can''t always succeed Can be detrimental to our self-esteem when we don''t win Can''t control situation & others Discouraging We''re not looking at our progress, our improvements However, should use all 3 types of goals Greater performance improvements seen when more than 1 strategy is used Goal Setting Guidelines SPECIFIC - know exactly what you want to do better at MEASUREABLE - how many? How much? generally try to make it numerical so we can ee how close we are to our gym ADJUSTABLE - can be changed according to the situation, environment, personal life, injury; are flexible REALISTIC - important to set goals that are challenging but achievable; given our situation, the resources we have TIMELY - need to put a timeline on our goals Goal: sign up for a hot yoga class Examples of SMART goals: Score 1 goal in next game Improve puck control to make 70% of passes by the end of the season Jog for 30 minutes, 3 days a week for 3 months Increase vertical Jump in one month - not good Goal Setting Guidelines Short & long-term See improvements Help achieve long-term
Competition & practice Associated with success Skill & execution Mental prep & strategy Team & individual Outcome & process Individual goals (self & team); individual needs to make goals for themselves and for what they want to see the team do Group goals (team & individual); the group needs to make goals for the entire team and what they want to see each individual athlete do Positive What you want to do Focus on success Recorded Log or diary Reminder Evaluated Monitor progress Adjust as necessary Internalizing Goals Goals must be accepted & internalized Goals set by athletes are internalized; theyVe chosen what they want to accomplish Encourage participation in goal setting However, assigned goals are effective If accepted & internalized May increase self-efficacy Goal Setting & Performance Direct Mechanistic Theory Direct attention - help focus on task relevant cues Mobilize effort - help motivate to work hard to achieve goal (short-term) Foster persistence - continue to work to meet goal (long-term) Promote learning - learn new/better ways of accomplishing skills to achieve goal Indirect Cognitive Theory Goals influence performance indirectly through effects on psychological states: Increase self-confidence Decrease anxiety Improve satisfaction
Boost motivation Goal Setting System Botterill (1983) suggests: Planning phase Assess needs; individual and team Identify potential team & individual goals; relevant to their individual sport skills, player fitness, the way they want to conduct themselves on the court Meeting phase Discuss goal setting & goals - what the individual wants to achieve and what they think the team needs to do Follow-up/Evaluation Phase Discuss, assess, & re-evaluate goals Do they need to be changed? Are they challenging enough? What is Imagery? "An experience that mimics real experience an image of smell, tastes, or sounds ithout actually experiencing the real thing. Sometimes people find that it helps to close their eyes. It differs from dreams in that we are awake and conscious when we form an image" (White & Hardy, 1998, p. 389) Downside of imagery - some athletes find it very challenging to see an image or situation; can be stressful; it is not for everyone How Do We Form Images?
Two schools of thought: Pictorialists Images are pictures Descriptionists Imagery Perspectives How do you see images? Internal Inside your body (actor) You are actually doing something External Outside your body (spectator) You are watching yourself do something Both types needed in sport Use depends on activity & level Imagery Effectiveness Polysensory experience Involves all 5 senses Visual - sight Auditory - hearing Olfactory - smell Gustatory - taste Kinesthetic - body movement (feel) Tactile - touch (feel) Vividness Detailed images Are you seeing colour? Are you experiencing emotion? Controllability Able to manipulate images Direction Facilitative vs. ebilitative Ability Imagery training & skill level Imagery Guidelines The PETTLEP Model (Holmes & colitns, 2001) PHYSICAL - nature of imagery depends on task; refers to how we should be feeling hysically; whether the athlete should be relaxed or aroused ENVIRONMENT - image should be realistic; as accurate to the environment in which it will take place TASK - perspective should reflect task TIMING - incorporate temporal dimension; realistic timing of our movement and our actions LEARNING - change content when learn new skills EMOTION - incorporate affect into image; anxiety, nerves, excitement, anger, etc; some researchers have said that emotion is the central core of mental training PERSPECTIVE - perspective should match goal Types of Imagery (Pavio, 1995) 2-dimenshional model: Cognitive
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