Sports psychology

• A skill is a learned action or behavior
• an ability is inherited from parents
• a basic skill:

  few decision to be made

  learned fairly quickly

  taught as a beginner

  a complex skill:

  lots of decisions to be made

  can take long time to master
• an open skill:

  unstable environment

  a closed skill:

  in a stable environment

  performed the same every time
• self paced:

  start of a movement in controlled by the performer

  externally paced:

  start is controlled by external factors
• gross:

  big movements

  uses large muscle groups

  fine:

  small precise movements

  small muscle groups
• a performance goal is a goal that is compared to a previous performance
• an outcome goal focuses on the final result
• SMART stands for specific, measurable, accepted, realistic, time bound
• the four stages of information processing are input, decision making, output and feedback

  input:

  performer uses selective attention to get her information about environment and the most important stimulus is chosen

  decision making:

  performer refers to short term and long term e memory to decide what to do

  output:

  decision is sent to the muscles to carry out action

  feedback:

  information is revived via intrinsic or extrinsic feedback.
• visual guidance:

  when the performer can see how to do something

  it is important for a beginner
• verbal guidance:

  provided by someone speaking to performer

  it is more useful to elite performers as they understand terminology
• manual guidance:

  physically moving the performer

  mechanical guidance:

  the use of external aids

  they useful for beginners as they can feel how to do something
• feedback:

  positive

  negative

  knowledge of performance

  knowledge of results

  extrinsic

  intrinsic
• positive feedback: informs athletes what was good about performance

  negative feedback:

  Informs athlete what was incorrect about performance
• knowledge of results:

  feedback about the outcome

  knowledge of performance:

  feedback about the quality of the performance
• intrinsic feedback:

  feedback from within, such as how something felt

  extrinsic feedback:

  feedback from an external source
• which forms of feedback are best for a beginner?

  knowledge of results

  extrinsic

  positive
• which forms of feedback are best for an elite athlete?


  knowledge of performance

  Intrinsic

  Negative
• arousal is a physical and mental state of alertness or readiness varying from deep sleep to intense excitement
• the inverted U theory:

  as arousal increases so does performance up to the optimum level

  if it increases further performance will decrease
• methods of controlling arousal:

  deep breathing

  mental rehearsal

  positive self talk
• Direct aggression :

  When there is actual physical contact between performers intended to cause harm
• indirect aggression:

  aggression takeout on an object to gain an advantage over an opponent, without causing harm
• an extrovert:

  personality type characterised by being sociable, active, talkative and outgoing.

  they usually play team sports

  they require higher arousal

  they can lack concentration
• introvert:

  personality type characterised by being quiet, passive, reserved and shy

  they usually play individual sports

  they need a lower level of arousal

  they can become over aroused when over stimulated

  they are more concentrated and precise
• motivation:

  the drive to succeed or the desire to achieve something
• intrinsic motivation:

  the drive that comes from within the performer
• extrinsic motivation:

  the drive xperienced by a performer when starving to achieve a reward
• performears can become too reliant on extrinsic motivation