Sports Psychology

• Skill- A learned action to bring about the result you want with certainty and minimum effort.
• Ability- Is a persons set of traits that control their potential to learn a skill.
• A basic skill doesn't need much thought or decision making to do, e.g running.
• A complex skill needs lots of thought or decision-making to do, e.g an overhead kick in football.
• An open skill is performed in a changing environment, where a performer has to react and adapt to external factors, e.g a football tackle.
• A closed skill is always performed in the same predictable environment and is not effected by external factors. Often the skill involves the same action each time, e.g when breaking off in snooker.
• A self-paced skill is controlled by the performer, they decide when and how quickly it's done.
• An externally-paced skill is affected by external factors, which control when it starts and how quickly it's done.
• A gross skill involves powerful movements performed by large muscle groups, e.g the long jump.
• A fine skill uses smaller muscle groups to carry out precise movements that require accuracy and co-ordination, e.g throwing a dart.
• Performance goals- These are based on improving your own personal performance.
• Outcome goals- These are focused on performing better than other people, e.g winning.
• Goal Setting should be SMART
• • Specific- Say exactly what you want to achieve
  • Measurable- Goals need to be measurable
  • Accepted- Goals should be decided by everyone involved
  • Realistic- Set targets you can realistically achieve
  • Time Bound- Set a deadline for reaching your goal
• Verbal Guidance- An explanation in words of how to perform a technique.
• Visual Guidance- Visual clues to help you perform a technique. A coach could use demonstrations or videos and diagrams of a technique to show how it should be performed.
• Manual guidance- When a coach physically moves your body through the technique, e.g a golf swing.
• Mechanical Guidance- Guidance given using sporting equipment, e.g a harness in trampolining.
• Intrinsic Feedback- You know how well you did the technique because of what it felt like.
• Extrinsic Feedback- Someone else tells you or shows you what happened, and how to improve.
• Knowledge of performance- Did you use the correct movements/technique. This can be extrinsic and intrinsic. This type of feedback works well for elite performers.
• Knowledge of results- What was the outcome? This is usually extrinsic and can include date, e.g your time in a race.
• The Information Processing Model:

  • Input- When you receive information from the environment through your senses.
  • Decision Making- When you decide how to respond to the input
  • Output- Your muscles react to messages from the brain telling them what to do to perform the skill.
  • Feedback- After the output, you receive extrinsic or intrinsic feedback which helps improve the skill for next time you perform it.
• Ways to help mentally prepare:

  • Mental rehearsal- is imagining the feeling in the muscles when perfectly performing a skill.
  • Visualization- Involves imagining what an aspect of your performance should look like.
  • Deep Breathing
  • Imagery- Is used when you imagine being somewhere or doing something which relaxes you.
  • Positive self talk- Telling your self positive things that will motivate you or reassure you that you can perform well.
  • Selective Attention.
• Arousal level- How mentally and physically alert you are.
• Intrinsic Motivation- Motivation from the enjoyment and good feelings you get from taking part in physical activity and sport, e.g pride.
• Extrinsic Motivation- Motivation through rewards from other people/sources. This can be tangible (you can touch it, e.g trophies) or intangible (you can't touch it, e.g applause, praise from a coach).
• Direct aggression- Involves physical contact with another person, e.g a scrum.
• Indirect Aggression- Doesn't involve physical contact, e.g hitting a drive in golf.
• Introverts are shy, quiet and thoughtful- they like being alone:

  • Usually prefer sports that they can do on their own.
  • They tent to like sports where they'll need fine skills, high concentration and low arousal.
• Extroverts are more sociable- they're talkative and prefer being with other people:

  • Prefer team sports
  • Prefer fast-paced sports that need gross skills and low concentration.