Stress
Management
A LEVEL PE – SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY
MR. HOLT
“The psychology of kicking is so
important. You must visualise
where the ball is going to go. Then
you have to be able to trace that
line from between the posts to the
exact spot of the ball, and see that
in your mind's eye when you go to
kick the ball. Then I visualise the
ball travelling along that path and
imagine the sensation of how the
ball is going to feel when it hits my
foot for the perfect strike. The hard
part is completing that action while
standing in front of thousands of
spectators with my heart
thumping.”
Jonny Wilkinson explains how
he attempts to manage anxiety
prior to his kicks.
Emotional Control
Arousal
The state of activation or
excitement a person has in
any situation
Anxiety
A negative reaction to stress
resulting in over-arousal
Excitement
A positive reaction to stress
Stress
A stimulus resulting in
arousal or a response to a
situation
Task
Which situation is most stressful and why?
What are the effects of stress on performance?
Causes of Stress
Competition / evaluation / importance / situational factors
Conflict
Frustration
Perceived low ability /poor play / (perceived) poor officials’
decisions
Injury / illness
Climate
Perceived danger
Eustress
The feelings of eustress can happen when a
response to the threat of a difficult challenge
is overcome and success provides
confidence and motivation rather than
anxiety and apprehension.
Cognitive and Somatic Stress
Cognitive - Psychological
Negative thoughts / feelings
Increase arousal / anxiety
Lowers attentional control and ability to selectively
attend and process information
Somatic - Physiological
Increase HR / sweating
Nausea / feeling sick
Muscular tension
Stress Management –
Cognitive Techniques
THOUGHT STOPPING
When feeling negative thoughts
immediately think STOP & substitute
a positive thought redirecting
attention
Anxiety Management –
Cognitive Techniques
POSITIVE SELF-TALK
Talking through the process of a
competitive situation
Talking positively, building self-
confidence
Anxiety Management –
Cognitive Techniques
IMAGERY
Think of a place with associations of
warmth and relaxation
Imagine the activity or technique
Practise in non-stressful situations
Use prior to competition
Can be external or internal
Anxiety Management –
Cognitive Techniques
VISUALISATION
Using a mental image of the skill
being performed perfectly in
training
Image is stored and drawn upon in
stressful situations within a
competitive environment
Can be external or internal
Anxiety Management –
Cognitive Techniques
MENTAL REHEARSAL
Consciously imagine a task before the
action takes place
Rerun a past experience
Preview hope-for success
Helps concentration
Helps focus on strengths and
weaknesses
Anxiety Management –
Cognitive Techniques
ATTENTIONAL CONTROL AND CUE UTILISATION
Stress can cause the performer to lose
concentration
Increase in arousal causes a narrowing of
focus
Concentration
The performer needs to concentrate (focus)
on the important information (relevant cues)
and disregard the unimportant information
(selective attention).
CONCENTRATION is:
A state of mind in which attention is directed
towards a specific aim or activity.
Attentional focus.
Control of attention towards a task.
Easterbrook’s Cue
Utilisation Theory
CUE UTILISATION (Easterbrook)
Cues can be used by the sportsperson
to direct attention
to trigger appropriate arousal responses
to enable attentional focus at a relevant moment
Sometimes, narrowing of attentional
focus by an aroused player
will cause lack of awareness of broader play issues
Easterbrook’s Cue Utilisation
Theory
NIDEFFER’S ATTENTIONAL STYLES
Arranged 4 types of attentional focus
along 2 dimensions
Broad – Attention takes into
account a lot of information /
peripheral stimuli / can enable
performer to take in peripheral info
(open skills).
Narrow – Attention is on very few
stimuli / concentrate on small
amount of stimuli / information /
cues / can enable performer to
focus on important elements in the
environment / watch the ball /
take aim.
External – Focus is on
environmental stimuli / focus
directed outwards.
Internal – Focus on themselves /
emotions / thoughts.
(Effects)
Nideffer’s attentional styles
The four different attentional styles
Broad
External
Internal
Broad-External
Broad-Internal
Used to check
positions of other
players
Used to plan tactics
or strategy
Narrow Narrow-External
Used to watch racket
strike ball
Narrow-Internal
Used to control
anxiety
Nideffer’s Attentional
Styles – Sporting Examples
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Broad - Midfield hockey player looking for the
penetrating pass
Narrow - Taking a penalty shot in netball
Internal - Gymnast mentally rehearsing a floor
routine
External - Golfer driving off from the tee
Broad-External - Basketball player reading the
attacking options e.g. assessing
Broad-Internal - Planning the tactical strategies of
your volleyball team e.g. planning
Narrow-External - Playing a shot in cricket e.g.
performing a straight drive
Narrow-Internal - High board diver controlling
arousal before a dive e.g. mentally rehearsing
The importance of
attentional control
The right attention can enable to deal effectively
with distractions / will not be put off.
Effective attention will improve reactions / reaction
time / response time / movement time.
Effective attention can prevent negative feelings.
Enables positive attributions (stable and internal).
Good performers can draw on a range /
combination of different styles.
Attentional style linked to type of skills / sport.
Anxiety Management –
Somatic Techniques
BIOFEEDBACK RELAXATION
Monitor HR
Monitor skin temperature
cold if stressed
warm if unstressed
Galvanic skin response
electrical conductivity of skin increases
when moist
tense muscle cause sweating
Electromygraphy
electrodes taped to specific muscles
can detect electrical activity
hence tension in muscle
Anxiety Management –
Somatic Techniques
PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR
RELAXATION (PMR)
Learn to tense then deeply relax
separate muscle groups.
Anxiety Management –
Somatic Techniques
CENTRING
Also know as deep breathing
Slow breathing helps to divert
attention away from the stressful
situation.
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