Manager’s Heart Rate in Competition – Your Mental Approach to Games
Des Jennings (SINI), Kevin McGuigan (Ulster GAA)
What is Heart Rate?
• What is it?
– The body’s ‘rev counter’;
• What does it feel like?
– Practical Example 1 (Volunteer)
• How do stress and physical activity affect HR?
– “It’s far more dangerous when stress causes the response because the
adrenaline tends to narrow the arteries and that could contribute to the
risk of heart disease”. (Dugmore, 2002)
What Can Affect HR?
Exercise 2
• In groups of 2 / 3 discuss what events during a match YOU THINK
can affect / impact upon HR?
• Feedback ;
• Discussion .
Picture this....
Background – Dugmore (2002)
Peak HR – 120 BPM
Peak HR – 160 BPM
Dugmore (2002)
• “Getting
your heart to these sorts of levels would
Remember!
normally only happen if you had done a vigorous
work-out in the gym”.
It’s far more dangerous when stress
causes the response because the
• “Your heart
needs to tends
be fit to narrow
withstand
adrenaline
thethose
surges...
...many
managers
arecontribute
former players
arteries
and
that could
to and
if they the
don’t
take
care ofdisease”.
themselves,
they will be at
risk
of heart
(Dugmore,
significant risk”.
2002)
The Project - Overview
• 5 Senior Inter-county managers and 2 University managers
participated;
• Each wore a real time HR monitor for the duration of the
match;
• Key incidents were annotated on the system during the
match;
• A total of 17 results were gathered across a range of matches
of varying intensity;
• McKenna Cup;
• NFL;
• Ulster Senior Football Championship
Results - Statistics
McKenna Cup (8)
NFL (6)
USFC (3)
Collective Results (Based on the average across the group)
Peak HR (BPM)
124
157
146
Peak HR (%)
69
88
83
Average HR (BPM)
94
120
118
Average HR (%)
52
68
67
Top Peak HR
152
190
166
Low Peak HR
105
138
133
Top Avg HR
111
138
129
Low Avg HR
84
108
110
Individual Results
Results - Graphs
Avg Peak HR (BPM)
160
157
150
140
146
140
130
124
120
110
100
Dugmore Study
McKenna Cup
NFL
USFC
Results - Example
Throw In
Half Time
Major Incident
Approximate resting heart rate - 78 BPM
What Can Affect HR?
Return to Exercise 2 – The Answer
• In groups of 2 / 3 discuss what events during a match YOU THINK
can affect / impact upon HR?
Controversial Decision
Heart Rate Peak
190 BPM
Goal For
Heart Rate Peak
130 BPM
Penalty For - Goal
Heart Rate Peak
135 BPM
Goal Against
Heart Rate Peak
130 BPM
Good Tackling Near Sideline
Heart Rate Peak
130 BPM
Making Substitution
Heart Rate Peak
115 BPM
Atmosphere
Basketball
The Physiology of Performance
Fight / Flight
High Arousal
Dynamic
Passionate
Positive
Emotion
Adrenaline
DHEA
Frustrated
Angry
Cortisol
Negative
Emotion
Loss of
interest
Cynical
Cool under
pressure
In control
Acetylcholine
Low Arousal
Relaxation
Generating Coherence
“synchronising systems”
Cognitive
Autonomic Centre
Blood Pressure
Respiratory Centre
Heart
Digestive
System
HEART RATE
90
HEART RATE
Perceptions & Emotions profoundly
affect Autonomic Nervous System
Balance and Heart Rhythms
90
FRUSTRATION
80
70
60
APPRECIATION
80
70
60
1
50
100
TIME (SECONDS)
150
200
Time (sec.)
Heart Rate
(BPM)
Resp. Units
Generating Coherence
4
RESPIRATION
2
0
-2
-4
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
0.32
0.31
0.30
0.29
0.28
0.27
0.26
0.25
HEART RATE VARIABILITY
BLOOD PRESSURE (PTT)
FREEZE-FRAME
120
180
240
300
TIME (SECONDS)
360
420
480
Results
• There was an overall reduction in cortisol
levels of 9.4% (range -32.8 to +29.6%) in the
HM group compared to an overall increase of
21.1% (range -16.1 to +127.9%) in the CON
group.
Testimonial
• I found it helpful in helping deal with pressure situations such as before
big games and even before interviews and presentations in university.
• Yes, I felt the training taught me to be more in touch with my body and
helped me channel nervous energy into positive energy effectively.
• I found the Heartmath useful to help control my heart rate and breathing.
• Tried to use the breathing technique during periods of pressure in games
and training. If this was useful or successful was very hard to measure
however it did provide a method of routine which in turn helped in
focussing my attention in the present.
• I used it in particular with my kicking practice, and found it very useful.
Case Studies
Niall O’Connor: Heart Rate Graph
171
174
167
K3
K2
140
K1
123
130
Ian Humphreys: Heart Rate Graph
165
164
153
K1
140
K2
143
K3
147
Heartmath
Practical Exercise 3:
Need very brave volunteer.
The Haka
Recommendations
• How do you mentally prepare for games?
– Visualisation;
– Mental Rehearsal;
• How do you prepare your support team for games?
– Runners / Physio / Doctor / Selectors;
– Does everyone know their role on match day?
• Do you prepare for What if Scenarios?
– Not all situations can be controlled, do you have contingencies in place
for unforeseen developments?
– Injuries / Red Cards / Bad Start
Recommendations
• Are you watching the game rather than engrossed in it?
– Learning to take a backward step;
– Remove the emotion from the situation;
• How fit are you?
– Good fitness levels can help keep a lower heart rate;
– It can also protect you from a health perspective;
• Can you regulate your heart rate during the game?
– Breathing techniques;
– Relaxation techniques.
Questions?