Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 1
AROUSAL CONTROL WORKBOOK
MENTAL TRAINING FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 2
Chapter 8
Relaxation & Energization – Draft 4
After reading this chapter, you should be able to
1. understand relaxation and energization and how they impact your daily life,
2. describe the benefits of relaxation and energization,
3. recount the role of diagnosis in creating opti-psych levels,
4. highlight criteria for selecting relaxation and energization strategies,
5. explain the experiential and scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of relaxation and
energization skills for opti-psych control,
6. understand how Davidson and Schwartz’s comprehensive relaxation model provides a
systematic approach for selecting relaxation techniques,
7. describe how the comprehensive energization model provides a scientific approach for
selection of energization strategies,
8. highlight how athletes can develop awareness of their relaxation and energization levels and
identify problem areas,
9. explain how to develop basic relaxation skills that are quick and effective,
10. identify ways to develop basic energization skills that athletes can employ successfully, and
11. understand how advanced skills can help athletes keep opti-psych skills sharp with a
minimum of practice.
Understanding Relaxation
In this section, we will first discuss what relaxation is and how it can benefit you and your
performance. Second, we’ll explain how diagnosis impacts relaxation effectiveness. Finally,
we’ll acquaint you with some of the more common uses of relaxation in sport.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 3
What Is Relaxation?
Relaxation is the ability to decrease unwanted muscular tension, reduce excessive
autonomic activation, and calm the mind by eliminating unwanted thoughts. In this chapter
we’ll focus on the development and use of the mental training tool of physical relaxation,
whereas you will be taught basic mental relaxation skills in the next chapter when we discuss
self-talk.
Diagnosis of Tension Problems
One of the strange findings in the stress management literature is that many individuals have
more trouble diagnosing excessive tension than in getting rid of it using the stress management
techniques at their disposal. Stress builds up gradually over time, whether the timeframe is
hours, days, weeks or months. If diagnosed early while stress levels are low, most of us have the
relaxation skills to generally reduce or eliminate tension, although often not quickly.
Regrettably, many athletes and nonathletes alike have problems either recognizing their
mounting stress levels or ignoring the warning signals until stress gets so high that it is difficult
to handle, a point generally termed the threshold level (see Figure 8.1). Thus, stress creeps up
over the course of the day, but as long as the tension remains below the threshold level, stress
management skills can still effectively reduce or eliminate it. However, once athletes exceed
their stress threshold, it becomes difficult for even the most skilled athletes to reduce this tension
successfully. Thus, diagnosis is an important relaxation skill, identifying tension problems early
when relaxation skills can still effectively eliminate the stress is essential to its success.
Now that you understand the importance of diagnosis, let’s examine some of the common
uses for relaxation.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 4
Uses of Relaxation
Physical relaxation is a flexible and versatile skills that has a variety of uses in sport,
including:
 to better manage physical and psychological energy,
 to promote recovery from workouts and injuries,
 to think more clearly and keep things in better perspective,
 to allow athletes to sleep better, particularly before competition and/on the road,
 to increase enjoyment by reducing tension and stress, and
 to enhance performance by preventing tension in antagonistic muscles from interfering
with smooth, fluid, well-timed movements.
Managing Physical and Psychological Energy
Athletes often fail to achieve their opti-psych level because they have excessive activation
and are overly tense. Relaxation can help lower activation and reduce physical anxiety that may
interfere with attaining the opti-psych level needed for top performance (see Chapter 11 on
Energy Management). This use of relaxation will be discussed more fully later in the chapter
when we describe our Competitive Opti-Psych Training Program.
Promotes Recovery from Workouts and Injuries
Each tough workout takes a toll on your body due to minor tissue damage to muscles,
ligaments and tendons as well as accumulation of waste materials such as lactic acid in the
muscles. Relaxation promotes muscle recovery which stimulates dilation of the blood vessels in
order to supply greater amounts of oxygen to fatigued or injured muscles, speeding up the repair
process and disposal of waste products. Just as a good “cool down” at the end of practice helps
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 5
to maintain blood flow for waste removal and on-going repair efforts, relaxation can be
extremely effective in continuing that process.
Think More Clearly
Relaxation can be helpful in enhancing the quality of your thinking on several levels. First,
relaxation helps to reduce stress and other distractions that may interfere with effective thought
processes. Second, relaxation helps to enhance focus and promotes greater concentration.
Finally, greater blood flow should supply more oxygen to the brain, allowing your mind to
function more efficiently, thus improving the quality of your problem-solving.
Sleep Better
Sleep is deeper, longer and more restful when you are relaxed. Athletes who have trouble
getting a good night’s sleep frequently have problems with worry and stress. These problems
become magnified the night before competition and/or when traveling. Normally athletes have
trouble sleeping the night before a game because of high activation in the form of positive
excitement or negative nervousness as well as extensive cognitive concerns, both the positive
concerns about doing well and more negative fears related to failure. Taking the time to relax
helps lower activation and reduce concerns, helping athletes to focus on the upcoming
competition in a more positive way.
Increases Enjoyment
Performing while you’re tight or stressed is no fun, and relaxation can dramatically increase
your enjoyment of sport by reducing muscular tension and negative autonomic arousal symptoms
such as butterflies allowing you to focus more positively on achieving your goals.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 6
Improve Performance By Reducing Antagonistic Tension
If you’ve ever seen a basketball player “air ball” a free throw in a crucial situation, you’ve
seen direct evidence of the effects of excessive muscular tension in antagonistic muscles and
their negative effects on performance. Because they can only contract, muscles that move joints
are arranged in pairs so the first muscle can contract to prompt a specific movement, and its
antagonistic muscle can then contract to return the joint to its original position. Under ideal
conditions, these muscle pairs operate sequentially and not simultaneously. When a muscle tries
to contract at the same time as its antagonistic counterpart, the effect is two muscles fighting
each other rather than cooperating. Not only does movement lose its fluidity, rhythm and timing,
but it also may be limited in its range of motion. Thus, the arm muscles of our tense free thrower
are fighting each other so much that they lose all rhythm, touch timing and feel and fail to go
through a full range of motion, resulting in a shot that is often several feet short of the basket.
Although this is clearly one type of “choking,” its causes are more directly physical than mental.
Relaxation can be effective in relaxing the antagonistic muscles so that movement patterns
remain smooth, fluid, rhythmic and well-timed.
Uses of Energization
Energization is also a versatile skill that can be used in a variety of ways in sport,
including:
 managing physical and psychological energy,
 enhancing concentration,
 elevating confidence, particularly for performing well when tired, encountering adversity
or low energy levels.
 providing a performance advantage.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 7
Managing Physical and Psychological Energy
Athletes often fail to achieve their opti-psych level because they are lethargic and under
energized, particularly in practice situations or late in competitions. Energization can help raise
activation levels that may interfere with attaining the opti-psych level needed for top
performance. We’ll expand on this energization use later in the chapter when we describe our
Competitive Opti-Psych Training Program.
Enhances Concentration
When your opti-psych level is too low, you tend to have too broad a level of attention and
are easily distracted. As you raise your activation level closer to your opti-psych level, attention
should narrow, reducing task-irrelevant cues and helping you focus on task-relevant ones. Thus,
a basketball player with too low an activation level may find that energizing helps her eliminate a
lot of distractions such as the crowd, the way her uniform fits, the temperature in the gym and
her plans for after the game. Thus, energization can help underaroused athletes improve their
concentration through attentional narrowing (see Chapter 12).
Elevates Confidence
Energization skills should enhance athletes’ confidence in their ability to perform more
successfully when tired, during the latter stages of competitions, and under difficult
circumstances. Although it is clearly no substitute for skills, knowing you can draw on your
energy reserves in times of need is a big confidence booster.
Perform Better
Ultimately, the effectiveness of energization depends on its ability to enhance performance.
Energization skills should allow athletes to get more out of practices when they are often too
underaroused by helping to increase concentration and motivation. Underarousal is less common
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 8
in competition except late in games as energy reserves are depleted and in times of hardship,
adversity and failure. When athletes are confident that they can draw on energy reserves at these
times, it should give them a decided performance edge.
Do Relaxation and Energization Work?
For relaxation and energization to benefit your performance, you must be convinced of
their effectiveness. In our “more-is-better” society that thrives on a maximal work ethic, does
relaxation really play a role in athletic success? Can less really be more? Conversely, does the
ability to energize yourself at critical times benefit performance? Let’s see if we can’t increase
your belief in value of relaxation and energization as a performance enhancement strategies by
reviewing the experiential and scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness.
Review Questions – Part 1
1. Define Relaxation
2. What are 3 uses of relaxation? Describe each use.
1.
2.
3.
3. What are 3 uses of energization? Describe each use.
1.
2.
3.
Scientific Evidence
The scientific evidence supporting energization is nonexistent. Thus, this section will focus
on the limited research on relaxation, with the consensus of this research supporting the efficacy
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 9
of relaxation as a performance enhancement strategy. Scientific evidence supporting relaxation
comes from three primary lines of research:

studies predicting sport success or comparing successful and less successful
performers,

anxiety management studies, and

studies in which relaxation was used as part of a mental training package to enhance
competitive cognitions and performance.
Sport Success Research.
Relaxation is an important predictor of success in several studies that have surveyed athletes
about factors contributing to their sport success, but findings from this type of research are far
from unanimous. For example, Mike Mahoney and Marshall Avener’s (1977) classic study with
participants in the 1976 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials found that level of relaxation and
ability to use anxiety constructively were important discriminators between Olympic Team
qualifiers and nonqualifiers. Qualifiers were more relaxed and used their anxiety more
constructively than did nonqualifiers who were more tense and interpreted their anxiety in a
more detrimental way. Orlick and Partington (1988) also found relaxation facilitated the
performance of Canadian Olympic athletes. Additionally, the peak performance and Flow
literature has also confirmed the importance of relaxation to performing optimally. Finally,
Gould and his colleagues (Gould, Eklund & Jackson, 1993; Gould, Finch & Jackson, 1993)
concluded from qualitative interviews with Olympic wrestlers and U.S. National Champion
figure skaters that relaxation strategies were importance for competitive success. However, not
all field-based sport research supports the performance enhancement value of relaxation. Several
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 10
studies fail to document that relaxation patterns can distinguish between successful versus less
successful competitors, elite versus nonelite performers, or best and worst performances.
Anxiety Management Research
The anxiety research of Martens and his colleagues (Martens, Burton, Vealey, Bump, &
Smith, 1990) confirms that both physical and mental anxiety can have a detrimental impact on
performance. Several studies have documented that relaxation can facilitate sport performance,
usually for tasks such as basketball free throwing shooting that must be performed under anxietyprovoking circumstances or with athletes high in trait anxiety.
Research Questions – Part 2
1. What scientific research exists on relaxation and energization?
Relaxation as Part of Mental Training Packages
Several studies have tested the effectiveness of mental training programs that included
relaxation along with several other mental training tools to enhance performance. These studies
generally demonstrated positive performance enhancement effects, but none of these studies
have attempted to determine how much relaxation contributed to athletes’ overall performance
improvement compared to the other mental training tools employed.
Thus, relaxation research in sport has been somewhat limited, but the overall conclusion
from available research is that self talk has a positive relationship with performance and
relaxation strategies can be helpful for enhancing skill development and competitive
performance.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 11
Now that you have seen the evidence for yourself supporting the value of relaxation, let’s
take a look at how relaxation and energization work.
How Relaxation and Energization Work
Let’s try to get a better idea about how relaxation and energization work and the types of
techniques that you can use to relax or energize in order to develop a better competitive frameof-mind, increase your enjoyment of competition, and enhance your performance.
Understanding Relaxation and Stress Management
Davidson and Schwartz (1976) have developed a psychophysiological model that helps
us better understand relaxation and how relaxation techniques work to help athletes relax
effectively. Davidson and Schwartz’ research revealed several important stress management
principles, the most interesting finding being that certain relaxation techniques seemed to be
more effective in dealing with specific types of anxiety and were more ineffective managing
others. They concluded that the equivocal results in the anxiety reduction literature were
probably due to the differences in the degree of compatibility between the type of anxiety being
experienced and the ability of the treatment to alleviate that form of anxiety. Building on this
concept, they subsequently developed a relaxation model that identifies four major categories of
anxiety individuals typically experience and specifies the stress management techniques that will
be most effective in dealing with each anxiety type.
In developing their model, Davidson and Schwartz incorporated research on the
psychophysiology of mental versus physical components of relaxation with the hemispheric
specialization literature that indicates that the two sides of the brain mediate mental and physical
anxiety in different ways. By combining the physical-mental dimension with the hemispheric
dimension (i.e., left versus right hemisphere), their model categorizes four distinct types of
anxiety as well as specifies the relaxation techniques that are predicted to be most effective in
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 12
alleviating each anxiety type. We will discuss hemispheric differences more fully in Chapter 11
on Energy Management and physical versus mental anxiety in more detail in Chapter 13 on
Stress Management. However, in order to help you better understand this model, let’s briefly
review the basics on hemispheric functioning and mental versus physical anxiety.
Activity 1
Rest one of your hands on top of a table or a binder. Create as much tension as possible in
your resting hand. While your hand is still tense attempt to tap your index and middle fingers
as fast as you can on the resting surface for 10 seconds. Release the tension. Now with a
relaxed hand and repeat the same activity for 10 seconds.
1. What did you experience?
2.
How does this activity relate to anxiety?
Differences in Hemispheric Functioning
For most individuals who are right-handed or mixed dominant (i.e., ambidextrous), their left
hemisphere becomes specialized for sequential processing and is guided predominantly by
specific thoughts and verbal self-statements. When athletes are thinking rationally, employing
logic and reasoning skills, or using computation or problem-solving strategies, they are
predominantly using left hemisphere processing. Thus, the process of learning new skills,
modifying previously learned skills, or developing competitive strategies are left hemisphere
functions. Conversely, the right hemisphere normally becomes specialized for parallel or
wholistic processing and uses visual/spatial guidance processes to simultaneously integrate many
diverse types of input and skillfully execute complex motor skills and skill sequences. Intuition
and creativity, orientation in time and space, emotions, and performance execution are all right
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 13
hemisphere functions. Thus, once athletes learn how to perform skills correctly using lefthemisphere techniques, they rely on their right hemisphere to execute those skills automatically.
Mental Versus Physical Anxiety
The distinction between mental and physical anxiety has become widely accepted in the
anxiety literature. Mental anxiety is the cognitive component of anxiety caused by negative
expectations of success, negative self-evaluation, and inappropriate attentional focus, whereas
physical anxiety is the somatic or affective component of anxiety that is directly related to
muscular tension and autonomic arousal. Mental anxiety is characterized by worry, negative
self-talk, perceived loss of control, attentional distraction, and unpleasant imagery, whereas
physical anxiety is represented by such physiological symptoms as rapid heart rate, shortness of
breath, clammy hands, butterflies in the stomach, and tense muscles.
Four Anxiety Types
I (Burton, 1990) previously modified Davidson and Schwartz’s model for sport, combining
the hemispheric differences dimension with the mental-physical dimension to create a
comprehensive stress management model that specifies four unique types of stress or anxiety
(see Table 8.1), including:

Left Hemisphere-Physical Anxiety (LH-PA),

Left Hemisphere-Mental Anxiety (LH-MA),

Right Hemisphere-Physical Anxiety (RH-PA), and

Right Hemisphere-Mental Anxiety (RH-MA).
Let’s briefly look at the characteristics of each of these four anxiety types.
Left Hemisphere-Physical Anxiety (LH-PA)
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 14
Our first type of anxiety (i.e., LH-PA) is caused by sequential activation of specific somatic
behaviors such as experiencing tension in a hamstring muscle prior to an important 100-meter
dash (see Table 8.1). The model predicts that the sprinter with the tight hamstring could
effectively cope with this anxiety problem by using one or more of the stress management
techniques designed to achieve specific-physical (i.e., LH-PA) relaxation. As illustrated in
Table 8.1, the specific-physical anxiety reduction strategies that would be most effective in
dealing with this type of anxiety would include any physical relaxation technique that is
designed to reduce muscular tension including: self-directed relaxation, progressive muscle
relaxation, EMG biofeedback training, the relaxation component of hypnosis, and physical
exercise, particularly stretching.
Left Hemisphere-Mental Anxiety (LH-MA)
Left hemisphere-mental anxiety problems are prompted by specific verbal or analytical
behaviors that occur sequentially (see Table 8.1). Because verbal guidance mechanisms are
used in all left hemisphere processing, athletes with this type of anxiety would have difficulty
relaxing because they think too much, are overly analytical, or can not get specific negative
thoughts out of their mind. The relaxation model predicts that athletes who overanalyze or are
plagued with specific negative thoughts could cope most effectively with this anxiety problem
by selecting one or more specific-mental (i.e., LH-MA) anxiety reduction strategies such as
transcendental meditation, goal setting (i.e., lowering goals to keep them realistic and process
oriented), self talk (i.e., self-instructional ‘cue words,’ positive affirmations, and
counterarguments to reframe negative thoughts or irrational beliefs), and the suggestion
component of hypnosis (see Table 8.1).
Right Hemisphere-Physical Anxiety (RH-PA)
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 15
This type of anxiety is elicited by parallel activation of a number of global somatic
behaviors that occur due to activation of the autonomic nervous system (see Table 8.1).
Because global-physical anxiety (i.e., RH-PA) involves diffuse body tension and global
somatic stress related to the activation of the autonomic nervous system, athletes often
experience this class of anxiety through such symptoms as butterflies in the stomach or cold
clammy hands. The comprehensive stress management model predicts that a volleyball player
who typically experiences precompetitive anxiety in the form of butterflies, frequent urination
and clammy hands could effectively reduce her anxiety by using one or more techniques
designed to achieve global-physical relaxation, including Zen meditation, autogenic training,
skin temperature and skin conductance biofeedback, the breathing component of Hatha yoga,
and vigorous exercise (see Table 8.1)
Right Hemisphere-Mental Anxiety (RH-MA)
Our final category of anxiety is prompted by unwanted thoughts of a visual/spatial, rather
than a verbal, nature such as images of poor performance (see Table 8.1). These images of
competitive disaster are often more anxiety-provoking than negative thoughts because of the
right hemisphere’s parallel processing capabilities that allow integration of simultaneous input
from various sensory modalities, so athletes see, hear, touch, smell, and taste every aspect of
their imagined competitive failure. The relaxation model predicts that athletes who experience
relatively automatic images of competitive disaster can effectively cope with this type of
anxiety by selecting one or more global-mental (i.e., RH-MA) stress management
techniques, including: imagery relaxation, the imagery/suggestion component of hypnosis, and
cognitive restructuring techniques that focus on changing self-images (see Table 8.1).
Review Questions – Part 3
1. What are the major differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain?
2. Compare and contrast mental versus physical anxiety.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 16
Compatibility Between Anxiety Type and Treatment Techniques
The relaxation model emphasizes that stress management strategies should be most
effective in reducing compatible types of anxiety. However, the model does not discount
possible ‘crossover’ effects in which stress management techniques also alleviate less
compatible types of anxiety. For example, progressive muscle relaxation will be most effective
in reducing specific muscular tension such as a tight hamstring (LH-PA), but it may also
provide some benefit in reducing butterflies (RH-PA), eliminating specific negative thoughts of
failure (LH-MA), or even perhaps interrupting images of competitive disaster (RH-MA).
Research (Schwartz, Davidson, & Goleman, 1978) has supported the idea of compatibility
of stress management techniques by demonstrating that individuals who were primarily
mentally anxious received a greater reduction in anxiety by employing a mentally-based stress
management technique (i.e., transcendental meditation (TM)) than a less compatible physicallybased treatment (i.e., exercise). Conversely, individuals who suffered primarily from physical
anxiety problems demonstrated significantly greater reductions in anxiety scores using an
exercise treatment than when they practiced the mental-anxiety treatment of TM.
Although evidence from several different lines of research supports this comprehensive
relaxation/stress management model, much of the subsequent research on anxiety and stress
suggests that, in practice, the different types of anxiety are difficult to separate and that
situational cues that elicit one type of anxiety will often provoke other anxiety types as well.
Understanding Energization and Activation Strategies
Davidson and Schwartz’(1976) psychophysiological model also provides some
interesting ideas that we’ve incorporated into a model to explain how to develop energization
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 17
skills. Similar to the relaxation model, our energization model focuses on four unique types of
energization or activation (see Table 8.2), including:

Left Hemisphere-Physical Activation (LH-PA),
 Left Hemisphere-Mental Activation (LH-MA),

Right Hemisphere-Physical Activation (RH-PA), and

Right Hemisphere-Mental Activation (RH-MA).
Let’s briefly look at the characteristics of each of these four types of activation.
Left Hemisphere-Physical Activation (LH-PA)
Our first type of low energy or lethargy is prompted by failure to sequentially activate
specific somatic behaviors such as failure to experience flexibility, energy and/or power in your
thigh and calf muscles prior to an important 100-meter dash (see Table 8.2). The model
predicts that the sprinter who effectively warms up his body prior to an important race will
prepares those muscles to respond effectively when the gun sounds. As illustrated in Table 8.2,
the LH-PA activation strategies that would be most effective in energizing specific muscle
groups to perform maximally would include any activation technique that is designed to
enhance muscular performance including: imagery energization, EMG biofeedback training, the
energization component of hypnosis, uptempo music, and physical exercise, particularly
stretching and vigorous warmup activities.
Left Hemisphere-Mental Activation (LH-MA)
Left hemisphere-mental lethargy problems are prompted by specific verbal or analytical
behaviors that occur sequentially to prompt feelings of low energy, fatigue and flatness (see
Table 8.2). Verbal guidance mechanisms used in all left hemisphere processing should prompt
athletes with this type of lethargy problem to have difficulty energizing because they think too
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 18
much about energy deficits due to lack of sleep, poor nutrition or ineffective warmup or can not
get specific negative thoughts out of their mind such as feeling tired, weak, unmotivated, or
unprepared. The relaxation model predicts that athletes who feel lethargic due to specific
negative thoughts could cope most effectively with this activation problem by selecting one or
more specific-mental (i.e., LH-MA) activation strategies such as goal setting (i.e., raising
goals to keep them challenging and process oriented), self talk (i.e., self-instructional ‘cue
words,’ positive affirmations, and counterarguments that focus on strength, power, energy,
preparation and persistence), energizing music lyrics, and the suggestion component of
hypnosis (see Table 8.2).
Right Hemisphere-Physical Activation (RH-PA)
This type of lethargy is elicited by parallel stimulation of global somatic behaviors that
occur due to lack of activation of the autonomic nervous system (see Table 8.2). Because RHPA involves diffuse body activation and global somatic stimulation of the autonomic nervous
system, athletes often experience this class of activation by experiencing symptoms that are
similar to the comparable type of anxiety. However, activation such as butterflies in the
stomach, rapid heart beat, and clammy hands indicate a heightened state of readiness needed to
allow athletes to experience Flow. The comprehensive activation model predicts that a
volleyball player who typically experiences precompetitive lethargy because of the reduction or
absence of common global activation symptoms such as butterflies, frequent urination and
clammy hands could effectively energize by using one or more techniques designed to achieve
global-physical (i.e., RH-PA) activation, including uptempo music, skin temperature and skin
conductance biofeedback, psych-up breathing techniques (i.e., Lamaze breathing) and vigorous
exercise (see Table 8.2)
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 19
Right Hemisphere-Mental Activation (RH-MA)
Our final category of lethargy is prompted by unwanted thoughts of a visual/spatial nature
such as images of low energy or lackadaisical performance (see Table 8.2). These images of
competitive disaster due to lack of energy generally present bigger problems than negative
thoughts because of the right hemisphere’s parallel processing capabilities that allow athletes to
see, hear, touch, smell, and taste every aspect of their performance lethargy that may prompt
competitive failure. The activation model predicts that athletes who experience relatively
automatic lethargy-driven images of competitive disaster can effectively cope with this type of
anxiety by selecting from these global-mental (i.e., RH-MA) activation techniques, including:
imagery energization, energizing music lyrics, the imagery/suggestion component of hypnosis,
and cognitive restructuring techniques that focus on changing self-images (see Table 8.2).
Review Questions – Part 4
1. If an athlete experiences a lack of energy in specific muscles, what type of
energization is required? What are some of the intervention strategies?
2. Right hemisphere-lethargy is caused by?
Compatibility Between Energization Type and Treatment Techniques
Similar to the comprehensive anxiety model, the lethargy model emphasizes that
energization strategies should be most effective in reducing compatible types of energy
problems. However, energization strategies should also have some ‘crossover’ effects so that
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 20
techniques designed to alleviate one type of lethargy problem should also have some positive
effects on other lethargy types. Thus, imagery energization should be most effective in
reducing global mental lethargy such as feeling “draggy” (RH-MA), but it may also provide
some benefit in reducing specific-physical (i.e., LH-PA) problems such as your arms feeling
weak.
Although we have been using this energization/activation model for more than a decade
with significant success, it has never been tested empirically. Thus, consider the model a
heuristic that may be beneficial in determining the best energization technique to use for
specific competitive situations.
Now that you understand the common types of tension and lethargy athletes experience as
well as the relaxation and energization techniques designed to manage each one, let’s look at
some common relaxation strategies.
Common Relaxation Strategies
Although dozens of relaxation strategies have been developed to deal with these four
common tension problems, not all strategies are equally effective and many are impractical to
use in sport. Sport is a dynamic, fluid, pressure-packed, time-limited environment that places
unique demands on relaxation strategies. For relaxation strategies to enhance performance in
sport, they need to be:
 effective – strategies need to relax athletes enough to achieve opti-psych levels,
 fast – strategies should be able to lower tension levels quickly, normally in 3-5 seconds
or less, and
 personalized – strategies that you enjoy and work for you.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 21
Any techniques that fail to help athletes relax enough to perform well or lowers performers’
opti-psych level too much so they become lethargic are of little value as a performance
enhancement strategy. Performance is the bottom line in sport, and any strategy that can’t relax
competitors optimally—not too much and not too little—will not be used for long in practice and
competition. Similarly, athletes need techniques they can use on the fly, either during
performance or during momentary breaks in the action. Relaxation techniques that require more
than 3-5 seconds to demonstrate desired effects are simply too slow to be practical or useful.
Finally, research has confirmed that a number of relaxation strategies can effectively elicit
relaxation, although athletes clearly have preferences about the techniques they most prefer.
These preferences are often based on more subjective criteria, including: (a) what they feel
comfortable with, (b) what works most effectively for them, (c) which technique elicits
relaxation most easily, and (d) enjoyment of the relaxation process. Thus, relaxation strategies
should be personalized based on individual preferences. Choice of technique should also make
the process of relaxation more intrinsically motivating. Therefore, as you select a relaxation
technique, you must evaluate each strategy based on the criteria of effectiveness, speed and
personal preference. In this chapter we’ll focus on physical relaxation techniques, whereas
mental relaxation strategies will be outlined more fully in the next chapter on self talk. First,
let’s learn about six physical relaxation strategies frequently used in sport, including:

Hatha yoga breathing,

imagery relaxation,

self-directed relaxation,

progressive muscle relaxation,

biofeedback, and
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 22

hypnosis.
The basics of each of these relaxation strategies will be briefly described in the next section.
Hatha Yoga Breathing
This form of deep diaphragmic breathing was developed as part of the practice of Hatha
yoga and involves deep breathing to fully fill the lungs by engaging the diaphragm, the thin
muscle that separates the lungs from the abdominal cavity. Diaphragmic breathing involves
inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Moreover, during diaphragmic
breathing, inhalation causes the diaphragm to move down slightly, pushing the abdomen out and
creating a vacuum in the lungs. Diaphragmic breathing fills the lungs up from the bottom in
three distinct phases, trying to maximize the amount of air taken into the lungs. First, as your
diaphragm expands and your abdomen distends, you can feel the area under your belly button
enlarge. Next allow the middle portion of your lungs to fill by allowing your rib cage to expand.
Finally, raise the chest and shoulders slightly to fill the upper third of your lungs. A healthy
pause should occur after the inhalation, before a slow and complete exhalation. The length of the
inhalation should be slow and deliberate and take approximately the same amount of time as the
exhalation. Some experts recommend a slight sigh at the end of the exhalation to maximize the
amount of air expired. Hatha yoga breathing is the best available technique to deal with globalphysical anxiety problems and reduce autonomic arousal (see Table 8.1).
Imagery Relaxation
This procedure involves athletes imagining themselves taking a mini-vacation some place
where they always feel very relaxed and comfortable. For example, they may be lying on the
beach under the warm sun as cool breezes blow intermittently and ocean waves rhythmically lap
up on shore. Or they may be strolling through the woods, or sitting before a warm fire in a
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 23
remote cabin, or anywhere else they find relaxing including their bed at home. What is
important is that they imagine a place that they have learned to associate with feelings of deep
relaxation.
The premise behind this technique is simple: If you can't change the actual environment to
make it more relaxing, change the environment in your mind. The ability to do this is one of the
magnificent qualities about our minds; yet it is used too rarely. Preparing to do Imagery
Relaxation involves the same steps as you’d follow to perform any imagery exercise:
 select a quiet and comfortable setting.
 be alert but not overly excited because being fatigued or over-energized is not conducive
to learning relaxation skills.
 create the right attitude about learning to relax by establishing a comfortable, but serious,
environment for practicing.
 find a comfortable position, preferably sitting in a comfortable chair, arms supported,
feet uncrossed, and eyes closed.
Athletes then think of their favorite place for relaxing, a spot where they always feel
comfortable and safe following the script provided in Figure 8.1. Not only picture yourself there
as vividly as possible, but to also "feel" yourself there, hear the sounds, smell the air, feel the
sand, or whatever. The better you can put yourself in this special place through imagery, the
more relaxing it will be. Regularly practice imaging this place until you can create the place in
their mind's eye quickly and feel the associated relaxation. My special relaxation place is on a
secluded private beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. I can easily conger up the image of its black
lava fields, white sand beaches and blue water, and its breath-taking sunsets help me feel a
million miles away from deadlines, problems and concerns. When I feel muscle tension and
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 24
other somatic stress symptoms, I go on a mini-vacation to relax in my special place. It works
well for me, and I use it frequently. Many of the athletes whom I have taught this simple
relaxation technique use it productively. Imagery Relaxation is the quickest and easiest of the
specific-physical relaxation strategies, and about 40% of the athletes I teach relaxation prefer this
technique (see Table 8.1).
Self-Directed Relaxation
This procedure, an abbreviated form of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, involves guiding
yourself through relaxation of the body's four major muscle groups while emphasizing slow,
easy breathing and visualization of tension flowing out of the body. The objective of SelfDirected Relaxation is to be able to focus on a muscle group, command the muscles to relax, and
feel them respond (see a complete script in Figure 8.2). This technique is especially effective
when athletes are able to keep their attention focused on specific muscle groups and can turn off
the tension when directed to do so. Because most athletes are quite aware of tension and
relaxation in their bodies, they should readily be able to develop this skill. However, when
athletes constantly find themselves distracted, they are better candidates for the more active
Progressive Muscle Relaxation procedure described next.
Some athletes find it useful to combine Imagery Relaxation with Self-Directed Relaxation.
For example, one athlete goes through SDR lying on the beach in their special place. Another
visualizes a little man with a broom sweeping away the tension from a specific muscle group,
while a third imagines tension as autumn leaves and each breath, like a strong autumn wind,
causes the tension to fall off her muscles. Self-Directed Relaxation is a moderately easy
specific-physical relaxation strategy, and approximately 35% of the athletes I’ve worked with
prefer this technique.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 25
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Jacobsen, 1932) is a much more elaborate, and therefore
much more time-consuming, procedure for learning to relax (see Figure 8.3 for a complete
script). Progressive muscle relaxation was developed by Edmund Jacobsen in the 1930s and
modified extensively over the years to help develop the skill to diagnose minute tension levels in
your muscles and then to "let go" of this tension. Jacobson believed that a deeper level of
relaxation could be reach by first tensing a muscle group and then allowing it to relax than just
passive releasing the tension in the muscle group. The technique also develops strong diagnostic
skills so athletes learn to recognize and release even minute levels of tension. Jacobson’s
original procedure involved as many as 16 muscle groups, practice times of up to an hour per
session, and several months to fully master the skill. We have developed a modified version of
Bernstein and Borkovec’s (1976) simplified PMR procedures that involves relaxing four muscle
groups using the script in Figure 8.3. Although starting with 16 muscle groups is normally
recommended, we have found that athletes’ heightened body awareness allows them to
successfully start at the more advanced four-muscle group version of the technique. PMR takes
approximately 15-20 minutes per session and can normally be mastered practicing daily in 2-3
weeks.
PMR is a more time-consuming and complex specific-physical relaxation strategy that is
particularly helpful for athletes who have trouble recognizing excessive tension levels in specific
muscle groups (e.g., letting the hamstrings relax sufficiently when sprinting). PMR is a more
difficult specific-physical relaxation strategy that has been the preferred technique for
approximately 25% of athletes I’ve worked with.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 26
Activity 2 – Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position and try to put yourself in a relaxed state. Close
your eyes and take a long, slow, deep breath through your nose, inhaling as much air as you
can. Then exhale slowly and completely, feeling the tension leaving your body as you
exhale. Repeat this process 3 to 5 times. Now, make a tight fist with both hands, tighten
the biceps and forearms, hold this tension for 5 to 7 seconds and then release and relax. Let
all of the tension flow out of your arms. Relax for 20 seconds. Now, tense all of your facial
muscles and neck. Again hold this for 5 to 7 seconds and then release and relax. Let all of
the tension flow out of your face and neck. Relax for 20 seconds. Finally, take a deep
breath, hold it, and raise your shoulders while making the stomach hard and tightening your
chest. Hold this for 5 to 7 seconds and then release and relax. Let all of the tension flow
out of your shoulders, abs and chest. Relax for 20 seconds.
1. What did you experience through PMR?
2. Where you able to feel the tension leaving your body?
3.
How could you apply this technique to your sport or activity?
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 27
Biofeedback Relaxation
When athletes have not developed sufficient self-awareness to accurately monitor the
tension in their own bodies, providing supplementary feedback through biofeedback can be
beneficial in helping them develop such self-awareness. Biofeedback is a technique that uses
sophisticated physiological monitoring equipment to provide athletes feedback on their own
biological responses. Three types of biofeedback are useful for learning to manage physical
tension: skin temperature, electrical activity on the skin surface, and electrical activity in the
muscles. Skin temperature is useful for indicating a general level of tension in the body because
it increases when more blood flows to the skin, a situation that occurs when the muscles are
relaxed. Conversely, skin temperature decreases as muscles tense up, prompting reduced blood
flow to the skin. Thus, you can see why people's hands become cold when they are stressed.
Many different methods are used to measure the electrical activity of the skin, but the most
common is called galvanic skin response, or GSR. When your body is more tense, your sweat
glands are more active in order to dissipate the heat generated by the tense muscles, thus
prompting you to develop clammy hands when you are under stress. When there is moisture on
the skin, electricity flows from one point to another more readily. GSR is simply a method of
measuring the ease with which a minute electrical current flows between two points on the
surface of the skin. A simple GSR device is shown in Figure 8.4. A person places two fingers
on the metal bands, and the ease with which electricity flows between them is measured. This
information is fed back auditorially or visually to the athlete. Without a great deal of practice,
athletes can learn to increase or decrease the sweating on their skin by learning to relax or tense
specific muscle groups. Thus, skin temperature and skin conductance biofeedback are good
global-physical relaxation strategies (see Table 8.1).
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 28
The third type of biofeedback measures the minute electrical activity in the muscles, which
can be detected on the skin surface with an electromyograph instrument as shown in Figure 8.5.
This information can then be fed back to the athlete who can practice reducing excessive muscle
tension. Electromyography or EMG, is especially useful when athletes need specific-physical
relaxation because they have difficulty relaxing properly when executing a skill, whereas skin
temperature and GSR are better for helping athletes deal with global muscular tension or
autonomic arousal of the body (see Table 8.1). The electronics revolution has made biofeedback
equipment very portable and much less expensive, with many models now built to be readily
used by coaches and athletes.
Hypnosis Relaxation
Hypnosis is another widely used relaxation technique that has been shrouded in a cloak of
mysticism. Actually hypnosis involves simply focusing all of a person's attention on only one
thought at a time! It is a cooperative venture between the hypnotist and the person being
hypnotized, and individuals cannot be hypnotized against their will as has been portrayed in
movies. When people cooperate fully with the verbal suggestions of a hypnotist, they may
discover things about themselves and experience things that they were previously unaware. This
occurs because the hypnotist helps them focus intensely on something that they may not have
been willing to focus on previously. The imagery techniques discussed in Chapter 6 have been
shown to produce similar mental effects as hypnosis.
Hypnosis, when used to help individuals relax, has been found to be very effective as a
specific-physical relaxation technique, but I do not recommend its use generally because the
athletes tend to assign responsibility for becoming relaxed to the hypnotist, not themselves (see
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 29
Table 8.1). Using the other techniques presented in this section, athletes can usually get
comparable relaxation levels more quickly and effectively.
Review Questions – Part 5
1. What are 3 qualities all sport performance relaxation techniques share?
1.
2.
3.
2. How fast should a relaxation technique take (if performed in competition)?
3. What is Imagery Relaxation?
4. How long does Progressive Muscle Relaxation usually take?
5. What are the 3 types of feedback in biofeedback relaxation?
1.
2.
3.
6. What is GSR (galvanic skin response)?
Common Energization Strategies
Energization has received much less attention from sport psychologists compared to
relaxation, and many of the techniques used for energizing athletes have received less
development and testing compared to their relaxation counterparts. Nevertheless, there are still
a number of energization strategies designed to deal with common lethargy problems. Again
because of the dynamic, fluid, pressure-packed, time-limited competitive environment,
energization strategies must also be fast and effective.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 30
In this chapter we’ll focus on physical energization techniques, whereas their mental
counterparts will be outlined more fully in the next chapter on self talk. We’ll introduce you to
five physical relaxation strategies, including:

“psych up” breathing,

imagery energization,

energy machine energization,

healing white light energization, and

music.
Let’s learn the basics of each of these energization techniques.
“Psych Up” Breathing
This form of energizing breathing is similar to what many strength, power and speed athletes
utilize before an all-out effort, and it involves quick, shallow breathing to transport as much
oxygen as possible in a short period of time. A weight lifter might use this breathing pattern
before a max lift, whereas a defensive lineman could employ this type of breathing prior to an
important fourth and goal play. Similarly, a shot putter might use this breathing pattern before
an important throw, or a sprinter might utilize it ahead of a 100-meter dash. Lemaze breathing
taught to facilitate child birth is based on the same principle. The rhythm and timing of this type
of breathing must emphasize frequency and intensity rather than duration. Psych-up breathing is
the best available technique to deal with global-physical lethargy problems (see Table 8.2).
Imagery Energization
This procedure involves athletes imagining themselves reliving an energizing event (see
complete script in Figure 8.6). You might choose a previous sport competition in which you
were highly energized, experienced little fatigue, and demonstrated great stamina on your way to
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 31
a successful performance. For imagery to help you energize, you must vividly recall what you
saw, heard, felt, tasted, smelled and touched in that situation as well as your predominant mood
and emotions. Choose situations or performance for their ability to help you feel energized
rather than strictly based on the quality of performance. The premise behind this technique is
that your mind can recall events in which your adrenaline was pumping, you felt minimal fatigue
and you experience phenomenal levels of stamina. If you imagine those type of events enough,
you may be able to learn how to energize your body to similar energy levels upon demand.
Imagery Energization is the quickest and easiest of the specific-physical energization
strategies, and about 30% of the athletes I’ve worked with prefer this energization strategy (see
Table 8.2).
Energy Machine Energization
This procedure is a different type of imagery strategy that allows you to imagine receiving
needed energy from an ultra-sophisticated energy machine. The objective of Energy Machine
Energization is to be able to imagine an energy transfusion from an external source (see the
complete script in Figure 8.7). This technique is especially effective when athletes are skilled
imagers and prefer to imagine their energy coming from an outside source. Energy Machine
Energization is a moderately easy specific-physical energization strategy, and approximately
20% of the athletes who I teach energization prefer this technique (see Table 8.2).
Healing White Light Energization
The Healing White Light Energization is another imagery technique that employs imagery
of personal source of power that can both heal or energize the body when needed. The source of
the “Healing White Light” clearly comes from athletes’ own mind, but it allows you to energize
yourself in ways that can only be imagined (see Figure 8.8). This technique is a particularly
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 32
powerful energizing image for athletes recovering from a tough workout or injury.
The Healing
White Light is also a moderately easy specific-physical energization strategy that is preferred
by approximately 15% of the athletes I work with (see Table 8.2).
Music
Most athletes already make use of music as an energization technique. The great thing
about up-empo music as an energizer is that you don’t have to pay attention to the lyrics to
benefit from its energizing effects. The rhythm and tempo of the music work at more of a
subconscious level to enhance energy levels, and a particular rhythm or beat may be used as a
cue to trigger specific energization effects at certain times during a competition or certain points
during a race. Music is an easy technique to utilize for both specific- and general-physical
energization. Approximately 30% of the athletes I’ve taught prefer this energization strategy by
itself and another 30% use music in combination with another energization technique.
Now that we’ve reviewed the common relaxation and energization strategies that can be
used in sport, let’s take a look at our program to enhance competitive relaxation and energization
skills called Competitive Opti-Psych Training.
Research Questions – Part 6
What are 5 physical energization strategies? Briefly describe each strategy.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 33
Competitive Opti-Psych Training Program
The Competitive Opti-Psych Training (COPT) Program is designed to enhance athletes’
relaxation and energization skills in order to create the right psych level, increase enjoyment of
sport experiences, and enhance performance. Opti-Psych Training consists of four phases.
Phase 1 is designed to develop a systematic awareness of your current stress and lethargy
patterns. The second phase introduces the relaxation portion of the Opti-Psych program,
helping you learn relaxation skills that will help you relax quickly and effectively. Phase 3
focuses on energization, teaching you quick, effective energizing strategies. Finally, the fourth
phase will deal with advanced skills such as advanced monitoring and opti-psych adjustment,
and use of heart rate monitors to better identify opti-psych patterns and develop skills.
Phase 1: Opti-Psych Awareness
Developing an accurate awareness of your current activation patterns is essential to the
success of any opti-psych program. Athletes are notoriously inaccurate in determining their
opti-psych level. Many competitors simply don’t pay enough attention to their activation level
prior to or during competition to accurately know if they have attained an optimal psych level,
even though reaching the appropriate activation level has a huge impact on their performance.
In order to help you get an accurate perception of your stress and lethargy patterns, you need to
assess these patterns for approximately six days. This awareness phase will help you identify
times, places, people and circumstances associated with high levels of stress and lethargy, and
these patterns can then be used to help develop the relaxation and energization skills necessary
to create and maintain your opti-psych level.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 34
Monitoring General Stress and Lethargy Levels
For Days 1-3, you need to complete the Stress and Lethargy Awareness Form (SLAF;
see Figure 8.9). Extensive consulting experience suggests that athletes can develop an accurate
assessment of their general stress and lethargy patterns in three days without the process getting
overly boring or tedious. Monitor your stress and lethargy levels 12-15 times per day at
random times over a three-day period using the SLAF. Rate both stress and lethargy on a 10point scale, with a “1” being the least stressed or lowest level of lethargy you’ve ever
experienced in your life, a “10” being the most stressed or the highest level of lethargy you’ve
ever experienced, and a “5” being about average levels of stress and/or lethargy. If your stress
and lethargy levels reach “7” or above, record pattern information on when, where, with whom,
and under what circumstances these stress and lethargy patterns occurred.
Make sure that you monitor at least 12 times per day, preferably 15, and that these
monitoring times are chosen at random. One good way to ensure frequent and random
monitoring of stress and lethargy levels is to put a sticker on your watch that will remind you to
self-monitor every time you check the time. Additionally, make sure that your data is accurate
by carrying a 3 X 5 card around in your pocket that will allow you to record information as
soon after monitoring as possible. If you wait until later to record these stress and lethargy
levels, there is a good chance that memory biases will result in inaccurate data.
Monitoring Specific Stress and Lethargy Problem Periods
After three days of monitoring general stress and lethargy levels, identify the instances
each day when you had relaxation or lethargy problems. For each stress instance where your
level was “7” or above, determine whether your high stress was due to the time of day, the
place you were at, the people you were with, the circumstances of the situation, or some
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 35
combination of these pattern factors. Conduct the same type of assessment for each lethargy
level above “7,” determining how your higher lethargy levels were impacted by time, place,
people and circumstances. Based on this pattern analysis, identify three times for Days 4-6
when you can expect high stress levels and three times during each of those three days when
you should experience high lethargy levels. Record these six times in Column 1 of the Stress
and Lethargy Monitoring and Adjustment Form (SLMAF; see Figure 8.10). Remember that the
times you select may vary from day to day depending on fluctuations in your schedule (i.e.,
MWF, TTh and weekends may require different monitoring schedules). Next, each day at
these preselected times, monitor your actual stress or lethargy levels and record this information
in Column 2 of the SLMAF. Then, using whatever techniques or strategies that you choose,
take a maximum of 10 seconds to try to lower your stress and/or lethargy level in order to attain
ideal relaxation and energization levels that allow you to perform your best. At the end of your
10-second time limit, record the level of stress or lethargy that you were able to attain.
Finally, sometimes athletes find it difficult to gain an accurate big picture of how well they
are achieving opti-psych levels in their lives. In order to better understand this big picture,
record an overall Opti-Psych Level (OPL) score for each day in the upper lefthand corner of
your log. Rate your OPL on a 10-point scale with “5” representing opti-psych, “1” severe
underactivation, and “10” extreme overactivation. Your OPL score captures the quality of your
day overall across a number of positive and negative situations, reflecting your global psych
level.
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 36
Phase 2: Relaxation Development
The goal of Phase 2 of our Competitive Opti-Psych Training Program is to help you
develop effective relaxation skills that you can use quickly and effectively. Relaxation skills
are developed in two stages:

Stage 1: Basic Relaxation Skill Development -- the time when you develop basic
relaxation skills in a quiet environment, using any technique that your find effective, with
unlimited time to reach deep levels of relaxation.

Stage 2: Practical Relaxation -- the time when you quickly and effectively implement
your relaxation skills during stressful times during your daily life to attain opti-psych levels,
increase enjoyment, and enhance performance.
Stage 1: Development of Basic Relaxation Skills
Basic Relaxation Skill Development is a slow, deliberate process that is normally
conducted at home when you have a sufficient period of uninterrupted time so you can attain a
deep level of relaxation. You may choose any relaxation technique that you prefer which allows
you to reach a deep level of relaxation. On a 10-point scale (i.e., 1 = most tense I’ve ever been in
my life, 10 = most relaxed I’ve ever been in my life), you need to reach a deep level of relaxation
that you would rate an “8” or above. It is unimportant what technique you choose or how long it
takes to reach a deeply relaxed state, but you must find a technique that allows you to
consistently reach a level of “8” if the technique is to be effective.
We outlined a number of different types of relaxation strategies in the previous section.
Any of these techniques will work effectively as will some other techniques that you might have
learned elsewhere. After teaching relaxation skills to almost 4,000 students and athletes for 25
years, the three techniques that seem to work most effectively for athletes are imagery, self-
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 37
directed, and progressive muscle relaxation. Complete scripts have been provided for each of
these relaxation techniques. I have put each of these three relaxation strategies on an audio
cassette tape to facilitate the ease of their use when developing relaxation skills. You can easily
do the same by reading these scripts onto your own cassette tape.
Music is also a great relaxation strategy, either by itself or in addition to another strategy.
However, because music tastes are so individual, we let each athlete select their own relaxation
music. If athletes find a piece of music they like, we suggest combining it with one of the three
techniques mentioned above to enhance relaxation effects. Nevertheless, if you have another
relaxation strategy you like and have already mastered, you may want to stay with it. Remember
that the technique you use or the time it takes to relax is unimportant as long as you attain a
deeply relaxed state at the end of Basic Relaxation Skill Development. Select a time of day and
a location that will minimize distractions and afford you the best opportunity to master this skill.
Normally athletes perform Basic Relaxation once a day, but you can speed up the process by
performing a second relaxation practice session.
Once you’ve become deeply relaxed, we want you to condition your feelings of deep
relaxation to a relaxation “cue word.” This portion of Basic Relaxation Skill Development is
known as Conditioned Relaxation and is designed to develop a strong association between your
cue word and the feelings of deep relaxation, so that your cue word combined with deep
diaphragmic breathing can be used to trigger a relaxation effect in stressful sport situations. To
implement conditioned relaxation, you must first become deeply relaxed (i.e., “8” or above) and
then repeat your cue word each time you exhale for 15-20 breaths. Your relaxation cue word is
any term or phrase that has a strong relaxation connotation to you such as “relax,” “calm,”
“smooth,” “chill,” “heavy,” or “cool it.” Because you want to pair your cue word with deep
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 38
levels of relaxation, never perform conditioned relaxation with an inferior level of relaxation that
is below “8.” You may not be able to achieve deep relaxation every session, but don’t conduct
conditioned relaxation unless you achieve this basic quality control standard.
Record your basic relaxation practice on the Basic Relaxation Skill Development Log (see
Figure 8.11), using one line of the log for each practice session. If you perform two practice
sessions per day, you will complete two lines of the log. Make sure that you get an accurate
assessment of your overall relaxation level for each session. Many problems that athletes have
with effectively employing Practical Relaxation can often be traced back to their failure to get
deeply relaxation during Basic Skill Development Relaxation Practice, thus pairing their
relaxation cue word with an inferior level of relaxation.
Stage 2: Practical Relaxation
Practical Relaxation is simply the ability to relax your body to your opti-psych level during
daily life whenever your stress level is too high. During Stage 2, athletes will complete the
SLMAF for each of the second six days. They will again preselect three times during each day
when they believe that they may become stressed. However, this time as they monitor their
stress levels, they will use their newly-learned relaxation skills to lower their stress levels.
Within several days of beginning Basic Relaxation Skill Development, athletes should begin to
see rapid improvement in their ability to lower their tension levels. Ideal performance occurs
when athletes have moderate opti-psych levels (see Chapter 10). Top performance occurs when
athletes are relaxed, but not too relaxed. Thus, we ask athletes to try to reach a level of “5”
which we term their opti-psych level (see Figure 8.12). A level of “5” is a low enough level so
that stress does not interfere with performance, while it is high enough so athletes have the
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 39
energy necessary to perform their best. Normally within two weeks, most athletes can learn to
relax to a level of “5” in 3-5 seconds regardless of their initial stress level.
Phase 3: Energization Development
The goal of Phase 3 of our Competitive Opti-Psych Training Program is to help you
develop quick and effective energization skills using a similar two-stage process.

Stage 1: Basic Energization Skill Development -- the time when you will develop basic
energization skills in a low-key, distraction-free environment, using any technique that you
find effective and taking unlimited time to reach high energization levels.

Stage 2: Practical Energization -- the time when you quickly and effectively implement
your energization skills during lethargic times in your daily life to attain opti-psych levels,
increase enjoyment, and enhance performance.
Stage 1: Development of Basic Energization Skills
Basic Energization Skill Development is a longer, more time-consuming process that is
normally conducted at home when you have a sufficient period of uninterrupted time so you can
attain a highly energized state using any energization technique that you find effective. On a 10point scale (i.e., 1 = most lethargic I’ve ever been in my life, 10 = most energized I’ve ever been
in my life), you need to reach a highly energized state that would rate an “8” or above. Again,
your choice of technique and the amount of time taken to become highly energized are
unimportant, but you must consistently reach a level of “8” or above if the technique is to be
effective.
We outlined a number of different types of energization strategies in the previous section.
Any of these techniques will work effectively as will other techniques that you might have
learned elsewhere. After teaching energization skills to several thousand students and athletes
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 40
over the past 15 years, the three techniques that seem to work most effectively in sport and
exercise are imagery energization, the energy machine, and the healing white light. Complete
scripts have been provided for each of these energization techniques (see Figures 8.6-8.8). I
have put each of these three energization strategies on an audio cassette tape to facilitate their use
when developing energization skills, and you can too by reading these scripts onto your own
cassette tape.
As we mentioned earlier, uptempo music is a great energization strategy, either by itself or
in addition to another strategy. However, because music tastes are highly personal, we let each
athlete select their own energizing music. If athletes find a piece of music they like, we suggest
combining it with one of the three techniques mentioned above to enhance energizing effects.
Nevertheless, if you have another energization strategy you like and have already mastered, you
may want to stay with it. Remember as long as you can attain a highly energized state at the end
of Basic Energization Skill Development, the technique you use or the time it takes to energize is
immaterial. Select a time of day and a location that will minimize distractions and afford you the
best opportunity to master this skill. Normally athletes perform Basic Energization once a day,
but you can accelerate the process by performing a second practice session.
Once you’ve become highly energized, we want you to condition your feelings of being in a
highly energized state to an energization cue word. Just as with relaxation, Conditioned
Energization is designed to develop a strong association between your cue word and feelings of
being highly energized so eventually the cue word combined with deep diaphragmic breathing
can trigger an energization effect in daily situations where you find yourself feeling lethargic.
The major differences between conditioned relaxation and energization revolve around the
nature of the cue word and the type of breathing pattern employed. Energization involves
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 41
finding a cue word that is capable of triggering a highly energized state, so you want to select a
word or phrase that has a strong energizing connotation to you such as “energize,” “strong,”
“push it,” “go for it,” and “mojo.” The energization breathing pattern involves shorter, quicker
“psych up” breaths. Thus, after becoming highly energized (i.e., “8” or above), you will repeat
your cue word 15-20 times after each three quick psych-up breaths. The same rule of thumb
holds for energization as relaxation; never pair your cue word with inferior levels of energization
that fall below “8.” You may not be able to achieve a deeply energized state every session, but
don’t conduct conditioned energization unless you reach this standard.
Record your Basic Energization Practice on the Basic Energization Skill Development Log
(see Figure 8.13), using one line of the log for each practice session. If you perform two practice
sessions per day, you will complete two lines in your log. Make sure that you get an accurate
assessment of your overall energization level for each session. The pairing of their cue word
with an inferior energization level is responsible for many problems that athletes have with
effectively employing Practical Energization.
Stage 2: Practical Energization
Practical Energization is simply the ability to energize your body to your opti-psych level at
any time during your daily life when your lethargy level is too high. During Stage 2, athletes
will complete the SLMAF for each of the second six days, preselecting three times during each
day when they believe that they may become too lethargic. Each time they monitor their energy
levels and identify problems, they will use their newly-learned energization skills to lower their
lethargy levels. Basic Energization Skill Development should allow athletes to see rapid
improvement in their ability to raise their energy levels within 4-5 days. Normally within 2-3
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 42
weeks, most athletes can learn to energize to a level of “5” in 3-5 seconds regardless of their
initial lethargy level.
Phase 4: Advanced Skills
In this section, we’ll discuss several advanced relaxation and energization skills,
particularly advanced monitoring and practice of opti-psych skills.
Advanced relaxation and energization monitoring and practice. Now that you
understand how to develop the basic opti-psych skills of relaxation and energization, how do you
remain sharp at these skills without becoming bored? Specifically, how do you know how much
you need to continue self-monitoring and how much skill development practice will be necessary
to keep opti-psych skills sharp? These are difficult questions for which we have little, if any,
scientific guidance. Nevertheless, over the past several decades, we have developed some
practical strategies for dealing with these issues that have proven quite effective.
Normally, once athletes have spent two weeks heightening their awareness of stress and
lethargy problems and developing their opti-psych skills, use of the SLMAF is discontinued.
However, athletes don’t completely quit self-monitoring. Each night athletes should go back
over stress or lethargy problems that they failed to handle effectively and attempt to understand
why their relaxation or energization skills were ineffective at dealing with the problems.
Athletes also are required to keep their OPL each day, and any time athletes’ OPL drops below
“2” or above “8,” they are required to identify situations that were problematic for reaching their
opti-psych level. Similarly, if OPL drops to either extreme for three or more days, athletes will
begin keeping the SLMAF for three subsequent days to identify problem areas.
Finally, athletes may reduce the frequency of Basic Relaxation/Energization Skill
Development sessions as their opti-psych skills develop (i.e., practicing 3 times per week instead
Chapter 8 – Relaxation and Energization 43
of 7). However, if relaxation and energization skills become less automated and effective,
athletes may have to increase the frequency of opti-psych skill development practice.
Research Questions – Part 7
1. List and describe 4 phases of opti-psych training?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2. What is conditioned energization?
Activity 3
1. What is your favorite form of relaxation training? Why?
2. What is your favorite form of energization training? Why?