Chapter 13
Performance enhancement from a psychological perspective
Text Sources
1.
Nelson Physical
Education VCE Units
3&4: 4th Edition –
Malpeli, Horton, Davey
and Telford 2006.
2. Live It Up 2: 2nd Edition –
Smyth, Brown, Judge,
McCallum and Pritchard
2006.
VCE Physical Education - Unit 4
Psychological Skills Training
Performance enhancement from a psychological
perspective
Sports Psychology
Sports Psychology; Study of people’s
behaviour in the field of sport.
There are three main fields of sport
psychology
1.
Social Psychology –
Social/personal interactions
determine behaviour
2.
Psychophysiology –
Physiological effect of the brain
3.
Cognitive-behavioural Psychology
– How an individual’s thoughts
affect their behaviour.
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Psychological Skills Training
Focuses on cognitive behavioural aspects of sports psychology.

Psychological skills, like physical skills, can be learnt via training
(PST).

PST can dramatically improve performances

PST programs are individualised
Techniques include; Goal setting, arousal, mental rehearsal,
confidence and concentration
PST has three main stages;
1.
Education – What techniques are currently used and being told
about other options
2.
Acquisition – Taught how to use the technique
3.
Practice – Use of the technique in training and competition.
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Goal Setting
Performance enhancement from a psychological
perspective
Goal Setting
Goal setting is where athletes set down clear targets, priorities
and expectations.

Goal setting has been shown to increase work out put up
to 40-50%.

Goals need to be set up for both training and competition.

Long term goals aim at the broader target, whereas short
term goals provide more manageable focus points.
See Fig 13.2 p.313
Types of goals;
1.
Outcome goals – Focus on end results, times, finishing
places or medals.
2.
Performance goals – Focus on comparing present
performance levels with those obtained previously.
Independent to other competitors.
3.
Process goals – Focus on physical movements and game
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strategies.
Goal Setting - SMARTER
The National Coaching Association has set down the following ‘SMARTER’
way of setting goals;
Specific – Clear goals to focus on
Measurable – Need to be assessed against previous performances
Accepted – Acceptance by the all parties involved
Realistic – Goals need to be within the athlete’s capacity
Time Phased – Specific date for completion needs to be set
Exciting – Challenged, inspired and rewarding goals
Recorded – Goals should be written down and kept
Goal setting improves performance by;
 Focusing attention on important elements of the skill/s being performed
 Activating and organising an athlete’s efforts
 Encouraging athlete perseverance
 Promoting the development of new learning strategies
 Refining movements and set plays
 Contributing towards a positive psychological state
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Goals (Short and Long Term)
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Coursework 13.1

Complete the case study task on page 317
of Nelson Physical Education VCE Units 3 &
4.
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Arousal
Performance enhancement from a psychological
perspective
Arousal
Arousal is the amount of readiness or activation a person experiences
when faced with a task.
Athletes need an optimal level of arousal to experience success.
Moderate level is ideal zone.
Note. Arousal levels and performance outcomes vary in athletes
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Coursework 13.2

Complete the structured questions on
page 318 of Nelson Physical Education
VCE Units 3 & 4.
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Checkpoints

Complete questions 1-3 page 314 of Nelson
Physical Education VCE Units 3 & 4.
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Arousal Regulation
Performance enhancement from a psychological
perspective
Arousal Regulation
Arousal reduction techniques;
 Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)
 Breath control – Used to relax and refocus
 Biofeedback – Sensors detect raised tension or stress in the body
 Stress-inoculation training (SIT) – Building immunity to stress via
training.
Arousal promotion techniques;
 Elevated breathing rate – Increases state of awareness in CNS.
 Act energetic
 Positive talk and sounds: ‘Talk it Up!’
 Energising imagery
 Pre-competition workout
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Checkpoints

Complete questions 1-5 page 319 of Nelson
Physical Education VCE Units 3 & 4.
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Mental Imagery
Performance enhancement from a psychological
perspective
Mental Imagery
Mental Imagery, or visualisation, is used by athletes when they
imagine themselves performing skill before actually doing them.
 It is a form of simulation
 Sensory experience which occurs in the mind via thought
 Strengthens neural pathways
 Images can be kinaesthetic, auditory and tactile.
 Mental rehearsal needs to be done in a relaxed state for 5-10
minutes at a time.
 Simulation training is considered more effective than mental
imagery in that it replicates the game situation.
 Visuo-motor behaviour rehearsal (VMBR) – Requires a relaxed
state to perform mental imagery and then conducting the skill
under simulated conditions.
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Checkpoints

Complete questions 1-4 page 322 of Nelson
Physical Education VCE Units 3 & 4.
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Coursework 13.3

Complete the laboratory task on page 321
of Nelson Physical Education VCE Units 3 &
4.
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Concentration
Performance enhancement from a psychological
perspective
Concentration
Concentration contains three parts;
1.
Focusing on relevant environmental clues
2.
Maintaining attention focus over time
3.
Having awareness of the situation
Note. Concentration and attention are used
interchangeably in sports psychology.
Attention can be described in terms of width and direction.

Broad-internal – Focus on thoughts and feelings

Broad-external – Focus outwards on an opponents
actions

Narrow-internal – Mentally rehearse movements

Narrow-external – Focus on very few external cues
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Concentration
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Concentration and Choking
Factors leading to a lack of attention;
 Focus on past experiences
 Can’t ‘let things go’
 Future orientated thinking
 ‘What if’ questions
 Focusing on negative aspects of their game
Concentration can improved via;
 Simulation
 Use of cue words
 Having set routines
 Over-learning skills
Choking can also cause concentration to falter.
 Occurs when pressure is built up
 A lot is riding on the next phase of play
 Causes attention to narrow and become internal
 Can impair timing and coordination
See figure 13.7 p.324
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The Choking Process
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Confidence Building
Performance enhancement from a psychological
perspective
Confidence Building
Self-confidence is the belief individuals possess in
becoming successful.
Self-confident athletes;
 Believe in themselves and their skills
 Exhibit positive emotions
 Remain calm under pressure
 Work towards their goals
 More likely to take risks during games
See fig 13.8 p.325
Improving confidence
 Achieving success at training and during
competition
 Thinking more positively
 Using positive imagery
 Ability to follow and understand game plans
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Confidence Levels
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Checkpoints

Complete questions 1-6 page 326 of Nelson
Physical Education VCE Units 3 & 4.
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Test Your Knowledge

Complete the review questions 1-6 page 329
of Nelson Physical Education VCE Units 3 &
4.
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Peak Performance

Complete the chapter questions on page
109-118 of Nelson Peak Performance
Physical Education VCE Units 3 & 4.
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PHYS ED Notes

Read the summarised information of pages
116-121 of PHYS ED Notes and complete
the revision questions.
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Web Links – Chapter 13
•Australian Institute of Sport – Performance psychology research:
http://www.ais.org.au/psychology/research.asp
•Athletic Insight – online journal of sport psychology: http://www.athleticinsight.com
•Australian Psychological Society (information about sport psychologists):
http://www.psychology.org.au/psych/special_areas/2.4_9.asp
•Psych web – Sport psychology: http://www.psywww.com/sports/index.htm
•Sport psychology resrouces (Psychwatch.com):
http://www.psychwatch.com/sport_psychology.htm
•Sports science library (Gatorade Sports Science Institute):
http://www.gssiweb.com/sportssciencecenter/topic.cfm?id=62
•Peak performance sports – mental resources:
http://www.peaksports.com/tips_resources.php
•Article – In the zone: Training your mind as well as your body (CNN):
•Australian Sports Commission: http://www.ausport.gov.au
•Find 30 promotion (Government of WA Department of Health): http://www.find30.com.au
•Walking School Bus promotion (UK): http://www.walkingbus.com
•Ministry of Health (New Zealand) toolkits: http://www.newhealth.govt.nz
•The 10,000 Steps Rockhampton project: http://www.10000steps.org.au/rockhampton/
•Travelsmart Australia: http://www.travelsmart.gov.au
•World Health Organisation: http://www.who.int
•Heart Foundation Australia: http://www.heartfoundation.com.au
•VicHealth (The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation): http://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au
•Be Active promotion (Government of South Australia): http://www.beactive.com.au
•Go For Your Life: http://www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au
•Physical Activity Resources for Health Professionals – Introduction (Centre for disease control and prevention – USA):
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/health_professionals/index.htm
•Health Promotion (Public Health Agency of Canada): http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/index.html
•Strategic Inter-Governmental Forum on Physical Activity and Health (SIGPAH): http://www.nphp.gov.au/workprog/sigpah/
•Healthy youth (Centre for disease control and prevention (USA): http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/
•America On The Move promotion: http://www.americaonthemove.org
•Papers from the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity: http://www.ijbnpa.org/home
•Department of health and aging (Australian government): http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/content/home
•Building a healthy, active Australia (Australian government): http://www.healthyactive.gov.au
•National Public Health Partnership: http://www.nphp.gov.au
•Be Active promotion (Government of South Australia): http://www.beactive.com.au
•Sport and Recreation Australia: http://www.sport.vic.gov.au
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/SM/00001.html
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