Coaching approaches and athlete responses: Developing the ability to deliver when it counts UK Coaches Conference High Jump

Objectives Psychological demands of high jumpPsychological demands of high jump Psychological attributes of high jumpersPsychological attributes of high jumpers Developing psychology strength through habitDeveloping psychology strength through habit The role of the coachThe role of the coach

Psychological demands High JumpLong Jump

Psychological demands High Jump Getting over a definitely limited portion of space Bar prescribes magnitude of performance Opponents affect performance directly Performer is spurred to greater heights by opponents efforts Clear visual target Long Jump No limitation on space Landing prescribes magnitude of performance Opponents have no direct impact Every jump is their own best effort Must set own target

Task A What do you consider to be the psychological demands/ critical moments in high jump?

Task B Psychologically, who is the strongest high jumper ever?

Task B Psychologically, who is the strongest high jumper ever? What attributes do they possess?

How do you develop this kind of mental strength? “Excellence is an art won by training and habit. We are what we do repeatedly. Excellence then is not an act but a habit” Aristotle

‘I’ve seen lots of girls train, and I’ve seen them think of practice only as practice. They go out and “Oh well, it’s only practice, it doesn’t matter.” What I’ve learned, is if I’m going to go out on the floor to do a routine, it’s got to count, and so I’d be better off to go out and do 4 perfect routines than do 20 that are just mediocre. It’s quality, not quantity. When I walk out in practice, that’s what I would do in competition. Once I decide to do my routine, I do it as closely as it could be to competition’. (Gymnastic, Olympic Gold Medallist). Quality not quantity

Characteristics of Athletic Excellence Orlick and colleagues (1987, 1988) Clear daily goals Imagery Simulation training Competition planning Focus and distraction control Mental preparation for competition Quality training Coach-Athlete relationship Performance evaluation skills

Training as you compete TrainingCompetition ?

Training as you compete / Competing as you train Training Competition Mental preparation

Task C Developing the ability to deliver when it counts 1.Competitive stimulus in training 2.Competition preparation How do you do this?

Thank you for your attention Any questions?