Anxiety How It Can Make Or Break One’s Performance

How can Anxiety be Useful? Anxiety can be used as motivation The fear can increase effort and preparation “The capacity to experience anxiety and the capacity to plan are two sides of the same coin”(Barlow,2002) Increases arousal/possible better performance Demonstrates that you care

How can Anxiety be Harmful Cloudiness of the mind Changes in muscle tension Negative focus Reduced intrinsic enjoyment Lack of confidence in team or self

Brief Anxiety Review Cognitive & Somatic Anxiety Trait and state anxiety Arousal Self confidence

Anxiety and Sport Performance With Amateur Athletes Increased levels of anxiety are found in individual sports rather than team sports(wrestling, tennis, golf, shooting)

Different strokes for Different folks Successful athletes interpret arousal to be facilitative The more experience(confidence) an athlete had the lower the level of cognitive anxiety This research was supported by a group of tennis players and swimmers Obviously, the novice players did not compete as well as the advanced athletes

Coping with our anxiety Different Models relating arousal and performance Communication- Do not bottle anything up Self Imagery- Visualize, plan, goal setting Improving self confidence- may act as a protective factor from cognitive anxiety Relaxation techniques-Used to reduce both cognitive and somatic anxiety

PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL EXERCISE

A Successful Imagery Routine Selection of skill to be imagined Bring technique into focus Practice skill in “real time” (Butler, 1996)

THE BIATHALON CASE STUDY HIGH PRESSURE SHOOTER THE BIATHALON CASE STUDY

The Biathlon Case Study Each athlete was put into separate groups Low Pressure High Pressure Task: To test the visual attention and focus under separate low and high pressure conditions Factors: Each athlete was prescribed individual power outputs on a cycle ergometer before the shooting event To summarize- The study was to test how Physiological arousal, cognitive anxiety, and gaze control affect performance

CHOKE! CHOKE! Choking under pressure is defined as “the failure to perform up to what ever skill or ability the person has at the time”(Baumeister, 1984) Choking under pressure is associated with changes in visual attention

LP GROUP The “Low Pressure” group was told that the only goal behind this study was to, test their target fixation after certain power output levels.

HP GROUP The “High Pressure” group was told that the National team coach was present They were also told that, he would use their shooting percentages in National Team Selections. Prizes were rewarded to most accurate shooters

Different Measurements Were Made Physiological arousal Heart rate Rate of perceived exertion Anxiety Precompetitive cognitive anxiety/worry Gaze Control Measured the duration of the final fixation on the target

Results Each athlete was looked at individually 3 shooters were able to perform at high level in the HP condition The reaming 7 percent at a low level choked under pressure

Cool, Calm, Collected

Butler’s Mnemonic Pressure Device P-repare R-elax E-xternalize S-tay positive S-Single Minded U- unite R-evaluate E-xtend yourself

How anxious are you?? THE SCAT THE CSAI-2 Sport Competition Anxiety test THE CSAI-2 Competitive State Anxiety Inventory Martens, Burton, Vealey, Bump, and Smith (1990)

References Butler (1996). Sport Psychology In Action. Butterworth-Heinemann: Oxford, England Humara, Miguel. "The Relationship Between Anxiety and Performance A Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective." Athletic Insight 1.2 (1999): 1-9. Print Joan N. Vickers & A. Mark Williams (2007): Performing Under Pressure: The Effects of Physiological Arousal, Cognitive Anxiety, and Gaze Control in Biathlon, Journal of Motor Behavior, 39:5, 381-394 Martens, R., Burton, D., Vealey, R. S., Bump, L. A., and Smith, D. E. (1990). Development and Validation of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory - 2. In R. Martens, R. S. Vealey & D. Burton (Eds.), Competitive Anxiety in Sport, Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, 117-190. Murphy, Shane M. The Sport Psych Handbook. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2005. Print.