Psychological Characteristics of Peak Performance Chapter 9 Psychological Characteristics of Peak Performance Vikki Krane & Jean Williams “Trying to articulate the zone is not easy because it’s such an indescribable feeling….you feel like you’re playing out of your head. You aren’t feeling any tension or any pressure and physically your strokes are just flowing, every ball you hit is going in. Emotionally you’re really calm. There’s not strain involved. It’s a euphoric feeling….Whatever you do, whatever decision you make on the court, whatever stroke or shot you try, you know it’s going to work.” (Chris Evert, Tennis Champion) Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

What Is Peak Performance? Beyond ordinary levels of play It all comes together – physically and mentally An athlete’s personal best It is a consequence of both physical and mental factors Varies from athlete to athlete Most likely to occur when skill level matches demands Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

How Does the Mind Work With the Body to Produce Performance? 40-90% of success in sport is due to mental factors  skill level,  mental aspects Can train the ideal body/mind state that underlies peak performance Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Psychological Characteristics Associated with Peak Performances Loss of fear Total immersion in the activity Narrow focus of attention on the present Feeling in complete control Time/space disorientation (usually slowed down) Feeling performance was automatic and effortless Control over emotion, thoughts, and arousal Highly self-confident Physically and mentally relaxed Highly energized (Ravizza; Loehr; Garfield & Bennett; Privette & Bundrick) Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Flow “The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter.” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) Flow may be the psychological process underlying peak performance Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

9 Dimensions of Flow Situation challenge matches skills Awareness and action merge Clear goals Feedback indicating correctness Total concentration on task at hand Complete control without actively attempting to be in control No self-consciousness or self-evaluation Time seems to speed up or slow down Enjoyable -- participation its own reward Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Factors That Affect Flow FACILITATES FLOW DISRUPTS FLOW Appropriate focus Mental and physical prep Motivation Arousal Positive thoughts Positive emotions Confidence Positive feedback Good team play Optimal environmental and situational conditions Opposite of what facilitates flow: Inappropriate focus Unmotivated Disconnected Negative thoughts Negative emotions Unconfident Negative feedback Poor team play Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Effects of Flow “Athletes who believe in their capabilities are probably more likely to experience a balance between challenge and skills, even when the challenge of a specific sport competition is relatively high” (Jackson, Kimiecik, Ford, & Marsh, 1998) Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Mindfulness Nonjudgmental focus of one’s attention on the experience that occurs in the present moment This approach encourages the acceptance of, and participation with, unwanted thoughts Linked to flow Associated with task relevant attention, loss of self-consciousness, and a sense of control and peak performance Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Individualized Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) Attempts to identify emotional patterns (positive and negative) associated with individual athletes’ successful performances 4 groups of emotional states: Performance-enhancing positive emotions Performance-enhancing negative emotions Performance-impairing positive emotions Performance-impairing negative emotions Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

IZOF (cont.) Athletes assess and identify emotions related to successful and unsuccessful performances Different athletes may include different emotions There are a range of optimal and dysfunctional emotions Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

IZOF Example 1 Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

IZOF Example 2 Copyright © 2015 McGCopyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. raw-Hill Education

Extending the IZOF Approach Hanin includes the “metaphor self- generation method” Athletes develop a personally meaningful, symbolic image “that allows for understanding something unknown (or difficult to describe)” Best performance metaphors were action-oriented and symbolized strength, power, and skill Worst performance images reflected weakness and lack of readiness Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Successful Psychological Skills in Successful Elite Athletes High self-confidence Total commitment Strong performance focus Ability to cope well with stress/distractions Good attention-focusing and refocusing skills Ability to rebound from mistakes Positive attitude High personal standards Well-developed precompetition and competitive plans Ability to control emotions A view of anxiety as beneficial Use of performance goals Use of imagery Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Mental Toughness An unshakable belief that one can achieve her or his goals regardless of obstacles or setbacks Belief + focus FOCUS: prioritize long-term sport goal over all other life goals UNFOCUS: the ability to switch off this focus to maintain balance in their lives Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Characteristics of Mental Toughness An “unshakable belief” (i.e. knowing that they can do anything they set their minds to do) Stay focused Regulate performance (i.e. increase effort) Cope well with pressure Are aware of, and control, their thoughts and feelings Control the environment (i.e. are not affected by things out of their control). Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

The Mental Toughness Pyramid Bull, S.J, Shambrook, C.J., James, W. & Brooks, J.E. (2005) Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

How Others* Facilitate Peak Performance *Teammates, coaches, family members, and administrators High team cohesion Positive/strong team leader Committed coaching Clear coach performance plans Emotional and social support from friends/family Team management Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

How Others Hinder Peak Performance Lacking trust/confidence in teammates Poor coach-athlete communication Negative attitude toward coach Coach can’t deal with crises Unrealistic expectations from coach Over coaching/excessive interactions Coach’s inability to “keep it simple” Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Limitations of Research Findings Descriptive and correlational design The connections are certainly relational, BUT cannot assure a cause-and-effect relationship Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.