1. National and Higher Physical Education ‘The Mental Factor’

2. So...What is involved? Cycle of Analysis Investigate- Aspects of Fitness and Fitness Testing Analyse- Identify strengths and Weaknesses, comparing ourselves to a model performer Develop- Design an approach to improve our weakness and maintain our strengths Evaluate- Has our training improved our weakness; how do we know. Re- testing and game specific examples

3. The Mental Factor Sub Factors Level of Arousal Anxiety Management Concentration and Motivation Decision Making

4. Mental Features Levels of Arousal - the preparation of the body for action. When threatened with danger/defeat the body prepares to react. Coaches may psyche up an athlete for an important event or may need to calm down a nervous or aggressive athlete. If we can become aware of this we can control our own level of arousal. Anxiety Management (a vital component of Arousal) - The ability to stay in control in demanding/pressurised situations. e.g. taking a penalty, a clash of team mate personalities, facing an undefeated viral etc. Levels of arousal and anxiety are naturally linked. Tired/fatigued athletes tend to have lower levels of arousal which has a detrimental effect on performance. Why is this the case?

5. This diagram shows the relationship between arousal and performance. Level of Arousal Level of Performance Low Medium High Low Medium High LEVEL OF AROUSAL When things get heated

6. Anxiety Management Place yourself in this common situation, The match has gone to a penalty shoot out You missed your previous penalty which resulted in a defeat and some criticism from others You are up next and must score… How would you react? World Cup Final 2006

7. Concentration Concentration is the ability to focus on the most important parts of your performance and block out other less relevant task cues. Practice sessions should not be too long as lapses in concentration often happen when you are tired Anxiety can also affect your concentration and often leads to mistakes. Concentration is directly related to the three stages of learning (why?) Elite athletes are able to raise their concentration at important times e.g during a rally. Then you can lower your concentration e.g at the end of a badminton set, you have time to relax and focus on the next set. Then as you prepare to play/receive service, your level of concentration increases again.

8. A lack of concentration… Results in reduced performance For example, Selecting the wrong shot/pass at the wrong time Mishitting/mistiming a shot – Easy Mistakes Not responding to an opponents mistake Hitting a shot that was clearly going out Hitting serve into the net/out of play (closed skill) Even the best lose concentration!

9. Motivation Motivation has three main components: Your willingness to learn/take on board feedback Your performance goals (short term and long term) Your reason for participating in an activity 1) Fun and Enjoyment 2) Skill Development 3) Competition

10. 2 Types Of Motivation Internal (Intrinsic): Your desire to succeed and improve – to be the best you can be External (Extrinsic): This is when you participate for other reasons other than enjoyment e.g. earning money. However it must be noted that even top footballers have to have internal motivation to drive them. They cannot rely on solely money to be successful. Mr Liverpool Internal Motivation

11. Reasons affecting motivation Your motivation levels may differ for various reasons: Your motivation for different activities is likely to be different from other classmates You may prefer team based sports and performing on competitive pressured situations You may enjoy activities that are not directly competitive where you enjoy the concentration and attention to detail required.

12. Decision Making Decision making in a performance environment means making use of; Our Senses (Sight, hearing and kinaesthetic) Our past experience and performance level Our ability to ‘read’ what needs to be done Right Place, Right Shot, Right Time

13. Decision Making Continued Players must be able to make correct decisions and solve problems in various game situations Players make decisions relating to the ball, team-mates, the opposition and the playing environment The skilful player has the ability to automatically make the correct decisions under extreme pressure and remain focused Players need to be able to quickly evaluate the effectiveness of the current strategy and instigate changes if necessary Competition can have a positive or negative effect on decision making Competition increases players adrenaline levels, heart rate and places them under psychological/mental pressure Experienced players handle this by controlling their nerves and breathing pattern, by remaining calm and making appropriate decisions at crucial points Less experienced players might panic and speed up and rush shots and give away unnecessary fouls, points, goals etc.

14. Decisions Change Outcomes 10,000m Olympic Final London 2012 Mo Farah is 3 laps from greatness Imagine the muscle pain Lungs burning, heart pounding Must control breathing and stay calm When do I stride for home? Too early - Tariku Bekele may out sprint me in home straight Too late - Galen Rupp may be too far ahead to catch Can I win it from here? Mo - Gold 30 minutes

15. Information Processing Model Relating Decision Making and Problem Solving INPUT Position yourself correctly on court. Watch Server closely. Note type of serve (e.g. short/high serve). FEEDBACK Use information you receive about your performance to help you in the future. ((For example how effective was your return in terms of flight, direction and disguise) DECISION MAKING Separate essential information from non-essential information. Make a decision and move towards shuttle. OUTPUT Execute particular shot to return the serve to a position which challenges opponent

16. Data Collection Data collection for mental features is a challenging task because much of it is down to opinion. Roy Keane was regarded as the ultimate professional and someone who rarely spoke before kick off. Paul Gascoigne was regarded as a joker and spent most pre matches playing pranks on team mates. You could suggest therefore that Paul was unprofessional and lacked motivation and concentration while his level of arousal would also appear alarmingly low. Both players however we at one point in their careers described as ‘world class’.

17. Data Collection – Levels of Arousal and Anxiety #StatementRarelySometimesOften 1Competing against other People/Teams is socially enjoyable 2Before I compete - I feel uneasy 3Before I compete - I worry about not performing well 4I am a good sportsman when I compete 5When I compete - I worry about making mistakes 6Before I compete - I am calm 7Setting a goal is important when competing 8Before I compete - I get a queasy feeling in my stomach 9Just before competing - I notice my heart beats faster than usual 10I like to compete in games that demands a lot of physical energy 11Before I compete - I feel relaxed 12Before I compete - I am nervous 13Team sports are more exciting than individual sports 14I get nervous wanting to start the game 15Before I compete - I usually get uptight Sports Competition Anxiety Testing – A.K.A SCAT TESTING Read each statement below, decide if you "Rarely", "Sometimes" or "Often" feel this way when competing in your sport, tick the appropriate box to indicate your response.

18. SCAT Continued... QuestionRarelySometimesOftenAthletes score 10000 2123 3123 40000 5123 6321 70000 8123 9123 100000 11321 12123 130000 14123 15123 TOTAL Analysis The score for the response to each question is detailed below. Enter the score for each question in the “Athlete’s Score” column and then total the column up to provide a SCAT score. Less than 17 - You have a low level of anxiety 17 to 24 - You have an average level of anxiety More than 24 - You have a high level of anxiety Note that questions 1,4,7,10 and 13 score zero regardless of the response as they are not directly linked to levels of arousal or anxiety When Teams/Individuals Under prepare

19. Data Collection - Concentration YesNo (Give Detail) Marks opponent tightly for the duration of the match The following table should be part of a skill, fitness or tactics based observation schedule. Concentration underpins an effective performance. Outstanding athletes must show focus for the full duration of the activity. Concentration Analysis Table All collection methods can be used in conjunction with Video Analysis

20. Data Collection – Decision Making NeverSometimesAlways Plays the shuttle away from opponent into the open court The following table should be part of a skill, fitness or tactics based observation schedule. Decision making underpins an effective performance. Outstanding athletes must make good decisions for the full duration of the activity. All collection methods can be used in conjunction with Video Analysis Decision Making Analysis

21. A reminder… For Data Collection to be valid/appropriate it must be… 1.Accurate – Knowledgeable Observer and not a one off – eliminate the luck factor 2.Simplistic – Easy for the observer and performer to understand 3.Retrievable – For comparisons before and after

22. Approaches 1. Visualisation and Mental Rehearsal Imagining positive outcomes – visualising lifting the trophy, man of the match performance, outstanding goal, game winning tackle, defence splitting pass, outplaying a top quality opponent etc. All thoughts must be positive and controlled 2. Positive Self Talk Set phrases which you run over in your mind; allowing you to stay calm in challenging situations Penalty example, “low and hard to the goalkeepers right = goal” Booking example, “it was a foul, just accept the referee’s decision” Scoring example, “I’m one on one with the goalkeeper, composure” Marking example, “Don’t concede a late equaliser, mark up” Jonny Wilkinson – Mental Rehearsal

23. Monitoring & Evaluating The Mental Factor Re-do data collection in relation to mental factor, have we seen improvements? Possible difficulties when monitoring and evaluating the impact of the mental factor Accuracy of information – ticking/selecting boxes (Truth) People can feel different on a day to day basis Differing life challenges will affect answers (personal issues) Challenge differentials – an athlete may feel different depending on opponent(s), event, environment or time of competition.

24. Class Task Explain the importance of a balanced level of arousal (include anxiety) for effective performance in your chosen activity Explain the importance of concentration and motivation in your own performance Explain importance of decision making in your own performance