1. Preparation of your body and mind for performance through what is called self- regulation.

4. 1.Spend time increasing your awareness of your activation and how it affects your stress responses in all situations. 2.Increase this awareness during practice and performances. What You Need To Do

5. Without this awareness you will not be able to adjust or control your activation and anxiety levels you will be at the mercy of luck and situation.

7. Normal Level: your body operates during most of your daily activities Relaxed: Below normal Performance: Peak Zone Tense: Past Peak Zone 4 Levels of Activation

8. Tense Performance Normal Relaxed Levels of Activation

9. Normal and relaxed are on the left side of the “U” Performance level top of the “U” Tense level right side of the “U” “Tense muscle cannot be a relaxed muscle” Relation to the inverted “U”

11. Biathletes: Combines endurance cross country skiing with rifle shooting. They can lower their heart rate and calm themselves in order to sight the target. Know how to calm yourself at a moments notice will help you in the heat of battle and allow you to have better focus. **** Research show poor performance results MORE from being too tense, not too relaxed. Why does Relaxation Matter? It Helps Performance

12. Fight or flight response: Pumps adrenaline into body causeing HR and breathing to go up; can increase your tension. Relaxation Response: Opposite; caused your HR and breathing to go down, thus, allowing muscles to relax.

13. Fall asleep quickly at night Conserve energy before competition Rejuvenate your mind and body during time off (half time/breaks) Rest while traveling in bus, van, ect. Hasten recovery from workouts/competitions Hasten recovery from injury Allow you to enjoy yourself Stay relaxed during competition Knowing Relaxation techniques can help you to:

14. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) Progress through body to recognize the difference between tension & relaxation Breath Control Slow, diaphragmatic breathing will trigger a relaxation response. Imagery Creating a “resource room” or “safe place” in your imagination will give you a retreat to relax. Autogenic Practice experiencing the poser of the mind in relation to the body: heaviness of limbs, warmth of limbs, slow heart rate, slower and deeper breathing, etc. Award at first, but practice will make it easier and more successful. Different Relaxation Techniques

15. video Link Hypnosis: Focused attention while in a deep, relaxed state. Some have referred to it as a guided meditation. Misunderstood due to the stage shows. There is nothing mystical or supernatural about hypnosis. Hypnosis

16. Hypnosis is NOTHypnosis is A natural state of mind that is different from you normal waking state and from being asleep Giving hypnotist you coorperation A state of deep relaxation in which you are highly suggestible An avenue to plant suggestions into your mind in a powerful way Possible (and easy), to do to yourself to harness its power for improved performance A means of unlocking abilities that you have always had. Mysterious and creepy A super natural foce Giving up your control over your own actions Being dominated by the power of the hypnotist Being put to sleep or sleepwalking Brainwashing Very difficult A means of giving you abilities that you didn’t already possess Hypnosis

17. Fixation: requires attention and focus small object Relaxation & Receptivity: Deeper relaxation Implement Suggestions Positive self statements “I am strong and efficient.” “Waking Up”: Coming out of deep relaxation (or “trance-like” state) Four Steps of Hypnosis:

18. Breathing Increases breathing rhythm and use imagery Stretch and Exercise Pre-competition workout 5-10 hours before workout to decrease anxiety and increase arousal Music or videos watch or listening to inspirational music/videos Energizing verbal cues self talk Powerful words: “Explode” Strategies to ensure increasing Arousal Level

19. Getting energy from environment The sun, national anthem, etc Transferring energy Reframe negatives in energizing positives. “Butterflies mean I am ready!” Pep talks short and sweet Bulletin Boards Quotes, Signs, Reminders Energizing Imagery Mentally Focus Strategies to ensure increasing Arousal Level

20. Trigger: like a switch that tells your body to adjust its activation state.

21. Practice building an association between your mind and body with the trigger and your activation level When you reach your performance level, gently suggest to your self the trigger you have chosen while focusing on the comfortable relaxed feeling produced by the trigger. Establish one trigger that can be used to adjust the activation level in your body to a performance level immediately, anytime, anywhere, and in any situation Practice

22. Words “ready”, “up”, “relax” Clenched fist Number said repeatedly Visualizing colors Red increases activation Blue decreases activation Trigger Examples

23. It must be practiced and used frequently to be effective Trigger cannot replace the practice and mastery of the actual physical control skill Reminder