BTEC FIRST SPORT

PREPARATION FOR SPORT

Psychological Factors

What motivates you to play sport? What motivates top athletes to take

part in their sport?

There are two types of motivation…

1. Intrinsic2. Extrinsic

Motivation

Extrinsic motivationComes from sources outside of the activity

e.g. money, trophies/prizes, praise

Intrinsic MotivationComes from within

e.g. satisfaction, enjoyment, sense of achievement

DefinitionThe driving force which makes the performer complete a taskThe desire to perform well

Different people are motivated by different reasons, though there are some common features. The motivation of an Olympic athlete will be different to a 60 year old recreational swimmer

MotivationMotivation can be subdivided into two types

1. Intrinsic – the drive to do well comes from within the performer e.g. enjoyment of the activity, satisfaction and pride of winning or taking part (self motivation)

2. Extrinsic – the drive to do well comes from the outside environment e.g. praise from a coach, trophies, money

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/8054762.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/8054775.stm

MotivationExtrinsic motivation can be subdivided into two further categories:

1. Tangible rewards (physical) – trophies, money, medals, certificates

2. Non-tangible – positive comments from parents, media, coaches, media recognition, winning / glory and social status

MotivationExtrinsic motivation can have both a beneficial or detrimental to performance, rewards can be meaningless if overused as the performer may no longer see the worth of performanceThere is a link between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

MotivationWhen planning to increase intrinsic motivation through the use of extrinsic rewards:Make sure that both rewards are dependent upon performanceGive praise both verbally and non verballyProvide a variety of rewards during training and competitionProvide opportunities for the performer to make decisions on performanceEncourage the negotiation of goals, to match up to performers skill level

TaskList all the reasons why you started to participate in a particular sportList the reasons why you have continued within the sportHave any of the reasons changed?

What is arousal?

DefinitionThe degree of preparedness, alertness and excitement present in a performer who is about to participate in a skilful activityA combination of physiological factors and psychological factorsWhen participating a performer may experience a mixture of feelings from excitement to anxiety, this places stress on the body changing arousal level

Physiological EffectsIncreased heart rateIncreased body temperatureIncreased sweating

Psychological EffectsIncreased anxiety over the quality of the performanceIncreased anxiety about the perceptions others may have of the performance

Controlling AnxietyThinking positively – telling ourselves that we are good enoughUsing mental rehearsal – picturing ourselves carrying out successful movements and practicing in the mindRelaxation – using controlled breathing and gentle movementsVerbal reassurance from the coach

Arousal and AnxietyResearch:

Inverted U theoryDrive TheoryCatastrophe theory

Include a diagram to explain

Theories Related to ArousalDrive Theory

Defines the relationship between arousal and performance, as arousal increases so to does performance. Arousal always has a positive attempt on performance

Inverted U TheoryIt states that the level of arousal will increase performance to a point, then any further increase in arousal will have a detrimental effect hindering performance.

Theories Related to ArousalCatastrophe Theory

This theory goes further than the inverted U theory by looking at reducing arousal levels in order to maintain the quality of the performance

TaskConsider the last time you participated in a game or activity with great meaning e.g. cup finalHow did you feel?Did you suffer any psychological or physiological effects described?How did it affect your performance?

What is personality?

DefinitionThe character and temperament of a performerThe traits that make up different personalities are relatively stable for each individual but could change in a change environment e.g. sport

Describe your own personality

PersonalityPersonality can be subdivided into two categories

1. Introverts (type A) – more inward in behaviour, require low levels of arousal to achieve optimal performance, tend to favour individual sports and those that require precision & have a low pain threshold

2. Extroverts (type B) – require high levels of arousal to achieve optimal performance, thrive in highly competitive situations, where there is a great amount of noise and audience input, favour team sports and have high pain thresholds

TaskLook at the list below:

Jonny WilkinsonKelly HolmesAndrew Flintoff

Consider the sports they are in and the media attention that they experience

1. What personality type do you think they have?

2. Explain your choice giving examples of behaviour to justify your reasons

Concentration

ConcentrationAny performer is constantly being bombarded with different information, a performers ability to cope with this depends on their experience, either in performance or through training under similar conditionsWhen a performer processes information they have to: make sense of it and decide the best action to takeTo achieve the above the incoming information has to be filtered so that irrelevant information is discarded

ConcentrationIf the filtering process is not effectively completed, decision making is hinderedThe brain can only deal with one piece of information at a time (limited channel capacity) any overload can hinder performanceBeginners must focus upon all aspects of performing the skill whilst experienced performers perform the skill ‘automatically’ and therefore can focus on the position of opponents etc.

Self EfficacyBandura looked at success and failure in performance in relation to the self confidence of the performerHe found that a perception a sports performer has of their ability is not constant but changes in different situations