HIGHER PE

EMOTIONAL SUB FACTORS: * Fear (anxiety)

* Self – control (anger)

Emotional Factors

As an athlete it is vital you are able to identify your emotional state before/during/after performance as

well as developing approaches to deal with these emotions. By doing this you will become an emotionally

fit performer.

Successful athletes require:• Resilience (Manage Set backs)• Strength (Fighting Spirit)• Responsiveness ( Engaged)

Managing Emotions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F4OFMiecec

Fear (Anxiety)

“Anxiety is a state consisting of psychological and physical symptoms brought about by a sense of apprehension of

perceived threat. It is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil accompanied by nervous behaviour, restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems and muscular tension. It causes a

performer to run away/avoid a situation (CHOKE) or they feel that they cannot move (FREEZE)”

ANXIETY LEVELS DIFFER ACCORDING TO:• The Individual (trait anxiety)• Situation (state anxiety)

Impact of Fear (anxiety)

• Anxiety can impact upon your performance psychologically (cognitive) and physiologically (Somatic) or behaviourally:

• Psychologically means our thinking or cognitive processes are affected

• Physiologically means our body or somatic processes are affected.

• Behavioural – By patterns of behaviour.

Cognitive Somatic Behavioural

Indecision Sense of confusion Feeling heavy Negative thoughts Poor concentration Irritability Fear Forgetfulness Loss of confidence Images of failure Defeatist self- talk Feeling rushed Feeling weak Constant dissatisfaction Unable to take instructions Thoughts of avoidance

I ncreased blood pressure Pounding heart I ncreased respiration rate Sweating Clammy hands and feet Butterflies in the stomach Adrenaline surge Dry mouth Need to urinate Muscular tension Tightness in neck and shoulders Trembling I ncessant talking Blushing Pacing up and down Distorted vision Twitching Yawning Voice distortion Nausea Vomiting Diarrhoea Loss of appetite Sleeplessness Loss of libido

Biting fingernails Lethargic movements Inhibited posture Playing safe Going through the motions Introversion Uncharacteristic displays of extroversion Fidgeting Avoidance of eye contact Covering face with hand

Symptoms of Anxiety

Summary of Anxiety

Stressors Stress Response Stress ExperienceConflict

CompetitionClimate

FrustrationCrowdFatigue

AlarmResistance

ExhaustIncreased Heart Rate/Sweat

Adrenalin

Positive or NegativeDepends on Perception

Can you meet the threat?

Performers suffering from anxiety tend to respond reactively instead of proactively and the fear of failure prevents performers stepping out of their comfort zone which is often required in challenging contexts to tackle a threat head on. Instead of taking positive risks, which empower the athlete to influence the contest, they allow the opposition to take control and dictate the direction of play. Players in this mental state are crippled and consumed by emotions and self doubt and have no sense of adventure at match winning moments and will do the bare minimum as the fear of failure is so great.

Negative Impact of Anxiety

Negative impact of

Fear (Anxiety)

Avoidance Behaviour – Pass

rather than shoot due to

panic and anxiety.

Irrational thinking. Making a stupid foul at a crucial moment.

Poor listening skills –

instructions and plays missed so

not fulfilling role.

Results in ball watching as you

freeze.

Running about like a headless chicken as your mind goes blank

and tactics forgotten.

Poor execution of core skills and

caught out of position. Level of

arousal impacted.

Dip in concentration

and reactions to respond to cues.

Low confidence levels as self

doubt and talk block decision

making and performance.

Anger and frustration

(Unreasonable response) due to disappointment in self and team.

Anxiety can cripple even the best athletes in the game….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ1bd2g3p1Y

What about the legendary Michael Jordan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yMJ2sIa9Rs

Self Control (Anger)

“An emotion whereby the individual has normally been offended, denied, wronged and a tendency

to react through retaliation. It is a strongly uncomfortable emotion after been provoked.”

Self ControlIt could be said that self control is a necessary requirement in all activities. If you are in control of your emotions then you will not get angry at yourself or others around you. This makes self-control a positive influence on your performance. If you are in control of your emotions, you can deal well with the demands of a performance. Self control can be stretched and can hinder performance. This is often the case when you:• Deal with the emotions experienced when you suffer what you feel is a

bad decision from an official.• Deal with emotions linked to competing against an aggressive opponent.• Deal with being on the receiving end of a foul.• Deal with disappointment associated with losing. • Deal with happiness/excitement associated with winning.• Dealing with emotions linked to criticism on your performance.• Dealing with emotions linked to being substituted or starting on the

bench.

Anger and Aggression• Anger and aggression in sport can be very useful in the right situation. • This gives a performer a certain degree of determination and ensures they

commit fully. • However, it is all about controlled aggression and this needs to be

channelled effectively. For example in rugby, a player will move aggressively to cover a play, tackle a player and bring them down to the ground.

• More often than not it is about how a player controls their aggression that makes the difference to their performance.

• Opponents look to ways of irritating each other in the hope it puts them off a game plan or affects their performance. Consider the next time you watch an NBA basketball match. Look closely as a player takes their free throws. “Trash talk” is a verbal attack quietly into an opponent’s ears to distract them and put them off and hopefully affect their state of mind (EMOTIONS) causing uncharacteristic actions.(See the next slide for some examples)

Trash Talk..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ms02gNaYjk

Anger & Aggression

Controlled Uncontrolled

Intent to harm

Outside the rules

Reactive

No intent to harm

Within the rules

Motivated & considered

Negative Impact of Anger in Performance

• Too much aggression in basketball has a significant effect on performance. This can lead to injury if thought is not applied to your actions on court. Also, increased tension in the muscles impacts negatively on the fluency of play. Over arousal impacts a player’s ability to respond to situations and make appropriate decisions on court resulting in a decline in form. It can be as simple as a player shouting at themselves after a bad shot, physically lashing out or even exerting themselves in a skill, such as too much power off the back board. Uncontrolled aggression leads to frustrations and results in a player acting irrationally and this increases a players self -doubt. A player can be drawn into making silly fouls against him and eventually anger and lack of self control built up too many fouls until a player is benched or fouled out in the game. Players with a lack of self control will lash out verbally at their team mates and blame others for their own failings. This seriously impacts the cohesion of the team when players have to deal with an unpredictable, volatile personality. A bad attitude will impact concentration and can lead to a team losing by a bigger margin as this player can become less involved in the game due to lack of motivation. They cannot “Park “a situation and move on. This could take the form of arguing with the referee and being sent off for bad sportsmanlike conduct.

Positive Impact of Controlled Aggression in Performance

No hesitation when passing driving to the

basket.

More assertive so will carry out duties with

confidence and commitment

Faster decsion making under extreme

pressure.

Can assess own errors and move on without

frustrations.

Clean discipline record with few fouls allowing a positive contribution

to the game.

More aggressive offensive mentality.