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Psychology Tips
Mental Rehearsal and Imagery
Visualizing an outcome before it happens
or seeing yourself perform is another way to create success
and set yourself up for victory. Everyone has the ability
to rehearse themselves performing a skill, or a manoeuvre
that would be key in a game situation.
When using imagery, a player will create images, like pictures
or movies, that recreate their best performances or see their
desired outcome. While imagining these scenarios, the player
imagines every detail and the way it feels to perform the
skill just the way they want to.
These images can be visual (images and pictures), kinaesthetic
(how the body may feel, the feeling of the ball striking the
Hurley, or the feel of the ball in the players hand), or auditory
(the roar of the crowd from a successful free kick). The player
can call up these images over and over, enhancing her skill
through repetition or rehearsal, in the same way as skills
are developed through practice. With mental rehearsal, both
the mind and the body are trained to actually perform the
skill imagined.
Imagery has an advantage over physical practice as it can
be performed anywhere, anytime the player wishes. It is best
to rehearse in a quiet, relaxed and non-competitive environment.
To begin an imagery session, it is necessary to start by
relaxing - closing your eyes and focusing on deep rhythmical
breathing. As imagery involves the use of all of the senses
to create the most realistic imagery possible, you must incorporate
clarity, vividness, emotion, control and a positive outcome
into your imagery:
- Clarity - Make the images as vivid as
possible, include the colour of the jerseys, the sliotar/football.
- Vividness - Incorporate as many of your
senses as possible into your imagery so the scene is as
clear and realistic as real life itself. Imagine the sights,
smells, sounds and even tastes of performance.
- Emotion - Try to include emotional feelings
in your images. Imagine the sounds of the crowd, how the
activities make you feel - for example the feeling when
you score a difficult free.
- Control - break down the image into small
components and visualise those components. Your stance as
you approach the ball, the pick up, taking the ball into
your possession, evading tackles, releasing possession.
- Positive outcome - You should be imagining
a successful outcome to all of the activities. If negative
outcomes begin to enter your mind, try to recall a previous
success.
Goal Setting
Goal setting is the process of outlining
targets or objectives. These targets are usually sport-specific
goals and can be long term - winning the league - or short
term - score 3 points from 6 shots during a practice game.
Goal setting can be a particularly powerful motivating tool
for teenagers as it can:
- Focus attention on the target
- Increase the effort and intensity
- Encourage persistence and practice over time
- Promote the development of problem solving skills
- The coach can play an important role in setting out goals
for an individual player or a team. By helping the player
or team set goals there is a commitment from both sides
towards realising the goal.
Write down the goals, and placing them in a prominent place,
helps to reinforce the commitment entered into when the goals
are set down. The coach should recognise that the targets
should be challenging and achievable but also flexible, as
the aim is to challenge the player to achieve the goal, not
provide an impossible task. By providing regular feedback,
the coach can further challenge the players to achieving their
goals. Shorter term goals are better for some teenagers as
often they will not be able to realise how they are progressing
towards a long term goal. This can result in a loss of focus
and reduced motivation.
Goal setting is a smart move for any coach who wants to develop
the self confidence of their players, increase motivation
and achieve a higher standard of performance. To help you
to remember the key principles of goal setting, coaches need
to think SMARTER:
Goals should be
- S pecific - indicate precisely what is
to be done. Avoid being vague or open to interpretation
- M easurable - you should be able to
quantify your goals
- A ccepted - goals must be accepted to
be achievable. If players feel that a goal is unrealistic
or unattainable they will not buy into the process
- R ecorded - write down your goals. Make
a contract with yourself or your players
- T ime constrained -
set time limits for each goal
- E valuated - monitor your progress regularly.
- R eversible - If injury or illness affects
your goals, allow yourself time to re-evaluate them
Belief and Self Talk
Your personal belief system has an effect
on how well you preform, particularly in competitive pressurised
situations. Loss of confidence can be a major impediment to
peak performance and is a product of competitors being sabotaged
by their own negativity. Always change the negative dialogue
in your head into positive, constructive self-statements.
Elite performers perceive the world in a way that gives them
an advantage towards success, they have an expectation of
success. They believe in themselves and their capabilities.
Every player can learn to have winning thoughts and learn
to produce an inner dialogue which will increase their chances
of attaining peak performance.
Source - www.medicalwelfare.gaa.ie/psychologicalfocus.html
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