2. Learning Outcomes
• State the different types of anxiety (at least 4
types)
• Define types of stress and anxiety
• State ways in which anxiety is measured and
analyse the pros and cons of different
measures
• Explain the relationship between eustress,
distress, hypo and hyper stress
• Explain the relationship between anxiety and
stress
3. Effects of arousal and anxiety
• Arousal is measured in the Reticular
activating system in the brain stem
• Responsible for Organising behaviour
• Arousal effects behaviour
• Effects of arousal not always negative
4. Negative v positive
Negative effects Distress (or commonly
stress)
Cognitive effects
Somatic effectsConfusion
Lack of
concentration Irrational
thought Increased
heart rate
Increased
blood
pressure
sweating
5.
6. Hypostress
Hyperstress
Stress or feelings experienced
when one has exceeded the limit
of one’s adaptability
Or when a person has taken on
more than they can handle
When someone has not
enough stress in their life.
They are bored, physically
immobile or unchallenged.
May have feelings of
restlessness or lack of
inspiration
7.
8. Definitions of Stress
• Used to describe negative feelings a person
experiences in a potentially threatening
situation.
Seyle (1956)
“ The non-specific response of the body to any
demand made on it.”
If we are placed in a situation in which we feel pressurised, unable
to meet the task or worried about the consequences, we may
experience stress.
10. • Stress can be initiated by stressors (perceived
demands), a stressor could be any demands placed on
the performer that initiate stress:
Threatens our self-esteem e.g. audience
Causes us personal harm e.g. fear of injury
Develops fear of the unknown e.g. performance of the
opposition
Causes frustration e.g. mistakes being made
Increases pressure e.g. pressure from parents,
crowd and/or coach
11. Stressor
Stress experience
Frustration, Foul, conflict
Competition Demands
Climate, Fatigue, Playing
badly, Injury worry
Alarm, Resist,
exhaust. Cognitive or
somatic
Eustress or distress!
12. McGrath (1970) suggest that when placed in a stressful situation, a performer
would respond by progressing through four stages:
Environment Demands
Perception of the environmental
demands
Stress response (physical & psychological)
Actual behaviour
Athlete
perception
is so
important!
Eustress or
DistressEnhanced or
impaired
performance
Situation
Threat or
challenge
13. The Effects of Stress on Performance
Stage 4: Outcome
Increased performance Reduced performance
Stage 3: Increased arousal levels
Eustress (increased energy and
motivation)
Distress (increased worry)
Stage 2: Perception of demand by athlete
Positive perception (challenge) Negative Perception (threat)
Stage 1: Demand
E.g. Last penalty in a shoot-out
14. Anxiety
• Anxiety is a negative aspect of stress and
includes irrational thoughts and fear of failure
15. Anxiety
“ When an athlete’s performance suffers in an
important event, it is often because of too much
worry about the outcome……being solely
concerned with winning causes an increase in
anxiety.”
T. Orlick, Psyching for Sport
Mental training for athletes,
1986
Causes = expectations, audience teammates
evaluation (evaluation apprehension)
16. Two components of Anxiety
Cognitive anxiety = “Thoughts” “Psychological”
Thoughts, nervousness, apprehension or worry that
a performer has about their lack of ability to
complete a task.
Somatic Anxiety = “physiological”
Physiological responses to a situation where the
performer feels they may not cope – increased hr,
sweaty palms, muscle tension.
17. Cognitive responses to anxiety Somatic responses to anxiety
• Loss of concentration
• Feelings on apprehension
• inability to cope
• Attentional narrowing
• Fear of failure
These are PYSCHOLOGICAL responses
• Sweating
• Increased muscle tension
•Feelings of nausea
• Increased heart rate
• Increased breathing rate
These are PHYSIOLOGICAL responses
18. Symptoms of Anxiety
Cognitive State Anxiety =
worry, negativity, nervousness
Somatic State Anxiety =
perception of physiological changes
Increased heart
rate, palms
sweating
Athlete
perceives
this as
negative
Associates
this with
not
preparing
well
Poor
concentration’
fear, bad
decisions
Reduced
performance
Anxiety and
arousal
increases
Increased
cognitive
state anxiety
Further
increase in
mistakes
20. State Anxiety (A-state) = anxiety felt in a particular
situation.
• A temporary emotional reaction of someone in a
situation that they experience as threatening.
E.G.
A basketball player’s level of state anxiety would change
during the match.
Prior to tip off – elevated level (nerves)
During match – lower level
Final seconds faced with 3 free throws –
extremely high level.
21. Trait anxiety (A-trait) = an enduring personality
trait, giving a tendency to view all situations as
threatening.
Anxiety as a personality trait is a tendency to react to
situations in an anxious way.
E.G.
Two rugby players with equal skill are put under
pressure to kick a last minute goal.
They have different state anxiety reactions to the
situation because of their personalities – their level of
trait anxiety.
1) Laid back (low trait anxiety), doesn’t perceive kick
as overally threatening, doesn’t experience any
more state anxiety than expected.
2) High trait anxiety, finds all situations threatening.
22. Competitive Anxiety
• Form of anxiety is specific to sport
• Threats include:
– Not playing well
– Letting team down
– Meeting training demands before the event
– Personal relationships
– Injury
• Marten’s – the tendency to see competitive
situations as threatening
23. • There is a direct relationship between a person’s
level of trait and state anxiety.
• Those who score high on measures of trait
anxiety experience more state anxiety in highly
competitive and evaluative situations.
• Through experience, an athlete with high trait
anxiety can learn to cope with a particular
situation and lower their state anxiety.
• Knowledge of a person’s level of trait anxiety will
enable a prediction to be made about how they
will react to competitions, being assessed and in
threatening conditions.
25. MEASUREMENT OF STRESS & Anxiety
QUESTIONNAIRES
• Marten’s Sport Competitive Anxiety Test (SCAT - 1977)
• measures emotional and physiological responses to
stress in the competitive situation
• Speilberger’s State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI - 1970)
• measures emotional and physiological responses to
stress in general and specific situations
• Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI – 1990)
26. Pro’s and Con’s
• Quick
• Easy
• Cheap
• Lots of info
• Socially acceptable
answers
• Misunderstanding
question
27. More measures
BEHAVIOURAL MEASURES
• the performance of sports players is observed
• a subjective method
PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES
• require laboratory testing equipment, objective methods
• examples :
– galvanic skin response
– Electrocardiogram (ECG)
– Electroencephalogram (EEG)
28. Problems
• Observations involves
looking for symptoms of
anxiety
• Can take place in
artificial environments
which lead to extra
anxiety
• Physiological methods
put performers in
artificial circumstances
• Wired up
• Can increase anxiety
30. Learning Outcomes
• State the different types of anxiety (at least 4
types)
• Define types of stress and anxiety
• State ways in which anxiety is measured and
analyse the pros and cons of different
measures
• Explain the relationship between eustress,
distress, hypo and hyper stress
• Explain the relationship between anxiety and
stress
31. Learning Outcomes
• Describe and demonstrate Anxiety control
techniques
• Explain how different techniques are used to
control anxiety
• Apply knowledge to exam questions
32. Controlling Stress
The coach and performer can control stress through
approaching the problem in two ways:
1) Controlling & redirecting the
performer’s thoughts & attention -
reducing cognitive anxiety.
2) Reducing & controlling the
physiological components of
anxiety – reducing somatic
anxiety.
33. Cognitive techniques for controlling anxiety
and stress
• Imagery – by method of relaxing by creating
mental images to escape the immediate effects of
stress. The principle is to recreate an environment
that is very relaxing.
• Visualisation/Mental Practice or rehearsal – the
process of creating a mental image of what you
want to happen or feel, locking into the ‘perfect
performance’. This diverts attention away from
the cause of anxiety.
Internal/external
34. • Attention control – maintaining concentration on
appropriate cues. This aims to improve the
performer’s ability to focus on appropriate cues
then the number of errors caused by other
distractions is reduced. “Being in the zone!”
• Self-talk – developing positive thoughts about
one’s actions. Is vital that self talk remains
positive and focus on self-instructing motivational
content. Can be planned.
Thought Stopping – stopping a negative
thought and replacing it with a positive one!
35. Cognitive relabeling –
• Athletes can 'label' their arousal/stress in
different ways.
• An athlete who labels arousal before a game as
apprehension (negative – anxiety) can 're-label' it
as excitement, which may cause a change in
emotion and have a positive effect on
performance.
36. Goal Setting
A technique used to control anxiety by directing
attention away from stress and towards an
achievable target.
• Outcome goals – achievement of a particular
result e.g. qualifying for the next round.
Achievement will increase motivation but the
performer cannot control the factors influencing
the outcome e.g. officials, opposition and
weather. Can lead to increase in anxiety if result
is not achieved.
37. • Performance goals – the performer’s attempts
are judged against others or even with
themselves. E.G. achieving a certain time in a
competition. Motivation will be maintained if not
increased.
• Process goal – concentrate on the performer’s
techniques and tactics, process goals often
influence performance goals. E.g. to perform a
slower backswing during a bunker shot may well
improve efficiency of the stroke.
38. Somatic techniques for controlling anxiety
and stress
• Biofeedback – information about the changes in
physiological variables; the performer watches a
monitor displaying changes in readings. The use of
physiological measuring equipment to help teach an
athlete how to control physiological responses E.G.
– heart rate, using a pulsometer or heart rate monitor -
slowing down heartbeat.
– Finger thermometers (as high arousal/stress leads to less
blood being pumped to extremities)
– Electromyograms (to give athlete information about levels
of muscle tension).
39. • Breathing control – using diaphragmatic
breathing (breathing deeply) as a means of
focusing on relaxation. Encourages full oxygen
exchange, reduces the heart rate and
lowers/stabilises blood pressure.
• Centering – using deep breathing as a way of
refocusing your concentration. Requires the
performer to focus particularly on the rate of
breathing and maintaining a slow, steady pace.
40. Progressive muscular relaxation (PMR) –
learning to be aware of the tension present in
muscles and removing it by relaxing. This is done
by alternating extreme tension that is held for a
few seconds the releasing the tension to relax.
47. Learning Outcomes
• Describe and demonstrate Anxiety control
techniques
• Explain how different techniques are used to
control anxiety
• Apply knowledge to exam questions
