60 research outputs found
A longitudinal examination of stressors, appraisals, and coping in youth swimming
Purpose
Involvement in sport has the potential to cause athletes, coaches, and parents to experience stress. However, the extent to which experiences of stress are shared within the athletic triad is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the individual and shared stress experiences among youth swimmers, their mothers, and coach within the context of training, tapering, and competition.
Design
Multi-case study design.
Method
Four female swimmers, their mother, and one coach completed daily diaries for six weeks and up to three semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through within- and cross-case thematic analysis.
Results
The study showed evidence of shared stress experiences between all three members of the athletic triad. Participants predominately encountered organizational stressors, which they appraised in relation to movements between squad, interpersonal relationships, and overall progress towards performance goals/outcomes. Numerous coping strategies were employed by participants, with varying degrees of effectiveness, such as seeking social support, distancing, and lift sharing. The coping strategies used by coaches, swimmers, and parents were often interrelated with participants frequently seeking emotional support from one another. The majority of stressors and appraisals cited by parents and swimmers were shared, with both heavily relying on social support to help each other cope with the stressors encountered.
Conclusion
Athletes, parents, and coaches have the capacity to influence one another's stress experiences and as such their experiences should be considered simultaneously to maximize the impact of interventions
Identification and Enhancement of Pre Performance Mental States in Male Rugby Union Players
The purpose of this thesis was concerned with the identification of the nature and
content of the pre performance affective experience of the rugby union performer, and
the subsequent measurement of the efficacy of a psychological intervention strategy to
enhance the precompetitive mental state. Study 1 of the thesis conducted a preliminary
investigation into the overall experience of sports performers' precompetitive affect
(i.e., negative/positive) and the relationship with symptoms associated with competitive
anxiety through the employment of trait self-report measures. The findings highlighted
the importance of maintaining favourable perceptions of anxiety in the experience of
positive affect. In order to describe the nature of this positive affective state, a sport specific
self-report scale was designed and validated in Study 2 within a population of
competitive athletes. Study 3 used the scale to examine the content of the
pre performance affective experience and the relationship with interpretations of
symptoms associated with competitive anxiety. The findings identified the existence of competitive anxiety symptoms. In order to derive a comprehensive understanding of the
precompetitive experience a qualitative perspective was employed in Study 4. In-depth
interviews were conducted with 12 international, male, rugby union players.
Appropriate pre performance mental states were identified with symptoms associated
with mental, physical, and technical readiness. Inappropriate pre performance mental
states were symptomatic of a lack of mental, physical and technical readiness and
negative experiences associated with competitive anxiety symptoms. The study also
established the influence of significant others upon an individual's mental preparation
for competition within the context of the team sport. A final purpose of Study 4 was to describe the psychological strategies employed by performers to achieve appropriate
pre performance mental states. The study identified the employment of task-specific
imagery in order to facilitate appropriate pre performance mental states. Utilising these
findings, the final study of the thesis adopted a single-case design to investigate the
efficacy of a task-specific imagery strategy in enhancing appropriate mental readiness
for performance in 4 sub-elite rugby union players. The findings demonstrated
enhancement in pre performance mental readiness across all participants. Specifically,
increases in the level of mental preparation and self-confidence were identified, whilst a
lower level of competitive anxiety symptoms were reported. The overall findings of the
thesis have facilitated a greater understanding of the affective experiences and
psychological strategies of competitive athletes prior to performing. Practical
recommendations are proposed in order to facilitate the enhancement and achievement
of ideal precompetitive mental states in sports performers. These outline the importance
of employing structured task-specific imagery to facilitate appropriate activation states
and the need to establish structured mental 'warm up' periods in the preparation for
competition
Freestyle race pacing strategies (400 m) of elite able-bodied swimmers and swimmers with disability at major international championships
Freestyle race pacing strategies (400 m) were compared between elite able-bodied swimmers and those with minimal physical (International Paralympic Committee S10 classification) and visual disabilities (International Paralympic Committee S13 classification). Data comprised 50-m lap splits and overall race times from 1176 400-m freestyle swims from World Championships, European Championships and Olympic/Paralympic Games between 2006 and 2012. Five pacing strategies were identified across groups (even, fast start, negative, parabolic and parabolic fast start), with negative and even strategies the most commonly adopted. The negative pacing strategy produced the fastest race times for all groups except for female S13 swimmers where an even strategy was most effective. Able-bodied groups swam faster than their S10 and S13 counterparts, with no differences between S10 and S13 groups. The results suggest adoption of multiple pacing strategies across groups, and even where impairments are considered minimal they are still associated with performance detriments in comparison to their able-bodied counterparts. The findings have implications for the planning and implementation of training related to pacing strategies to ensure optimal swimmer preparation for competition. Analogous performance levels in S10 and S13 swimmers also suggest a case for integrated competition of these classifications in 400-m freestyle swimming
Observation as a method to enhance collective efficacy: An integrative review
Objectives
This review provides an integrative argument for the use of observation as an intervention to manipulate individual collective efficacy beliefs in sports teams.
Design
An exploration of the conceptual and empirical evidence underpinning observation-based interventions for increasing collective efficacy.
Method
A presentation of reflections on the following. First, we reflect on existing techniques used to increase self- and collective efficacy beliefs. Second, we consider collective efficacy in the context of observational learning and the various modeling techniques employed in the sports and motor performance literature. Third, we highlight relevant literature from neuroscience, outlining the analogous neural pathways evident for social cognition (i.e., collective efficacy) and observation.
Results
This review presents a case for the use of observation interventions to manipulate collective efficacy, drawing upon social psychological frameworks of human behavior, the observation-based literature, and contemporary understanding of brain and behavior.
Conclusions
Observation-based interventions are suited for collective efficacy manipulation in sport. There is a need to advance understanding of this relationship in order to maximize improvements in collective efficacy across group contexts
Emotional experiences in youth tennis
Abstract
Objectives
To explore adolescents' emotional experiences in competitive sport. Specifically, this study sought to identify, 1) The emotions adolescents' experience at tennis tournaments, 2) The precursors of the emotions they experience, and, 3) How adolescents attempt to cope with these emotions.
Design
Case-study.
Method
Four adolescent tennis players competed in four or five tennis matches under the observation of a researcher. Immediately following each match, participants completed a post-match review sheet and a semi-structured interview. A further semi-structured interview was completed at the end of the tournament. Review sheets, notes from match observations, and video recordings of matches were used to stimulate discussions during final interviews. All data were analyzed following the procedures outlined by Miles and Huberman (1994).
Results
Participants cited numerous positively and negatively valenced emotions during matches and tournaments. Participants' emotions seemed to be broadly influenced by their perceptions of performance and outcomes, as well as their opponent's behavior and player's perceptions of their own behavior. Participants described various strategies to cope with these emotions, such as controlling breathing rate, focusing on positive thoughts, and individualized routines. Further, if participants perceived them to be facilitative, negative emotions could be beneficial for performance.
Conclusion
This study provided original insights into the complexity of adolescent athletes' emotional experiences at competitions and highlights the critical need for further in-depth examinations of youth sport to fully comprehend the experiences of young people. Most notably, the findings highlight the necessity of considering the impact of both intra- and interpersonal influences on adolescents' emotional experiences, while also accounting for temporal changes
“It’s psychology Jim, but not as we know it!”: The changing face of applied sport psychology practice
Applied sport psychology has developed substantially in recent decades, and there exist a multitude of views regarding how contemporary practices can be best defined and conceptualized. In this paper, we reflect on these developments and draw from a growing body of literature on professional development, in an attempt to provide clarity on the expanding roles and responsibilities of the applied sport psychology practitioner. In so doing, we acknowledge the recent diversification of applied sport psychology practices, with an emphasis on competencies relating to: working with more diverse performance populations (e.g., in business, military, healthcare, education, and the performing arts); engaging in organizational psychological practices; positive youth development; promoting life skills; and mental health and counselling support provisions Further, we offer suggestions for the future of applied sport psychology education and training, in an effort to contribute to the profession’s continued journey toward maturation. This includes discussion surrounding the possible implementation of multi-supervisory pathways, extended placement opportunities and engagement in post training practices within specialist performance domains, in an effort to aid the development of more diverse competencies which reflect the multiplicity of current practice
The relationship between imagery type and collective efficacy in elite and non elite athletes
This study investigated the relationship between imagery function and individual perceptions of collective efficacy as a function of skill level. Elite (n = 70) and non elite (n = 71) athletes from a number of interactive team sports completed the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ) and the Collective Efficacy Inventory (CEI). Multiple hierarchical regression analysis was then used to examine which SIQ sub-scales predicted individual perceptions of collective efficacy. For the elite sample, Motivational General-Mastery (MG-M) imagery accounted for approximately 17% of the variance in collective efficacy scores. No significant predictions were observed in the non elite sample. The findings suggest MG-M imagery as a potential technique to improve levels of collective efficacy although competitive level may moderate the effectiveness of such intervention
Addiction in Extreme Sports: An Exploration of Withdrawal States in Rock Climbers
Background and aims Extreme sports athletes are often labeled “adrenaline junkies” by the media, implying they are addicted to their sport. Research suggests during abstinence these athletes may experience withdrawal states characteristic of individuals with an addiction (Celsi, Rose, & Leigh, 1993; Franken, Zijlstra, & Muris, 2006; Willig, 2008). Despite this notion, no research has directly explored withdrawal experiences of extreme sports athletes. Methods Using semi-structured interviews, we explored withdrawal experiences of high (n = 4) and average-ability (n = 4) male rock climbers during periods of abstinence. We investigated the psychological and behavioral aspects of withdrawal, including craving, anhedonia, and negative affect; and differences in the frequency and intensity of these states between groups. Results Deductive content analysis indicated support for each of the three categories of anhedonia, craving, and negative affect. Consistent with existing substance addiction literature, high-ability climbers recalled more frequent and intense craving states and negative affect during abstinence compared with average-ability climbers. No differences in anhedonic symptoms between high and average-ability participants were found. Conclusions Rock climbing athletes appear to experience withdrawal symptoms when abstinent from their sport comparable to individuals with substance and behavioral addictions. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed
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