Introduction to Different Types of Mental Training
Task: B1
Introduction to Different Types of Mental Training
An athlete qualifying for an Olympic Final competes against athletes who are fit, strong, flexible, powerful and skilful. All the competitors have devoted time and energy to becoming top-class athletes. However, there is only one champion and two medal winners. Often the difference between a medal and eighth place is a fraction of a second or a few centimetres. Interviews with athletes who succeed at this highest level often focus on which aspect of their preparation made them different from everyone else. Nine times out of ten these great athletes refer to a mental edge or psychological toughness.
An athlete who wants to compete against other talented athletes needs to think carefully about mental preparation. It is not enough for them to expect to win simply because they have coved more mileage then the next athlete, or because they have lifted heavier weights. In the final analysis it is often more important to keep the mind in the pressurized environment of competition.
In this essay I will be covering different forms of mental training employed by the sport psychologist.
Imagery
Imagery and mental rehearsal are techniques that are frequently used in sport and exercise psychology because of the verity of applications they have in different settings.
Imagery
Imagery is a polysensorial and emotional creation or recreation of an experience that takes place in the mind. It should involve as many senses as possible as well as trying to recreate emotions experienced through the activity the athlete takes part in. The post effective imagery uses kinaesthetic, visual, tactile, auditory and olfactory senses.
An example of imagery that anyone could take part in is to think about a favourite athlete in any sport. Then think about when you have watched that sports person performing. Consider when you have thought about what that athlete has done during their performance, (e.g. how they kick a ball)
Introduction to Different Types of Mental Training
An athlete qualifying for an Olympic Final competes against athletes who are fit, strong, flexible, powerful and skilful. All the competitors have devoted time and energy to becoming top-class athletes. However, there is only one champion and two medal winners. Often the difference between a medal and eighth place is a fraction of a second or a few centimetres. Interviews with athletes who succeed at this highest level often focus on which aspect of their preparation made them different from everyone else. Nine times out of ten these great athletes refer to a mental edge or psychological toughness.
An athlete who wants to compete against other talented athletes needs to think carefully about mental preparation. It is not enough for them to expect to win simply because they have coved more mileage then the next athlete, or because they have lifted heavier weights. In the final analysis it is often more important to keep the mind in the pressurized environment of competition.
In this essay I will be covering different forms of mental training employed by the sport psychologist.
Imagery
Imagery and mental rehearsal are techniques that are frequently used in sport and exercise psychology because of the verity of applications they have in different settings.
Imagery
Imagery is a polysensorial and emotional creation or recreation of an experience that takes place in the mind. It should involve as many senses as possible as well as trying to recreate emotions experienced through the activity the athlete takes part in. The post effective imagery uses kinaesthetic, visual, tactile, auditory and olfactory senses.
An example of imagery that anyone could take part in is to think about a favourite athlete in any sport. Then think about when you have watched that sports person performing. Consider when you have thought about what that athlete has done during their performance, (e.g. how they kick a ball)
References: http://en.wikipedia.org http://www.psychwww.com/sports/mt.htm http://hubpages.com/hub/Sport-Psychology--Motivation-and-Performance Mental Training for Peak Performance by Steven Ungerleider In Pursuit of Excellence by Terry Orlick