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Case Study Project Coun 7420 Dr. Stephen Walker

Wendell Otto University of Western States

Case Study Project Coun 7420

When designing a psychological skills training program there are various recommendations which should be followed. There are many considerations which should be taken into account, such as the nature of the sport, the needs of the individual, the periodization of physical training and the time available. First, there are several suggestions regarding which topics to choose. Various experienced athletes and coaches listed relaxation training, concentration, imagery, team cohesion, attention training and self-talk strategies as important topics for mental skills program (Weinberg 2007, 255). However, a program does not need to include all of those topics, there is no set mental skills package as each one should be individualized based on the needs of the individual and sport (Brookfield 2009).

In terms of timing, it is important to consider the periodization of the physical training when planning a mental skills program (Blumenstein et al. 2007, 9). The ideal time to start a mental skills program is during the off-season as there is more time to focus on mental training (Weinberg 2007, 260). In addition, during this phase the athlete is not under competitive pressure, skill acquisition is maximal because the stress level is low (Blumenstein et al. 2007, 35). During the preparation phase, it is important to fully learn these mental skills and prepare for the competitive phase both mentally and physically. During the competitive phases of the annual plan, the aim for the mental training should be to bring it all together. Following this is the transition phase is a time for a break from both mental and physical training. (Blumenstein et al. 2007, 10).

According to Weinberg and Gould, a mental skills program should consist of an education phase, and acquisition phase and a practice phase (2007, 256). A similar approach is suggested by

train with sights on Youth Nationals late this summer. As we dialoged about the mental skills sessions, A.V. was curious about her mental toughness and improving on those areas. I also was curious about her injury and her readiness to return to harder training. Combining those two areas, we also decided to work towards a healthy coping mechanism and if the injury persists to structure her time and create a support network. Contact was made with the coach and with the parent and a description of the policy and procedures were given to the parent as well as the coach.

Testing Instruments

With those ideas, I decided that I would give A.V. 2 assessments along with 2 planned observations at practice and one track meet with 2 unplanned drop in observation at a track meet. This will lay the foundation on creating a mental skills plan that she could use this summer and into the start of her fall sport season.

The first assessment given was the Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale (PRRS). As the authors of a 2009 study in The Journal of Athletic Training point out, an athlete not only needs to be physically ready before she returns to the playing field, he also needs to be psychologically ready. If she returns too soon, she risks re-injury, injury to a different part of the body, depression, and/or decreased performance. So how do you know if an athlete is mentally ready to return to sports? By testing her confidence.

By assessing the athlete's responses to an easy-to-administer, 6-question test called the Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale (PRRS), athletic trainers, other health care professionals, and even parents can assess psychological readiness of injured athletes to return to sport participation.

Athletes whose scores do not increase from the time of injury to an acceptable level, or which plateau, can be identified and assisted with psychological interventions, such as coping skills and goal setting, which have been found to increase the confidence of injured athletes.

The Second assessment that I decided to use is the Sport Personality Questionnaire (SPQ20). The aim of the SPQ20 is to accurately measure a sportsperson’s mental toughness and mental skills in order to help construct a mental skills performance enhancement strategy. This aim is achieved by providing standardized measures of a sportsperson’s overall mental toughness, and specific measures of their confidence and resilience, their work ethic and motives, their relationship and people skills, their ethical principles, and their use of performance enhancement techniques. It is also achieved by designing a tool that adds value, and is easy to use, acceptable to athletes and coaches, and relevant to today’s sport context.The construction of the SPQ20 was guided by a framework of mental skills and mental toughness attributes that emerged from a literature search that identified clusters of attributes covering personality traits, motives, values, trait emotional intelligence, and mental/performance enhancement skills, for example:

Work ethic, achievement drive, competitiveness, conscientiousness, and ethical principles; How extravert and outgoing an athlete is, how cooperative and agreeable they are, and how skilled they are at managing relationships with other athletes and coaches;

Flexibility and adaptability, awareness of strengths and weaknesses, and openness to ideas and suggestions from coaches and competitors;

Dimensions of trait emotional intelligence such as ability to read, use, and manage their own and other people’s feelings and emotions;

6. My confidence in my skill level/ability is ____80__

Total 510

Add total and divide by 10 = _51

Scores between 50 and 60 suggest the athlete is psychologically ready to return to sports. Scores below 50 suggest that the athlete may not be ready psychologically to return to sports and needs more time to recover

SPQ20 – Sports Personality Profile Summary

Achievement and Competitiveness Scorecard

Adaptability^ Achievement Competitivenes s Conscientious ness VisualizationIntuition Goal Setting Achievementand Competitiveness

Sten 5 6 7 8 9 10

Achievement andCompetitiveness Level 4. Your responses to the questionnaire suggest that youput in somewhat more effort and energy than most athletes to achieve success. Your overall score on this factor is withinthe top 30 percent of the

Level 5. Your responses indicate that personal achievement is an important driver for you.

Less Self-Critical Our analysis of your responses indicates that you seem to have responded to the questionnaire in a more positive orsocially desirable way than most athletes in the comparison group. This may not have been conscious and may reflect your natural response style.

Less Self-Critical Our analysis of your responses indicates that you seem to have responded to the questionnaire in a more positive or socially desirable way tha

Adaptability Level 3. You present yourself as fairly adaptable and opportunistic. You are as willing to experiment and take risks asthe average contestant. Competitiveness Level 3. You enjoy competing with others as much as most athletes do, and your need to win is as strong as that of mostcontestants in the comparison group. Conscientiousness Level 5. You are conscientious and well-organized. You have high standards and work hard to achieve your goals. Visualization Level 5. You use imagery and visualization in a range of ways to help think positively and perform well. Intuition Level 2. You are somewhat reluctant to let your deep-down inner feelings guide you and you are rather unwilling to rely onyour instincts and intuition. Goal Setting Level 5. Your responses indicate that you have a big picture view of whatYou want to achieve, and you have clearly defined goals which you take pride in achieving.

Confidence and Mental Resilience

ManagingPressure Self-Efficacy Fear of FailureControl Flow StressManagement Emotions Self-Talk Self-Awareness Confidenceand Resilience

Sten 5 6 7 8 9 10

Aggressiveness factor. Description of dimensions Aggressiveness Level 3. You tend to perform in a moderately activated,worked up, and Aggressive state. Power Level 2. Your responses indicate that you are a little less motivated by authority and power than the average contestant.

A.V. and this consultant met to review the assessment results. The indication from the PRRS was the A.V. was ready and capable of returning to full time training and racing. As we looked over the SPQ20 we pulled out 3 main areas and sub categories highlighted in yellow that A.V. felt would be the most benefit for her to build a foundation of mental toughness. The three areas are, Achievement and Competitiveness, Confidence and Resilience, followed by Power and Aggressiveness.

Mental Plan Development:

Part 1

As I have been working within the context of the track and field team providing mental skills workshop with selected athletes by the coach and with the coaches input on what he would like his athletes to learn more about, in regards with mental skills a rapport and trust has been built to continue to work with this one athlete throughout the summer. As part as any plan working with the athletic team, I had to get clearance from not just the coach, but also the Athletic Director. Parents were notified and a permission and consent to provide pro bono service through the coach and athletic team was granted.

Part 2

To address the injury and the continuing rehabilitation of that injury, a phone consultation was provided by the athletic team’s athletic trainer. The athletic trainer works in conjunction with the physical therapist to create and provide a rehab plan for A.V. I want to help A.V. navigate a structure plan that she can follow with emotional support built in from parents, coaches and teammates.

Part 3

Pre-Intervention Phase My goals of the preparation phase are two-fold; first, to develop and nourish her motivation; second, to help her merge awareness and action of performance. First mental skill addressed is motivation.

Phase Mental Training Goals General Preparatory 1. Evaluate mental skills

2. (^) Learn basic mental skills in a quiet setting.
3. Set goals
4. Assess last year’s program/plan Specific Preparatory 1. Main basic mental skills
5. Use mental skills to help attain training objectives.
6. Adapt and practice mental skills in event specific situations.

Fear of Failure

• Use positive affirmations such “I don’t worry about what people think” to counter thoughts about failing.
• Take the positives out of a situation where you don’t perform the way you planned and analyze what you are doing to do differently next time.

Stress Management

• View training pain (as opposed to injury pain) as a normal part of training and competition.
• Try to get plenty of sleep and make sure you have a good diet.

Emotions

• Use visualization and positive self-talk to manage performance anxiety and change emotional gears.

Aggressiveness

• Go through your routines will full intensity and focus in order to achieve a peak level when you perform.
• Focus on execution rather than results and avoid thinking about mistakes.

Power

• (^) Put the success of the team ahead of your own needs and demonstrate concern for the well-being of team members.

• Take the role of team captain seriously and develop your understanding of what it takes to be an effective captain.

Education Phase The pre-competitive stage is intended to reinforce her capacity to concentrate effectively and create a positive effect before and during competition. The establishment and maintenance of a pre-competitive routine is paramount for flow to occur. A few components have been noted for a routine to appropriately focus her attention. Following is the 10-week training guide for the precompetitive phase. We have already covered the first 5 weeks through our workshops provided for the selected members of the middle-distance group.

Week Mental Training Session^ Training 1-Developing awareness Identify athlete goals and performance profile. 2-Goal setting Set season goals Work towards physical goals set earlier in the week 3-Activation control Introduce the concept of activation and how to control it. 4&5-Imagery Introduce the concept of imagery and develop basic imagery skills

Use imagery to improve performance by increasing motivation and improving technique 6-Positive attitude Develop confidence and a positive attitude

Use positive self-talk, Develop cue words

Mental skills intervention for Summer Season:

Physical Practice Mental Practice Monday ,

1 mile warm-up Dynamicwarm-up 4 mile tempo run Static stretch I mile jog cool down

Incorporate into practice - Visualize parts of the upcoming race, use cuewords to focus and rapid energization for arousal level. Outside of practice: Review weekly goals Positive self-talkRelaxation Imagery of achieving weekly goals Tuesday (^) Work on relays1 mile warm-up Incorporate into practice - Visualizeparts of the upcoming race, use cue words to focus and rapid energizationfor arousal level. Outside of practice: Mental recall Affirmations Wednesday (^) Dynamic1 mile warm-up warm-up6 x I00 meter strides 8 x 400 meters with 3 minute rest 1 mile jog cool down

Incorporate into practice - Visualizeparts of the upcoming race, use cue words to focus and rapid energizationfor arousal level. Outside of practice: Develop competition planVisualize competition plan Thursday 1 mile warm- up 20 minutesfartlek Team games CharacterBuilding Mental Training

Incorporate into practice - Visualize parts of the upcoming race, use cuewords to focus and rapid energization for arousal level. Outside of practice: Relaxation Visualize competition planVisualize mental recovery plans

Friday Competition See Table A of meet day mental preparation planOutside of practice: Saturday Easy recovery jog Stretch

Complete post-competition evaluation Use mental recall to seehighlights Use mental recall to see lowlights- rewind to make it a highlightReview previous week goal progress Set new goals with emphasis onprocess and effort goals

Sunday Recovery-Walk Bike Swim Stretch

RelaxationMental rehearsal of next week's goals Positive Self-talk Read about a motivating athlete

A.V. Middle-Distance/Distance Performance Pre-^ Table A Competition Plan, Time Prior to Start Physical WU Mental WU 75-80 min Initial check-in Pick-up numberCheck heat, lane assignment

Relaxation and cue words

65-75 min Easy jog to get blood flowing Go over mental performance plan Imagery involving running with perfect form Confidence card or self- talk script Review back-up plans 50-65 min Stretching Focus on breathing,relaxation Positive self- talkQuick imagery of portions of event 40-50 min Dynamic Warm-up Good form

Cue Words Energizationtechniques

almost addicted to them because she attributed the success of her season to the mental skills program. One reason for the slow start could have been from the lack to being told in detail all the benefits of the tasks, instead she was doing them because she was told to do them. Next she suggests some improvements. The lack of the training diary at the start was something that really bothered A.V. and she really enjoyed it when she was finally given clear schedules and a training log. In addition, she wants more variety in terms exercises and tasks. She recommends that I communicate more with her coaches so that they can become more involved in this process and the mental side would be incorporated better with her physical and technical training.

References

Ardern CL, Taylor NF, Feller JA, Webster KE. A systematic review of the psychological factors associated with returning to sport following injury. Br J Sports Med. 2013;47:1120-1126.

Blumenstein B., Lidor, R. & Tenenbaum, G. 2007. Psychology of Sport Training: Perspectives on Sport and Exercise Psychology Vol.2. Meyer & Meyer Sport. UK

Brookfield, D. 2009. Psychological Skills Training. BrianMac Sports Coach. URL: www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article001.htm. Quoted: 5.19.

Glazer DD. Development and preliminary validation of the Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport (I-PRRS) scale. J Athl Tr. 2009;44:185-189.

Murphy, S. 2005. The Sport Psych Handbook. Human Kinetics. USA

Weinberg, R. & Gould, D. 2007. Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 4th.ed. Human Kinetics. USA.