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NSWIS Sport Psychologist Patsy Tremayne believes the secret to success at an elite level is maintaining a calm mind and loose body during competition, “Being able to perform without too much tension in the body while being able to focus the mind on the present moment. “A calm mind is achieved by increasing focus to the task and minimising distractions – internal distractions such as your own thoughts, or external distractions, such as the noise of the crowd, which you can’t control,” said Tremayne. “Each athlete has a personal trigger for increased arousal, which stems from their life and sport experiences, their belief systems, and their attitudes. In order to perform at their best they need an optimal level of arousal for the particular task and should be aware of any situations which may increase their arousal. “If the level of arousal is above the required level for the task, that may actually decrease the athlete’s attentional capacity to the task, and may lead to a less than optimal performance, so it’s a fine line between too much and too little.” At a basic level, triggering a certain level of arousal means an athlete must be in the right frame of mind for what they’re doing. Not enough, or too much, arousal will mean it is likely the athlete won’t perform at their best. Strategies such as cue words, imagery, goal setting, muscle relaxation and arousal regulation through various breathing techniques, are ways to control arousal level so it maintains or returns to an optimal level for the task at hand. Perception is a key aspect of sport psychology, and a person’s perception of any performance can vary depending on their role – athlete, coach, parent, or official. “Each athlete is different because their perceptions regarding various situations are different. For example, two hockey players may experience exactly the same issue on a surface level, but one may not perceive it to be as challenging as the other,” states Tremayne. “The athlete and coach may also have differing perceptions, which can be positive or negative. An athlete may be pleased with their performance at a competition while their coach may not, and vice versa.” So communication between coach and athlete is very important in order that both perform to their potential. stORy CHRIs JONes AND PATsy TReMAyNe phOtO GeTTy IMAGes sPORTs PsyCHOLOGy Mental as Anything “The game of golf is 90% mental and 10% physical,” said Jack Nicklaus when describing the importance of a strong mental capacity in the game of golf. Now, athletes from all sports are increasingly incorporating the benefits of sport psychology to complement their athletic improvement. Tremayne explains that one of the most important characteristics of sport psychology is making sure that the work being done is preventative, that athletes are implementing their strategies in training to maximise their output during competition time. They are training physically and mentally. For this reason it is uncommon for athletes and coaches to make wholesale changes to their program in the days leading into, or during competition. Most changes during that time, if they’re made at all, will be minor tweaks to ensure that their strategies are successful when it counts. “We aim to have the strategies and techniques put in place become second nature during competition, just as are the physical skills,” Tremayne says. “We teach skills well before major competitions such as the Olympic or Paralympic Games to ensure that the athletes are comfortable using particular strategies. Then it’s just a matter of refining these skills and helping the athlete maintain their form prior to competition.” With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games fast approaching, many NSWIS athletes with aims of competing in London will begin developing and implementing their sport psychology techniques in the coming months. Geographical distance between athlete, coach and sport psychologist has presented problems in the past, but now with programs such as Skype, interacting with athletes overseas has become easier than ever. “Undoubtedly, the best way to conduct sessions is face to face,” says Tremayne. “You’re able to see the subtle effects of body language, use of voice, and behaviour, and there is more information available to the psychologist which can help when working through specific issues. “With Skype there is a limited visual image, with phone calls one relies on the emotion and voice, and with email one has the words. Consequently you don’t get as much information, but using these forms of communication to connect with an athlete is better than using none at all, and the technology is improving all the time.” Tremayne stresses that successfully including sport psychology into an athlete’s training and competition plan is a decision that needs to be embraced by coach and athlete, and that “if all things are equal on game day, the athlete who has the calm mind and loose body usually wins.” Something to think about. n nswis.com.au // the edge // 19
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