2 Jeff GrossGetty Images 3 Mental Toughness What is Mental Toughness Control over stress under adversity Your ability to understand and use your stress reactions to optimize your performance ID: 479665
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Slide1Slide2
What do these guys have in common?
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Jeff Gross/Getty ImagesSlide3
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Mental ToughnessSlide4
What is Mental Toughness?
Control over stress under adversity
Your ability to understand and use your stress reactions to optimize your performance
Sharper focus, confidence, and resilience
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Four Techniques to Learn and Practice
Focus on your performance objectives through goal setting.
Manage stress through arousal control.
Create and use experiences in your mind through visualization.Use your awareness of your beliefs and their consequences through self talk.
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Can the Big Four be Learned?
Scientific research says, “YES!”
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Cold-water Breath-hold Study
Two groups were immersed to measure breath-hold.
After measuring, one group was taught to use and practice the “big four.”
Both groups immersed and measured again.The “big four” group outperformed by 80 percent.The big four mental techniques helped control the cold-shock physical reflex!
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“Breath-Hold Performance During Cold Water Immersion: Effects of Psychological Skills Training” (
Bartwood
, Dalzell,
Datta
,
Thelwell
& Tipton, 2006) from Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine,
Vol
77, No. 11, November 2006Slide8
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Tough starts here.Slide9
Human Stress Response
Fight or Flight:
Body’s primitive and automatic response to perceived danger
Starts HPA (Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axisReleases hormones , like adrenaline
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Control the HPA and you can control performance!Slide10
How does it work?
HPA (Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis
Controls stress reaction and regulates body processes
Parasympathetic nervous systemControls rest functionSympathetic nervous systemStress response functions
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Control the HPA and you can control performance!Slide11
Physiological Reactions to Stress
Heart rate and blood pressure increase
Blood vessels constrict (get smaller)
Blood migrates from extremitiesMuscles tenseBreathing (respiration) increasesPupils dilate
Palms get clammyTears and sweat decreasesAdrenaline released
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Cognitive Reactions to Stress
Memory, concentration, and judgment suffer
Inability to concentrate
ConfusionRepetitive or racing thoughtsAnger and resentment Sense of being overwhelmed
Lack of confidence Desire to escape or run away12Slide13
Stress Response and Performance
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AROUSAL
P
E
R
F
O
R
M
A
N
C
E
An “optimal” level of arousal
High
Low
HighSlide14
Big Four
Goal Setting
Arousal Control
VisualizationSelf-Talk
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Goal Setting
Process Goals
Focus on the “how”
Essential skillsThings you can control
Outcome GoalsFocus on achievementMilestones
ProgressAttainment
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Focusing on your future skills and achievementSlide16
Why Goal Setting Works
Directs attention to important elements of a skill to be performed
Mobilizes effort
Enhances and prolongs persistenceFosters development of new learning strategies
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Goal Setting Principles
Segmenting
The technique of arranging and focusing upon smaller goals as manageable parts of a larger goal.
Breaking things into smaller periods of time or activities
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Eat the elephant one bite at a time.
Goal Setting Principles
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Eat
the
elephant
one
bite
at
a
time.Slide19
Goal Setting Principles
Make sure goals are:
specific and measurable
difficult but realisticboth long and short termSet PROCESS goalsWRITE DOWN goalsDevelop goal achievement STRATEGIES
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Effective Goals: The SMART Approach
Specific
MeasurableAttainable
RealisticTimely
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I will complete the
500 yard swim
in
13:00 min.
by the
end of the third week
of Prep
.Slide21
Goal Setting Pitfalls
Fuzzy goals
Setting too many goals too soon
Inflexible goals: failure to adjustLack of PROCESS goalsNo follow-up and evaluationFailing to recognize individual differences
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Arousal Control
AROUSAL
P
E
R
F
O
R
M
A
N
C
E
High
Low
High
An “optimal” level of arousal!Slide23
Arousal Control
Controlling the human stress response
Theory of Fours: Breath Control
Inhale: 4 secondsExhale: 4 secondsContinue 4-6 minutes
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Theory of Fours: Why it works
Normalizes human stress response (controls stress symptoms)
Forces people to focus on breathing vice stressor
“Centered-breathing”
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What is Visualization?
Creating or recreating an experience in the mind
AKA: visualization, mental rehearsal / practice
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Why Visualization Works
Vividly imagined events stimulate muscles like actually practicing a movement
Visualization creates a motor program in the central nervous system
Visualization improves concentration, reduces anxiety, builds confidenceIf visualized properly, the first time you see the “real” event is actually the second time your mind has seen it.
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Involve all of the Senses:
Visualize (70%) see yourself do a perfect sidestroke cycle into the glide
Hear (20%) the bubbles as you exhale during the bobbing
Smell (5%) the air on your breathing cycle / clean air vs. fumes / odorsTouch/Feel (4%) water flow over your body Taste (1%) the chlorine
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Does Visualization Work?
Anecdotal reports, case studies, and scientific experiments suggests that it improves performance
90% of Olympic athletes use some form of visualization; 97% of them felt it helped
94% of Olympic coaches used visualization during training, with 100% of them noting it enhances performance
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Uses of Visualization
20% everyday
40% 3-5 days a week80% for competitive event preparation
48% for technical errors44% for new skills40% for relaxation
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Uses of Visualization
Improve concentration
Build confidenceControl emotional responses
Practice sport / tactical skillsPractice strategyCope with pain and injury
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Types of Visualization
INTERNAL Visualization: imagining execution of a skill from your own vantage point ( as if you have a camera on your head)
EXTERNAL Visualization: view yourself from the perspective of an external viewer
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Basics of Visualization Training
Use all of your senses
Create or recreate as closely as possible the actual experience
Include emotions and thoughts
Manipulate your imagesMake them do what you want them to
VIVIDNESS
CONTROL
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What is Self-Talk?
Your internal dialog and beliefs affect your performance.
Past experiences
BiasesPrejudicesStereotypesABC Model:Activating Event
Belief Consequence
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Relationship Between
Beliefs and Reactions
Negative symptoms / consequences
Identify your own patternsID negative beliefs that lead to negative outcomesID positive beliefs that lead to positive outcomes
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ABC - Control / Results
Activating Event
(Little to No Control)
A
Beliefs
(Total Control)
B
Consequences
(Human Stress Response)
C
Drown-proofing
Negative Belief:
I’ll sink and not be able to hold my breath
Negative Result:
Panic, DOR
Positive Belief:
I can adapt to my body’s buoyancy and adjust my breathing, with practice
Positive Result:
Overcome anxiety quickly and drown-proof successfully
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How Self-Talk Works
Thoughts influence emotional / physiological responses
Events themselves do not lead to emotional / physiological responses
Self-talk plays a key role in our reactions to situations
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Technique to Improve Self-Talk
Activating Event
(Little to No Control)
A
Beliefs
(Total Control)
B
Thought Replacement
Consequences
(Human Stress Response
)
C
I failed 500 yd swim
Negative belief:
I’m not a natural swimmer
I can practice harder to pass the swim
Improve confidence- fewer stress symptoms
Pass the swim
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Understand your personal belief system
Use thought replacement!Slide38
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When to Use the Techniques:
Timing is Everything!
Pre-Event
Post-Event
During Event
Goal Setting
Arousal Control
Visualization
Self-Talk
Self-Talk
Arousal Control?
Goal Setting?
Note
: Arousal control and goal setting may have minimal impact during the event
Self-Talk
Goal Setting?
Note
: After the event, goals can be modified before the next eventSlide39
Mental Toughness Summary
The “Big Four” techniques
Goal setting
Arousal controlVisualizationSelf-talk (ABC theory)
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