Sport Physhology

Hi Rower

Here are some techniques to help reduce tension/anxiety for your rowers:

1. Train rowers to focus on their own performance - this is helped if they have a consistent pre-race routine that they can follow. This is really important. Combine positive self-talk, relaxation techniques and visualisation.

2. Have them focus on process goals prior to competition i.e. get them to focus on what they need to do to row well, and not not on the outcome. With my athletes I get them to visualise doing these aspects well, to help to focus their mind. Outcome goals are a big cause of over-anxiety pre-performance. Help them to set process goals.

3. Teach them diaphragm/belly breathing - the diaphragm expands on the inbreath - and get them to focus on the outbreath - the relaxation response. Get them to practise other relaxation techniques so that they can control their relaxation levels. This is really beneficial.

4. Get them to understand that pressure, in the right ammounts is good - don't get rid of the butterflies; get them to fly in formation!

Hope this is helpful. There are lots of good websites e.g. Brian Mac's where you can get further info.

With young ahtletes, I find that simple strategies, which you continually remind htem about, soon become habit. They actually enjoy learning these skills - and they get great benefit from them.

Happy Rowing!

Steve

Hi,

You may also want to read a great book called the Tao of Sport by Jerry Lewis.

Regards,

Michael

14-21 is a large age range with potentially very different needs. For the younger athletes (and to a great extent the older ones too), I'd really try to emphasise that effort and improvement against process and performance goals, and not outcomes (i.e. race positions) are important. Young athletes need to learn to take responsibility for their performance, and that performance in training will translate to confidence and performance in races.

There are a number of different theoretical approached to anxiety but there are some principles that I'd suggest hold across most theories. For me, anxiety is a negative emotion whereas arousal - the feeling of 'butterflies' can be either positive or negative.

1) Anxiety tends to be experienced when more importance is placed on a situation. That importance relates to a goal and could be outcome (e.g. place) or performance (e.g. time), but outcome goals tend to be. Try asking the question: What is it that makes this important? You might just get pretty quickly to the source of anxiety. As a coach or parent YOU might be the source of anxiety. Be prepared to accept that.

2) Confidence tends to mediate anxiety. Confidence is best cultivated in training, using process and performance goals. Try to de-emphasise results in competition because they are not under an athlete's control. You can use techniques such as imagery, self-talk or modelling to manage anxiety, but none is as powerful as experience.

3) Safety is also an important factor. Does your athlete feel that they can go all out without fear of failure. It needs to be OK to make mistakes in competition, as they are an important source of learning. Training should also be 'safe', and mistakes almost a positive as they can be worked out before competing. Explore the risks that your athletes perceive in competition - which might be physical or psychological - and what steps you can take to mitigate them (a good way of finding process goals).

It might be more appropriate to get into specific mental skills with the older rowers in this group, but if your young rowers are motivated in the right way and encouraged to hold helpful beliefs, they might not need to work at the symptomatic level that quite a lot of the mental skills address.

I have published some articles on youth sport and motivation on my site -www.mentalskills.co.uk.

Regards,
Rob

I use the Mental Game Plan book a lot. It helps me understanding the mental coaching principles and gives lots of practical information. These mental aspects can really be coached by you, just as you can coach rowing....

Performance routines, what are they, how to set it up, are also descibed in the book.

I have a reference to the book on my own website:

http://www.rugbycoach.com/highball/mentalgameplan.htm