KINE 3000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Cathy Freeman, Sport Psychology, Trachea
13 May 2018
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8.1 – Sport Psychology Skills: Arousal Regulation
What is Sport and Exercise Psychology?
- Until now we looked at it as the scientific study
- New definition
Terminology: Sport Psychologist
- In Canada, provincial and territorial laws regulate use of the term ‘psychologist.’ A
psychologist is someone who has gotten a PhD.
- Consulting Terms:
o Mental skills trainer
o Mental coach
o Sport psychology consultant
- Research/Teacher Terms:
o Instructor of sport psychology
o Professor of sport psychology
Truth or Myth:
Only athletes with considerable psychological challenges need a sport psychologist. This is a
MYTH! Example is Patrick Chan.
Patrick Chan: has an interview on the Nationals. His coach told him, once you have a
psychologist, then you might as well pack your bags.
Penny Werthner: sport psychology coach
What can sport psychology consultants do to help athletes?
Sport Psychology Skills: Arousal Regulation
Arousal: describes the state of physiological and psychological activation in a person. Varies on
a continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement.
Arousal Regulation:
Athletes must:
- Identify their optimal levels of arousal in practise and competition settings
- Learn how to effectively regulate physiological, mental and emotional states to achieve
these optimal levels.
8.2 – Arousal Regulation: Sport Psychology Skills
Take your pulse:
Radial: place tips of your index, second and third fingers on the palm side of your other wrist,
below the base of the thumb.
Carotid: place the tips of your index and second fingers on your lower neck, on either side of
your trachea
Cathy Freeman: 10 min clip,
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Approaches to Regulate Arousal (can decrease and increase arousal levels. Some are very direct.
Others aren’t)
1. Breathing exercises:
Breathing Exercises to Decrease Arousal:
- Deep versus shallow breathing increases oxygen to body and facilitates elimination of
carbon dioxide.
- Deep breath in through your nose. One hand on belly; belly pushes hand out. One hand
on chest; chest should not move. Lungs fill slowly.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth. 1:2 inhale to exhale ratio. More advanced also
includes periods of hold.
Breathing to Increase Arousal
- Inhale slowly and exhale quickly
- Using 2 (inhale): 1 (exhale) ratio count
- Imagine activation and energy with each inhalation
2. Progressive relaxation:
Tension and relaxation are mutually exclusive. Useful at any time you feel you need to bring
arousal levels down.
Try it:
- Sit/lie down in comfortable position
- Tense a muscle – then relax it
- Recognize difference between tension and relaxation
- Move progressively through muscle groups/body parts
3. Performance routines
- Develop sequenced actions and thoughts before performance.
- Pre-competition plans: eating, prepping, packing, resting, training, focusing in 24 hours
before performance
- Competition plans: performance execution from start to finish
*they can always become superstitious, Wayne Gretzky is an example.
4. Attention cues: triggers that direct attention
*Kathy Freeman licking her lips, that could be to help her focus
Visual: focus keenly on something in surroundings. E.g. strings/logo of racket. Ex. Danielle
Goyette remembers her father when she sees the nylon piece.
Physical: doing an action. E.g. banging stick on ice, clapping – Kathy freeman example
Verbal: forms of self-talk. Words repeated at appropriate moment. E.g. smooth, high, speed,
ready, power.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Until now we looked at it as the scientific study. In canada, provincial and territorial laws regulate use of the term psychologist. " a psychologist is someone who has gotten a phd. Consulting terms: mental skills trainer, mental coach, sport psychology consultant. Research/teacher terms: instructor of sport psychology, professor of sport psychology. Only athletes with considerable psychological challenges need a sport psychologist. Patrick chan: has an interview on the nationals. His coach told him, once you have a psychologist, then you might as well pack your bags. Arousal: describes the state of physiological and psychological activation in a person. Varies on a continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement. Identify their optimal levels of arousal in practise and competition settings. Learn how to effectively regulate physiological, mental and emotional states to achieve these optimal levels. Radial: place tips of your index, second and third fingers on the palm side of your other wrist, below the base of the thumb.
