Changing a Mindset: The Fourth Pillar

1
Changing a Mindset The Fourth Pillar

• Heather Barber, Ph.D.
• University of New Hampshire

2
Mental Game

• How to compete stepping onto the field ready to
  play hard taking the field
• Recovering from errors
• Taking risks
• Being a Practice and Game Player
• Maximizing ability

3
Program Development

• User Friendly
• Coaching clinics
• Web component
• Download files -
• Systematic Approach
• Developmental age and skill/ability
• State - Region National seamless progression

4
Central Role of State Coaches

• Regular part of practice followed up by
  homework
• Systematic approach to psychological skill
  development
• Tie to other three pillars

5
Coach/Sport Psychologist

• Enhancing Performance
• Maximizing ability of all athletes
• Enhancing the Sport Experience

6
Focus Points

• Enhance Motivation
• Decrease Anxiety
• Increase Confidence
• Concepts ---- Practice
• strategies

7
Motivation

• What is it?
• Direction and intensity of behavior
• Direction choice
• Intensity effort and persistence
• Perceptions of Competence
• Perceptions of Control

8
Strategies

• Goal Setting
• Provides a sense of control
• Provides information about ability
• Creating optimal challenges
• Coach communication feedback

9
Confidence

• Belief in ones ability
• Self-confidence is a good predictor of
  performance and enjoyment in sport
• Based on
• Past experience
• Communication coach and self talk
• Peer comparison

10
Strategies

• Positive Past Performances
• Goal setting
• Imagery
• Communication
• Self Talk
• Coach Feedback
• Peer Comparison
• Self-Referenced Feedback

11
Anxiety

• Definition response to perceived threat
• Interactional Model
• situation ---- X
• anxiety
• Situational event importance, situation
  criticality, coaching style, environmental
  conditions
• Personal past experience, low self confidence,
  preferred coaching style,

12
Strategies

• 2 approaches
• Structure the situation anticipation/preparatio
  n e.g. fitness test
• Change individuals response to the situation
• Relaxation Training
• Imagery

13
Goal Setting

• Why does it work?
• Impact on Motivation Confidence
• Getting Athletes to Be Goal Setters
• April Heinrichs Setting goals is a key component
  of our program commitment to these goals
  focuses our efforts

14
Goal Setting

• Principles set goals early and often
• set specific measurable goals
• challenging, yet realistic (help athletes assess
  their ability)
• set short-term and long-term goals (daily, 2-4
  weeks, season)
• set performance and outcome goals (31 ratio)
• set goals for practice and competition
• set target dates for achievement of goals
• develop strategies to assist in goal attainment
• identify barriers to achieving goals and create
  strategies for getting over hurdles
• provide regular feedback
• reinforce regularly
• recognize when athletes achieve goals
• make achieving goals a fun process

15
Goal Setting

• Consistent Goal Setting for Practice and Games
• 1 performance goal for every practice
• 3 performance goals leading up to region camp
• Region Camp
• Athletes bring a card with three performance
  goals for the week

16
This Year

• Goal Setting - starting now
• Self Talk - this spring
• Imagery - region camp