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Thursday, 16 June 2011
Sixth Form students enjoyed a fascinating lecture by eminent
Sport Psychologist, Professor Ian Maynard of the Centre for Sport
Performance at Sheffield Hallam University. The talk was part
of their Gifted and Talented Programme.
In a lively and interactive session, enjoyed by Sixth Formers
and staff, he opened his presentation by asking what is the
difference between a skill and a technique? He said
this can be summed up by the word "pressure". If an athlete
can perform a technique well under pressure then this makes it a
skill.
Athletes have to be able to deal with pressure and it is
imperative that they develop a professional attitude. One
quick way to establish confidence is to control the
controllable. Ed Moses, Olympic 400m hurdles gold medallist,
once said: "Ain't no use worryin' bout things beyond your control,
cause if they're beyond your control, ain't no use
worryin'…." There is a lot of truth in this axiom;
controllable factors include your diet, who you listen to before a
performance, the preparation of your equipment and thoughts; the
uncontrollable factors, which teenagers particularly, worry about
are winning, losing and the opposition.
Professor Maynard also talked about anxiety and stress
management. He stressed the importance of avoiding negative
self-talk such as: "You idiot, how could you miss such an easy
shot?" and keeping your self-talk positive, such as: "Everyone
makes mistakes - just concentrate on the next point." It is
also wise to have contingency plans in case things go wrong in the
first few minutes. He felt the English football team often
only plays one way, whereas other European teams have a second or
third game plan in reserve should they need it.
The presentation also touched upon positive visualisation and
how athletes are encouraged to see themselves making the successful
pass or shot or run - to visualise themselves being
successful. This is an excellent technique for learning new
skills. He cited Nike's "Just Do It" catchphrase as neatly
summing up the way an athlete has to think.
Much of sport psychology can be transposed across to life
situations, including dealing with exam and work
stresses.
Professor Maynard worked with Olympic athletes at the Barcelona
and Athens games and in a wide variety of sports including
lacrosse, rugby, cycling, diving and boxing; he is currently
undertaking work with Premiership football referees.
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