Langholm Academy National 5 Physical Education

1. Langholm Academy National 5 Physical Education Mental factors that can affect performance

2. Mental factors • Mental factors are associated directly with cognitive processes within the brain • Some mental factors that can affect performance are: • Concentration* • Decision making* • Problem solving • Mental toughness • Motivation • Anxiety • Judgement and evaluation (processing information)

3. Concentration ‘…concentration is your brain’s ability to focus on what is going on within a performance situation. The brain is able to use all your body’s senses to pick up information about what has to be done.’ A brain that is trained to concentrate can shut out unimportant distractions and focus completely on what you have to do.

4. Concentration Positive impacts on performance: Good concentration allows you to: • Direct focus (e.g. who you have to mark, where the shuttle should be played, where the court lines are) • Make fewer mistakes • Stay calm in competitive situations • Solve problems during pressurised situations • Have overall control over your performance

5. Concentration Negative impacts on performance: A performer who is unable to concentrate will: • Find it difficult to compete with their opponent • Be affected by a crowd supporting the opposition • Find it difficult to carry out role-related duties within a team • Be unable to cope well with any mistakes made while performing

6. Decision Making By being able to make decisions early, we learn to ‘read’ a situation and establish which things are unimportant, less important and very important. This helps us anticipate what might happen and we can begin to think ahead to plan our possible course of action.

7. Decision Making Decision making within a performance environment means making use of: • Our senses (sight, hearing, and kinaesthetic) • Our past experiences • Our ability to ‘read’ situations and know what needs to be done

8. Decision Making Positive impacts on performance: Good decision making allows you to: • Select and execute the correct skill at the correct time • Be in the right place at the right time to execute skill • Solve problems in pressurised situations Decision making skills can be developed by remembering/using previous experiences and outcomes and learning from them By being able to do the right thing at the right time in the correct way we are more likely to be successful

9. Decision Making Negative impacts on performance: A performer without good decision making skills will: • Struggle to solve performance based problems • Frequently make mistakes during competitive situations • Find it difficult to take advantage of an opponent • Missing performance cues • Lack of anticipation (not considering what they might do) • Unable to exploit weaknesses

10. Measuring Mental factors that affect performance Methods of gathering information about mental factors that can affect performance: • Questionnaires • Observation schedules • SCAT test • Profile of mood status (POMS)

11. Example of decision making observation schedule for Badminton

12. Example of self reflection questionnaire

13. Approaches to develop performance • Visualisation • Relaxation techniques • Mental rehearsal • Positive discussions (self/coach)

14. Homework • For Friday 2nd October • Nat 5 - FIOP booklet completed up to ‘approaches used to develop performance’ • ALL – keep working on development plan and evaluating sessions in training diary.