Sport psychology - inside the champions' heads - Martin Hagger à TEDxPerth
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0:14 - 0:15When we look at Olympic sport,
-
0:15 - 0:17sport at the highest level,
-
0:17 - 0:20there are clearly some athletes
who always seem to get it right. -
0:20 - 0:21For example, Usain Bolt:
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0:21 - 0:25Olympic 100m, 200m champion, twice over,
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0:25 - 0:28in the 2008 Beijing Olympics
and in the London Olympics. -
0:28 - 0:32Michael Phelps:
the most bemedaled Olympian of all time. -
0:32 - 0:34These are athletes
who clearly get it right, -
0:34 - 0:38both psychologically
and physiologically all of the time. -
0:39 - 0:43It is also interesting to note that
they have contrasting approaches. -
0:43 - 0:46Usain Bolt, with all his comedy antics,
-
0:46 - 0:48prior to his event,
when he is on the start line. -
0:48 - 0:51We've all seen this.
(Laughter) -
0:51 - 0:55Michael Phelps,
however, a much different approach. -
0:55 - 0:58He sits down,
he is listening to music, -
0:58 - 1:01he has much more
cerebral, contemplative approach -
1:01 - 1:03towards his event.
-
1:03 - 1:05But it's both very effective.
-
1:06 - 1:11Sport psychology may play a part
in their preparation for their events, -
1:11 - 1:14and maybe a reason
why they're successful. -
1:14 - 1:16What happens when things go wrong?
-
1:16 - 1:18Here's another example.
-
1:18 - 1:22In the 2012 Olympics in London
in the soccer final, -
1:22 - 1:25there were two finalists,
Brazil and Mexico. -
1:25 - 1:27Brazil were the undoubted favorites.
-
1:27 - 1:29They were expected to win.
-
1:29 - 1:31They were the reigning Olympic champions.
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1:31 - 1:33They were extremely skilled,
-
1:33 - 1:35on paper, they were the best team.
-
1:35 - 1:37Mexico had made it to the final
playing well, -
1:37 - 1:39but they were unfancied.
-
1:40 - 1:44In the final,
Mexico went at Brazil -
1:44 - 1:47in an incredible display
of attacking football. -
1:47 - 1:49It was incredibly impressive to watch.
-
1:49 - 1:51And if you watched
the Brazilian players, -
1:51 - 1:52their heads dropped.
-
1:52 - 1:54They seemed slightly defeated.
-
1:54 - 1:55They could not understand
-
1:55 - 1:58why they were not performing
quite as well as they were. -
1:58 - 2:00Perhaps they were complacent.
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2:00 - 2:03Perhaps they'd expected too much.
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2:03 - 2:05Perhaps they were overconfident.
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2:05 - 2:07The Mexicans had nothing to lose,
-
2:07 - 2:09they attacked with fervor
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2:09 - 2:11and they won the Olympic title,
-
2:11 - 2:14they were the Olympic champions
over the fancy favorites. -
2:14 - 2:19Perhaps sport psychology
can explain why fancied champions -
2:19 - 2:21may be over-confident
-
2:21 - 2:24and may fail
when they're expected to win, -
2:24 - 2:26and perhaps why underdogs
take on the best -
2:26 - 2:29and win
despite all the odds. -
2:30 - 2:32Take another example.
-
2:32 - 2:33James Magnussen:
-
2:33 - 2:36a man with seemingly
unshakable self-confidence. -
2:36 - 2:40He said he was going to win
the 100m-sprint final in the pool -
2:40 - 2:43at the London Olympics.
-
2:43 - 2:45He was extremely confident.
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2:45 - 2:46But in that race,
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2:46 - 2:49he was out-touched
in the line by Nathan Adrian, -
2:50 - 2:52by 1/100 of a second.
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2:52 - 2:53And that was devastating for him,
-
2:53 - 2:57you could see his body language after,
he was destroyed. -
2:57 - 2:59Perhaps he was over-confident.
-
2:59 - 3:02Perhaps though,
his obvious confidence -
3:02 - 3:06in the events leading up
to the actual final. -
3:06 - 3:11Perhaps his confidence belied
an undelying self low confidence. -
3:11 - 3:14Perhaps he was not
very confident inside -
3:14 - 3:17when he should have been
supremely confident of his abilities -
3:17 - 3:21because he was
the world leader in the event. -
3:21 - 3:23So perhaps psychology
may have played a part, -
3:23 - 3:26but in particular,
it may help -
3:26 - 3:30when overcoming such a devastating defeat
for the next event. -
3:30 - 3:33Another very good example:
Roy McAvoy. -
3:33 - 3:37In the 2011 Augusta masters,
he was expected to win, -
3:37 - 3:39he was amongst the favorites certainly,
-
3:39 - 3:41and he's an extremely talented golfer.
-
3:41 - 3:46In fact, he is the one player
that all the people on the tour, -
3:46 - 3:48all the golfers on the tour,
the PGA tour, -
3:48 - 3:49fear the most.
-
3:50 - 3:51And yet on the day,
-
3:51 - 3:54when he was leading,
on the final day of the event -
3:54 - 3:55he was leading by four shots.
-
3:55 - 3:58He'd played superbly
on the previous three days. -
3:58 - 4:02He experienced
a catastrophic drop in his performance. -
4:02 - 4:03He shot a round of 80,
-
4:03 - 4:06and this is something
that professional golfers -
4:06 - 4:09can do in their sleep,
certainly very easily, -
4:09 - 4:14because they frequently shoot
rounds of 70 or below -
4:14 - 4:15and that's a good shot.
-
4:15 - 4:18So 80 was a catastrophic failure,
-
4:18 - 4:20and he ended up tying for fifteenth place.
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4:22 - 4:24So you'd think that
that sort of devastating performance -
4:24 - 4:26may have impacted on his mind.
-
4:26 - 4:31However, only eight weeks later,
he won the U.S open, -
4:31 - 4:34and there was no sign
of the lack of confidence -
4:34 - 4:36and the fact that the pressure
had got to him, -
4:36 - 4:39that was displayed
when he was in Augusta. -
4:39 - 4:41So it seemed that
he picked up the pieces. -
4:41 - 4:43And what is it that made him do so?
-
4:43 - 4:46Sport psychology
may indeed have the answers. -
4:46 - 4:49So, elite athletes, coaches,
-
4:49 - 4:50and the people who surround athletes,
-
4:50 - 4:53know very well the importance
of sport psychology, -
4:53 - 4:55and they're beginning to embrace it.
-
4:55 - 4:57Sport psychologists are often included
-
4:57 - 4:59in the teams
that surround athletes nowadays. -
5:00 - 5:02What is sport psychology?
-
5:02 - 5:07Well, it is the science,
study and practice -
5:07 - 5:09of mental preparation for sport.
-
5:10 - 5:13It involves identifying
the techniques and strategies -
5:13 - 5:15that athletes can take and use,
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5:15 - 5:17so they perform on their most optimum.
-
5:17 - 5:21It also helps athletes deal
with come back, with setbacks -
5:21 - 5:24and help them to come back
from devastating defeats. -
5:24 - 5:28Such as those by James Magnussen
or Roy McAvoy. -
5:28 - 5:32So we just begin to unpack
some of these strategies -
5:32 - 5:34that sport psychologists talk about.
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5:34 - 5:36So looking inside of the mind of a winner,
-
5:36 - 5:40what factors are linked
to success in sport? -
5:40 - 5:42Well, clearly an athlete
has to be motivated. -
5:43 - 5:48Often goals that athletes set,
describe or... -
5:48 - 5:50will demonstrate
how much effort -
5:50 - 5:54and how much will they have to win
in their event. -
5:54 - 5:57But sometimes motivation
is not enough. -
5:57 - 5:59An athlete has to be confident,
-
5:59 - 6:03and confidence seems to be ubiquitous
amongst high-performing performers. -
6:03 - 6:06There's a number of strategies
that athletes can use -
6:06 - 6:08to boost their confidence.
-
6:08 - 6:11Another important factor
is knowledge of the sport. -
6:11 - 6:14So basically,
knowing your sport inside out, -
6:14 - 6:15but also knowing the opposition.
-
6:15 - 6:18What are their strengths and weaknesses?
-
6:18 - 6:22One of the phrases coined
by Clive Woodward, -
6:22 - 6:24who was the England coach
-
6:24 - 6:29at the time they won
the Rugby World Cup in 2003. -
6:29 - 6:31One of the phrases he coined, was,
-
6:31 - 6:35"Total rugby, leaving no stone unturned
when it comes to performance." -
6:35 - 6:38He was very famous for developing
dossiers on the opposition. -
6:41 - 6:43Knowing their strengths,
knowing their weaknesses -
6:43 - 6:47and where he could attack them
and how he could tactically win them. -
6:47 - 6:50And that's clearly important
in sports these days. -
6:50 - 6:52So, using psychology
to understand the opposition -
6:52 - 6:54as well as yourself.
-
6:54 - 6:56Athletes are also
very good at using routines, -
6:56 - 6:58getting themselves
in the right frame of mind. -
6:58 - 7:00We'll look at that
in a few moments time. -
7:00 - 7:03Athletes are also good
at handling pressure. -
7:03 - 7:05If you look at Usain Bolt
or Michael Phelps, -
7:05 - 7:06they are cases in point.
-
7:06 - 7:09And anxiety management
is clearly an important aspect -
7:09 - 7:12of an athlete's arsenal of strategies
-
7:12 - 7:15to get them
in the right frame of mind -
7:15 - 7:17so that they can perform at their best.
-
7:18 - 7:21So let's look at some
of these strategies in detail. -
7:21 - 7:26Motivation is clearly very important,
and how do you get athlete motivated? -
7:26 - 7:29The most important things
are the goals that they set. -
7:29 - 7:31The goals that they set
will determine how much drive, -
7:31 - 7:33how much effort,
-
7:33 - 7:36how much will they have to perform well.
-
7:36 - 7:38But often a goal of winning
is not enough. -
7:38 - 7:40Sometimes, oh, most times,
-
7:40 - 7:43it is important that an athlete
has a number of sub-goals -
7:43 - 7:45which are related
to their performance. -
7:45 - 7:47So things like personal bests,
-
7:47 - 7:51that drive them
both in training and in competition. -
7:51 - 7:55It's important that these goals
conform to certain features. -
7:55 - 7:58And scientists,
psychologists and practitioners -
7:58 - 8:01always refer to this SMART- acronym.
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8:01 - 8:03And that's because,
having goals that are realistic, -
8:03 - 8:06relevant, specific,
measurable and so forth, -
8:06 - 8:10are really important when it comes
to getting an athlete motivated. -
8:11 - 8:14As I said earlier,
motivation is not enough. -
8:15 - 8:17It is important
that an athlete is confident, -
8:17 - 8:18and there are number of ways
-
8:18 - 8:20you can boost
an athlete's self-confidence. -
8:20 - 8:21Experience.
-
8:21 - 8:23Reminding an athlete
of their experience -
8:23 - 8:25is extremely important.
-
8:25 - 8:27Modeling.
I don't mean catwalk-modeling here, -
8:27 - 8:29modeling is also an important aspect,
-
8:29 - 8:32because that enables an athlete
to have a model -
8:32 - 8:36or blueprint if you like
of the optimum performance. -
8:36 - 8:40Imagery and self-talk are parts of that
and we'll get on to those in a moment. -
8:40 - 8:42Feedback is clearly important as well.
-
8:42 - 8:45Positive feedback
from the athlete's coaches. -
8:45 - 8:47Imagery is a mental rehearsal
-
8:47 - 8:50and it is a strategy
that many athletes use. -
8:50 - 8:52And here are the kinds of things
that an athlete -
8:52 - 8:56or a coach will go through,
when they're rehearsing their performance. -
8:56 - 8:59It is almost like
a video of their performance. -
8:59 - 9:00They will also use prompts,
-
9:00 - 9:03but they also visualize
any contingency that arise. -
9:03 - 9:07For example, any barriers
or problems or difficulties -
9:07 - 9:10that arise during the course
of their competition. -
9:11 - 9:14Here's an example
of these kinds of strategies in action. -
9:14 - 9:15This is Blanka Vlašić:
-
9:15 - 9:18she was a former world champion,
high jumper, -
9:18 - 9:20and YWF athlete of the year.
-
9:20 - 9:24And she was very famous for going through
the same performance routine -
9:24 - 9:26prior to a competition.
-
9:26 - 9:30She would close her eyes,
visualize a successful jump. -
9:30 - 9:32She would clap her hands rhythmically,
-
9:32 - 9:35and use the audience
to get the audience on board -
9:35 - 9:38and that would both boost her motivation
and her confidence, -
9:38 - 9:42and then she would practice some moves
shortly before executing her jump. -
9:44 - 9:47Self-talk is another strategy
that athletes use. -
9:47 - 9:48It's an extremely important strategy
-
9:48 - 9:51because it enables athletes
to go through in their mind -
9:51 - 9:54and use mantras
to try to boost their motivation, -
9:54 - 9:58but also to try to manage
the competition and the situation. -
9:58 - 9:59For example,
-
9:59 - 10:03the situation where the pressure
is on and they are highly anxious. -
10:03 - 10:06So, self-talk might have
motivational components, -
10:06 - 10:08but it also might help athletes
focus on important things -
10:08 - 10:10that are relevant to performance,
-
10:10 - 10:13so-called cues,
and also might have a calming effect. -
10:13 - 10:16Things like breathe and relax.
-
10:17 - 10:21Anxiety management is an important aspect
of sport performance. -
10:21 - 10:23Clearly at the Olympic Game
-
10:23 - 10:26the World Championships
at the highest level, -
10:26 - 10:28athletes are going to be under pressure
-
10:28 - 10:30and they need to be able
to cope with that pressure. -
10:30 - 10:32Sometimes being too anxious
-
10:32 - 10:34can actually undermine
an athlete performance. -
10:34 - 10:36It can be sub-optimal.
-
10:36 - 10:40So relaxation techniques
are extremely important in this regard, -
10:40 - 10:43and psychologists will work with athletes
to try and help them to relax. -
10:43 - 10:45So it might involve
things like breathing, -
10:45 - 10:47stretching,
relaxing the muscles, -
10:47 - 10:50they'll also use things
like music and meditation. -
10:50 - 10:52Michael Phelps is a good example,
-
10:52 - 10:56he listens to music right up
to the few minutes before is an event, -
10:56 - 10:58and that music will get him
to the right frame of mind -
10:58 - 10:59for that event.
-
10:59 - 11:02It will help him to relax
but it will also motivate him. -
11:04 - 11:07Here's a good example
of somebody using those techniques -
11:07 - 11:09to the greatest extent.
-
11:09 - 11:11This is Yelena Isinbayeva:
-
11:11 - 11:14double Olympic champion
at the pole vault, -
11:14 - 11:16and also the world record holder.
-
11:16 - 11:20This is her in the 2012 Olympics,
she's clearly very relaxed, -
11:20 - 11:23she lies back,
she covers herself in a close, -
11:23 - 11:27this has the effect
of shutting out any distractions -
11:27 - 11:31but also it has the effect of relaxing her
and relieving the pressure. -
11:32 - 11:36So in term of the mind of a winner
from a sport psychology perspective, -
11:36 - 11:39an athlete has to be motivated,
confident in their abilities, -
11:39 - 11:40manage pressure extremely well,
-
11:40 - 11:43and use these well
trained-drilled techniques -
11:43 - 11:46like imagery,
self-talk and relaxation. -
11:46 - 11:48Thank you.
-
11:48 - 11:49(Applause)
- Title:
- Sport psychology - inside the champions' heads - Martin Hagger à TEDxPerth
- Description:
-
Martin Hagger presents an overview of the various techniques chamions use to prepare themselves psychologically to their sport, giving details about scientific reseach about thoses techniques, how they operate and how the techniques can be used être utilisées by athletes and coaches to get the best performances.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 12:03
Elisabeth Buffard
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