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Dr. Ray Havlicek Psychologist Lake Placid, NY www.drhavlicek.com. The Psychology of Athletic Performance DISCOVERING your full ATHLETIC potential. Strong, Balanced, Focused and Synchronized. Where Hundredths of a Second Matter. 90 mph+. Focused, Energized, Relaxed. Winning.
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Dr. Ray Havlicek Psychologist Lake Placid, NY www.drhavlicek.com The Psychology of Athletic Performance DISCOVERING your full ATHLETIC potential
Winning • Good competitive results occur when an athlete’s performance is high enough, within the athlete’s performance range. • Being at the top of your range should be the goal in training. • Winning is a side effect of peak performance within your range.
Is it training or a race? Either way he is having a great day at the upper end of his range.
Athletic Performance Range • Each athlete has a performance range, the limits of which are never known exactly, though over time greater knowledge of each athlete’s range can develop. With commitment and centeredness, training provides insight about athletes’ performance range. • Your understandings about your athletic range can change over time.
Shooting between heart beats? Performance under tough conditions
Optimal Performance • High performance in training develops through attention to coaching, self-discipline, and working well with good goals, which should lead to a lot of enjoyable hard work. • Growth is a gradual process. The “process” gradually leads to the growth of your athletic personality.
Commitment, concentration and conviction=Satisfaction with Sport and Self.
Self Actualization through Athletics • Emotionally rewarding athletic development means self-satisfaction resulting from concentrated maximum athletic effort. Love of sport and happiness with athletic development will lead to self-actualization, and enhanced self esteem, and confidence. These are natural biofeedback signals…Listen to them! • An Olympic Gold Medalist once told me that she won because race day was just another peak performance training day.
Reaction Times • Quick reaction times amplify athletic performance. • Quick reaction times result from great concentration, elimination of distraction, all aspects of being in the “Zone.” • Reaction times can be improved.
Self Awareness • Each athlete can rate themselves with respect to how satisfied they are with their athletic development. Only you know for sure. Athletic dissatisfaction, can lead to greater self- awareness if addressed, OR if ignored lead to impaired performance. • Knowing about, and believing in yourself in relationship to your sport is very important. Self-acceptance supports satisfaction with gradual athletic growth.
Brief Athletic Self Awareness Check List • I am generally eager to train. True, False, or Sometimes • During training I listen, attend to, and generally follow what my coach asks of me. True, False or Sometimes. • I am generally free of anger and stress when I am having difficulty with a new athletic challenge. True, False, or Sometimes. • My pre-performance stress is a problem. True, False, or Sometimes. • My moods are too affected by my sport. True, False, or Sometimes. • I get enough sleep. True, False, or Sometimes • My athletics and academics are in balance. True, False, or Sometimes. • My ability to concentrate is generally good. True, False, or Sometimes. • I am happy working at my sport one day at a time. True, False, or Sometimes.
Your reaction times, and ability to concentrate can be measured. • Your concentration and reaction times can be measured. • The Connors Continuous Performance Test (CPT-2) provides a real time measure. • Thought Technology’s Reaction Time Suite can also provide a real time measure, coupled with mind-body signals.
The “Zone” • Peak performance is most probable when athletes are in the “zone.” This concept applies to athletics, academics, work, and life in general. • The psychological principles of peak performance are universal. Learn them in athletics and you can apply them throughout your life. • People who do well on the “Checklist” will find it easier to get into the “Zone.” • Faster reaction times, and greater concentration are indications you are moving closer to the “Zone.”
What is the “Zone” • The “Zone” involves a mental state, which includes motivation, attention, focus, centeredness, energized relaxation, and awareness, all of which should be in balance with one another. • Additional necessary factors include physical and mental health, appropriate rest, nutrition, relaxation, and freedom from distress. • Simple tasks such as biofeedback assisted reaction time tasks, and biofeedback assisted self-regulation relaxation training can provide important training leading athletes to recognize the “Zone.”
More About the “Zone” • Think of the “Zone” as a balanced mid-point of extremes. On one extreme there is very low activation such as occurs during sleepy-relaxation with low motivation, which leads to minimal performance. On the other extreme there is extreme arousal, such as occurs during excessive drive and stress, which impairs performance. Finding your balance point leads to the “Zone.” • The “Zone” is an activated, prepared, fully focused state of relaxed, though energized, motivated consciousness, in which all other interfering issues temporarily disappear.
Energy in balance with strength, relaxation, and concentration!
Still More About the “Zone” • Professionals can assist you find your own “Zone,” though ultimately, only each athlete can figure it out for themselves. It takes time to sense and voluntarily control entry into the “Zone.” Biofeedback training can provide improved concentration, relaxation, control and faster reaction times. • Happiness with sport and performance are good starting points for each athlete intent upon discovering their respective Zone of Peak Performance. • Once the “Zone” is experienced you won’t forget it. Knowledge of it assists in organizing yourself towards getting back into it. • Others experience the “Zone” too, including musicians, artists, and others seeking peak performance experiences. Rock guitarist Carlos Santana has talked about entering his Zone when he records.
What is Biofeedback? • Biofeedback electronically provides information—or feedback—about an individual's emotionally sensitive biological functions. • Biofeedback training provides athletes with increased information about what is going on inside their bodies and their brains. • Many times we don’t know. We can’t control what we are not aware of. By watching an instrument provide continuous measurements, a person can experiment with different thoughts, feelings, and sensations and get immediate feedback on the physical effects. • Many important mind-body links are automatic. Biofeedback can create conscious control over automatic responses. • Biofeedback training leads to conscious control the athlete can use to reduce stress, and enhance performance.
Cultural Background of Biofeedback • Cultural factors contributed to the development of applied biofeedback. The gradual merging of the traditions of the East and West, and the rise of interest in meditation and "consciousness expanding" also played a part. • Yoga and Zen masters have claimed for centuries to be able to consciously alter their autonomic physiological states through meditation. • Athletes can alter mind-body connections through biofeedback. This is how biofeedback got the nickname "the Yoga of the West”. • With regard to athletics, athletes and coaches have emphasized the mental aspect of sports leading to an interest in self-regulation methods including biofeedback for athletes.
Biofeedback Training • Biofeedback training involves the use of physiological sensors, attached to a computer. The athlete begins biofeedback training by learning about significant signals such as EMG, EEG, Peripheral Temperature, and Electro-dermal Responses. • Biofeedback signals respond to subtle changes in consciousness reflecting emotional states characteristic of either being in or out of the “Zone.” Polygraphers take advantage of this same technology to provide estimates of a subject’s truthfulness. • Biofeedback provides information to enable an athlete to become aware of, and then control significant emotional responses, which may interfere with or enhance athletic performance.
Biofeedback Devices: Provide the Athlete – Computer Interface
Athletes’ Using Biofeedback Training. Note the Sensors and Monitor.
Continuous Performance Testing A New Dimension in Continuous Performance Testing Thought Technology’s Reaction Time Suite features continuous performance testing (CPT) in parallel with EEG and peripheral physiology. Functionality ranges from very simple to highly advanced. • Includes single, variable and choice protocols • Computes reaction time statistics with simultaneous EEG, HRV and other indicators. • Data is time-locked to CPT events to allow comparisons of individual or group averaged EEG, HRV and physiology data between correct and incorrect responses. • Provides trends of reaction time statistics in parallel with physiology • Includes training screens • Features integrated webcam on most screens and frame by frame review functionality
Practice has evolved • Biofeedback Technology enables reaction time training using real-world sports scenarios including: baseball, soccer, tennis, ice hockey, track & field and more. • Athletes can aim for faster starts, more accurate penalty kicks, higher batting averages, better serve returns and higher faceoff percentages. Training can transfer between sports because conscious control of the “Zone,” is what is being trained throughout. • EEG, HRV and physiology data from training trials can be analyzed to assist the athlete improve.
Student Athlete Works with Computer Based Biofeedback Reaction Time Training to Improve Performance
What the Trainer Sees “Reaction time training helped me to be consistent and first off the line in race after race at the Olympic Games!” Charles Hamelin 500m Gold Medalist – Short Track Speed Skating 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games “The ability to react quickly is essential to peak performance - whatever your sport. If you can increase your reaction time more rapidly than your competitors, you get an incredible performance advantage. In this way, reaction time training will maximize your athletic potential.” Pierre Beauchamp, PhD Mental Performance Consultant Short Track Speed Skating Canada
Examples • Thinking Happy Thoughts: MindRoom in the Works for Canucks • By Iain Macintyre, Vancouver Sun columnist December 10, 2009On the Web: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/family-child/Thinking%2Bhappy%2Bthoughts%2BMindRoom%2Bworks%2BCanucks/2325997/story.html?id=2325997#ixzz119WvvVAX
Examples Continued Thu Jun 03 12:50pm PDT • Under pressure: What big games do to players and how they cope • On the Web: • http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Under-pressure-What-big-games-do-to-players-and?urn=nba-245531 • By Dan Devine
Health Related Examples Follow the link below to an article by the Mayo Clinic regarding how Biofeedback can help you to use your mind to manage certain medical conditions. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/biofeedback/SA00083
Coaches’ Corner • Look for athletes who you may believe are experiencing some interference in concentration (dysregulation). • Look for athletes who may not be having interference, though who may wish to try to improve focus. • Look for athletes who have difficulty staying with your recommended goals, and who may have a tendency to become inconsistent in training. • These student athletes should be assessed for possible biofeedback training via Continuous Performance Testing. • Coaches should be involved in selecting student-athletes for biofeedback training, as well as being involved in transferring biofeedback training into practice.
Educators • Teachers and staff should look for student-athletes who have attention difficulty in the classroom. The tendency to drift in the classroom may parallel concentration-consistency issues in sports training and adherence to coaches’ goals for the student athlete. • These students should be screened using Continuous Performance Testing with either the Connors Continuous Performance Test, or with the Thought Technology Reaction-Time Biofeedback Suite.
