UNIT 3: MENTAL TRAINING FOR BADMINTON Introduction Sport psychology is the study of thinking in sport and how that

thinking affects an individuals behaviour and performance in training and competition. Sport psychology focuses on teaching practical skills to athletes to enable them to develop their mental abilities to the same level as their physical abilities. The Third One-Third Principle The first one-third is the players talent, the second one-third is the players acquired physical skills such as badminton footwork and the third one-third deals with mental toughness his competitive strength. It is about how he adjusts to the pressures of competition. At the top level of sport, where many athletes have equal physical ability, the difference between a great performance and a good performance or between winning and losing is often related to mental rather than physical abilities. Mental skills training involves a number of strategies and techniques which can help enhance players performance: Goal setting Setting both short and long term goals gives the athlete direction and enhances motivation. Imagery Imagery is the mental rehearsal or practise of a skill or performance using the senses to practise the physical skills in the mind without having to perform them. Through imagery players can visualize themselves succeeding in their next event, competition or skill. This involves techniques that help players relax their muscles and clam their nerves during both training and competition. The use of mood words and positive self statements help the play to focus on performance. These words create some emotion, or encourage the athlete to maintain the effort.

Relaxation

Self-talk

Mental Plan These are planned strategies or routines that help the players to be mentally tuned in for the big effort before and during competition. Players can also be prepared to cope with any mishaps or distractions that may occur. An athletes mental plan may incorporate one all of the above mental skills techniques. Understand the principles of motivation. There are many different types of motivation: Participation motivation Long term motivation why athletes choose to play a particular sport commitment to training/practicing for your sport
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Short term motivation Pre-game motivation Extrinsic motivation Intrinsic motivation

over an entire season or seasons building up for a particular competition or event the psych-up before the race or game eg. for rewards, recognition, trips away, money eg. for fun, health, and fitness, making new friends

Motivation is a driving force. Motivation is made up primarily of two components: Direction- it refers to where we choose to direct out energy. What are the players reasons for choosing to participate in sport and which sport in particular? There are many other choices for example, the movies, socializing with friends, tramping or watching television. intensity of effort- it refers to how much effort is invested in the chosen direction. For example, two athletes may both be motivated to attend training, however one athlete has a very low intensity and is unenthusiastic at training where the other athlete who has a very high intensity will be making an all out 100% effort throughout the session.

Players are either intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation- an internal striving to be competent. They are more enduring because they are self-fueled. Extrinsic motivation- a need to obtain rewards or recognition or both. When they are used correctly they can make intrinsic motivation even more powerful. However, they can also undermine intrinsic motivation.

What motivates players Pleasure in playing, training and wanting to progress. They want a good image name in the newspapers, recognition, success. Collective pride respect for each other players like playing together because of technical feelings. Relation between players What discourages players Management too strong Competition among players too strong Feeling of incompetence. Players do not get what has been promised Competition too strong for them Training is predictable They cannot see or feel the progress They are undervalued There is too much expectancy Coach is relocated to another team Too much parental involvement

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How to motivate the players? Coaches cannot control. the motivation levels of their athletes, however, it is important for coaches to be aware of why their athletes are involved in sport and what their needs may be. Coaches can help their athletes fell worth by: helping them set realistic goals involving them in the decision making recognizing individual progress and improvement not over emphasizing wining providing opportunities, time, and suitable coaching that help improve player performance. What is a goal? A goal is an aim and it has properties Direction - what to achieve Intensity - how much desire to achieve the aim Goals should have a maturity period time. This element of time gives purpose for the direction. Who sets the goals? Setting goals is a joint effort between the coach and the player. Remember the main role of the coach is to develop the players talents. In order to do this, the coach needs to take into consideration the players: Potential Level Life philosophy Educational commitments Career commitments Family commitment Financial constraints Emotional commitment Why set goals? Goals help players to maintain motivation. Success breeds success. Success in terms of achieving better timing or even score will motivate players to strive harder. This will further provide the drive and energy to plan to achieve new goals. boosts self confidence. By seeing and experiencing success more often whether in training or in matches, players feel good about themselves. They begin to develop better self value and belief. To give direction and help determine what is important. get feedback. Goals act as a measuring yard stick with which coaches and players may use to compare performance and achievement.

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achieve holistic development improve overall performance improve focus during training or competition and in personal life work harder and with sense of purpose

The purpose of goals is to focus our attention. The body, together with the mind, will not reach toward achievement until they have clear objectives. The magic begins when you set goals. It is then that the switch is turned on, the current begins to flow, and the power to accomplish becomes a reality. (Wynn Davis, 1988) Goals help players to recognize their success and achievements more regularly and consequently increases their motivation to strive for and achieve their next goal. Goal Setting Guidelines Goal setting requires communication and sometimes negotiation by everyone involved. In sport this concerns primarily the coach, the athlete, and the team as a whole, however, it may also require the cooperation of parents, spouses, friends, school, etc. Goals should be defined, preferably in writing, before the start of the programme. Organise a goal setting session for team goals where all team members are included and ensure everyone gets to have a say. However badminton being an individual sports especially singles it is very important to have one on one meetings. Work towards a consensus. If the team or individual player does not agree with or believe in the goals there will be no ownership and no desire to achieve them. Consider the following factors in your goal setting session: What is the long term goal? What is the athlete/teams potential? How committed are the athletes, the coach and also the management? How much opportunity is there for practice? Set mental, physical and technical goals for both training and competition. These goals may be related to physical fitness, developing a skill, behaviour towards opponents and officials, attitude at training, nutritional goals, etc. The Goal Setting Staircase The progression of goals helps your athletes to see the steps required to achieve their goals. If they achieve their training goals they will achieve their performance goals. If they achieve their performance goals they give themselves the opportunity to achieve their short term and long-term outcome goals their dream goal. Dream Goal (long term): What is the long-term goal? What is potentially possible in the long term if all the limits are stretched?

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Dream Goal (short term): What is the dream goal this year? What is potentially possible if the limits are stretched this year? Realistic Performance Goal (this year): What is a realistic performance goal that can be achieved this (based on the present skill level, on the potential for improvement, and on current motivation)? Monthly Training Goal: What is a personal goal that an athlete (or team) can achieve by a specific date. Have the athlete(s) write down one thing they would like to accomplish, or approach, with special focus or intensity. Next Training Goal: Have the athlete(s) set a personal goal that they feel they can achieve by the end of the next practice. Get them to write it down in their diaries. Adapted from Terry Orlick, 1986, Psyching for Sport: Mental Training for Athletes

Outcome Goals versus Performance Goals Process goals are the goals that focus on what to do or can be done to achieve the outcome goal. They are directly related to performance and other factors which determine the performance such as type of training, physical, technical, tactical, mental and nutritional factors. Most of the time process goals are generally within a players control. e.g. performing consistent and effective net shots training frequency seriousness of simulation ( feeling the shot as in a game situation ) during training Players during competition should be focused on their performances and specific game responsibilities, they should not be overly concerned about the outcome as it will distract their focus. Players have more control over their performance within the race or game than the actual outcome. Performance goals allow for success even if they lose, eg, a player can finish the match without winning but feel pleased because he achieved 80% of his net shots. Outcome goals focus on winning or losing. However the outcome of a sports competition does not always reflect the players ability or improvement, as the outcome can be determined by luck, the officials, and especially by the other players. For example, an athlete may achieve a goal of beating an opponent in a cycle race, but if that opponent got a puncture or had the flu at the time, what is the value of that result? If athletes achieve their performance goals then there is every chance (though no guarantee) that they will achieve their outcome goals.

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You forget about the outcome. You know you are doing the right things. So you relax and perform. After that you cant control anything anyway. Its out of your hands, so dont worry about it. Michael Jordan, 1994. Setting SMART Goals Specific Goals need to be specific. A common error in goal setting is that the goal is too vague. An example of a specific goal is I want to run the 1500 shuttles in multifeeding smash-net kill session this week compared to simply saying I want to finish 1500 shuttles. If a goal is specific it should also be measurable and/ or observable. Numerical goals are easier to measure (eg distance or time), than subjective goals (eg an improvement in attitude). Goals should be difficult enough to challenge yet realistic enough to achieve, if you are committed. Goals that are too high will lead to failure and decrease motivation, even if an athlete has performed well. Goals should be relevant to athletes current ability and future potential. Consider the athletes opportunity for practice and level of commitment towards achieving his or her goals. Goals should have a time frame or target date. Athletes should have long term objectives to give them focus, but should set short term goals to keep them motivated.

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Time lined

Source: Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K., Management of Organisational Behaviour Goals should be regularly reviewed and evaluated. For example, target dates may need to be changed due to injury or illness, the selected goals may be too hard or too easy, or the strategies for achieving the goals may not be effective. What is stress ? Stress is the bodys adaptation to demands which is beyond its normal locus of control to respond. It is about adjustment of the body. There are several ways to manage stress. One them is relaxation.

Relaxation Training There are a number of Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. which have the following characteristics:

procedures for first recognising and then releasing tension in muscles concentration on breathing control and regulation concentration on sensations such as heaviness, warmth
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mental imagery

Regardless of which technique is used, the following two conditions need to exist if the technique is to be learned:

the player must believe that relaxation will help a quiet, dimly lit and warm room which is free from interruption

Meditation for Relaxation A number of people involved in sports psychology believe that meditation can be useful in getting maximum performance from an athlete (Syer & Connolly, 1984). Engaging in meditation helps reduce stress before an event and with experience the athlete can learn to relax different muscle groups and appreciate subtle differences in muscle tension. What is meditation? Most people relate meditation to religion. Meditation can be practiced by anyone. Meditation is the quietening of the mind. It is a soothing passive thought and physical activity to bring the body to a state of neither here nor there in order to let the body and mind be free of stress. The technique includes the following steps:

Lie down quietly on your back in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Deeply relax all your muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing to your face. Breathe through your nose and become aware of your breathing. As you breathe out, say the word "one" silently to yourself. For example, breathe in . . . out, "one"; in . . . out, "one"; and so on. Continue for 20 minutes. You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm. When you finish, lie quietly for several minutes at first with closed eyes and later with opened eyes.

Maintain a passive attitude, permit relaxation to occur at its own pace and expect other thoughts. When distracting thoughts occur return your concentration to your breathing. Try to practice a Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. once a day. A Sample Relaxation Programme Begin with such thoughts as "Getting Loose" and then followed with "Breathing Easy". You may also come up with your own sooth words such as Let Go instead of Getting Loose and Relax instead of Breathing Easy. It is best to use the relaxation programme prior to commencing the warm up and then to use the warm up to achieve optimal level of arousal. Work with all your senses.

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You may play some very light music. The volume must be just loud enough for you to hear in the background. Play light mild music by Kitaro, Baroque pieces by Vivaldi or Pachelbel. You can get many from the music stores in town. Getting Loose Begin each session as follows:

Loosen your clothing and remove your shoes. Lie down with a pillow under your head (on a bed or on the floor). Lie flat on your back, feet apart arms at your sides. Go as limp as you can from head to foot. Let your shoulder blades go slightly flat. Waggle your feet Settle in with your legs. Shake your arms gently, rolling the backs of your hands against the floor Roll your head back and forth.

Now begin the "Getting Loose" exercise for each part of your body, as follows:

Legs Flex the muscles of your left leg by raising it 6 to 10 inches above the floor Point your toes slightly back toward your head. Hold this position of tension for as long as you can, about 10 seconds or so, until you begin to feel the muscles start to tremble. Then, say to yourself: 'Leg, let go. ' At this point, stop flexing it and let the leg drop. Let the leg rest for another 10 seconds or so, saying to yourself: 'I feel the tension flowing out of my leg ... My leg feels relaxed, warm, heavy ... completely relaxed o Repeat the flex-let go-rest procedure for that leg. o Run through the entire procedure again for your right leg. Buttocks and thighs o Tighten your buttock and thigh muscles, as tightly as you can. Hold them as long as you can - longer than 10 seconds - until you have to let go. Then release them, saying 'Let go', to yourself. Pause for 10 seconds or so and focus your attention on the relaxed feeling in those muscles, on the tension flowing out. o Repeat the exercise. Stomach o Do the same procedure twice for your abdominal muscles Back and Neck o Arch your spine, tightening all along it from your tailbone to your neck, and finish by telling it: 'Let go'. o Repeat the exercise Arms and Shoulders o Imagine there is a bar suspended above you that you want to use to pull yourself up. Raise your hands, palms upward, above your chest. Grab the imaginary bar and clench your fists around it as hard as you can. Flex the muscles in your arms and shoulders. Hunch your shoulders
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up as tightly as you can. Hold as long as possible. then say 'Let go. ' Rest for 10 seconds or so, soaking up the warm, relaxed feelings, letting the tension flow out. Repeat the exercise I tighten your jaw muscles, clamping down on you back teeth. Say 'Let go' and relax. Repeat the exercise. Tighten your facial muscles into a strong grimace . Say: 'Let go. ' Rest and focus on the relaxing feeling. Repeat the exercise.

Jaw
o o

Face
o o

Eyes Focus on a point on the ceiling. When, not moving your head, slowly roll your eyes to the right as far as they will go, then to the centre, then to the left, then back to the centre. Repeat . Rub the palms of your hands together until you. feel heat Close your eyes and cover them with your hands. Let the heat warm them. Rest, and tell your eyes: Let go,' and feel the tension flow out as you feel the warmth. Entire body o Clench your feet and fists. Pull your shoulders up. Tighten your jaw and face. Now simultaneously flex your entire body, arching yourself as much as you can from your heels to the back of your head. Hold it for as long as you can. until you feel your body tremble. Then say: 'Let go' - and just let yourself go ... all the way, as much as you can. o Lie there and feel the tension drain away. Get totally relaxed o Close your eyes. Let your attention wander slowly over each part of your body, from legs to face, as you did in the exercise. If any area seems to have some residual tension, tense it. o Feel the tension draining out of you, but don't worry if there is still a little left. Keeping your eyes closed, stay in this relaxed state for the rest of the 10 minute session. o Think of a very pleasant, peaceful place.
o

Think of floating in a small boat on a peaceful lake with a soft breeze gently rocking you back and forth, back and forth. Or think of floating in space, lighter than air, weightless. Observe the pleasant, calm feelings.
o

Tell yourself: 'I am relaxed now ... My legs feel relaxed ... My buttocks, thighs, and abdomen feel relaxed ... My back arms, shoulders, jaws, face and eyes feel relaxed ... The tension has been let go. '

Focus your relaxed feelings Now begin to focus this relaxation on your event. Tell yourself: 'When I am moving in between rallies I begin to feel tension gripping some muscles, I will be able to tell

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those muscles: "Let go", saying "Let go " will recall these relaxed feelings I feel now and will release the tension from those muscles just before I serve or receive service.' Breathing Easy Having completed the "Getting Loose" exercises remain lying on your back. Carry out the "Breathing Easy" exercise for 10 minutes, as follows:

Inhale

Inhale slowly and deeply, filling your chest with air, counting four seconds to yourself. 'One and two and three and four' The count is to give you a nice and easy, even pace. Try to breathe as fully as you can without discomfort. Imagine your chest slowly filling with air, from your diaphragm to your collar.

Hold breath

When you have inhaled fully, hold your breath for another four seconds, again counting to yourself: 'One and two and three and four'. This should be just a comfortable pause. Don't do it until you are blue in the face.

Exhale

Exhale - but don't blow. Just let the air out through your mouth unhurriedly saying to yourself: 'Easy ...easy... easy... easy.' Let out as much air as you can, down to the lower part of the lungs. Feel yourself relaxing as you do. Feel your shoulders, chest and diaphragm letting go. As you exhale, think of the tension flowing out of you.

Don't worry if the sequence isn't exact or the cadence perfect. It may seem a bit difficult to stay with at first, but just keep going. The important thing is to establish the slow relaxed breathing rate. After the ten cycles, your breathing rate will be automatically slower and you can dispense with the "one and two and three and four" cadence. Now do as follows:

Inhale - Breathe in Hold breath - Hold it very briefly. Exhale - Let the air out slowly (don't blow), saying mentally: 'Easy ... easy ... easy ... easy ' with each exhalation. Repeat this cycle ten times.

You will soon begin to feel a calm, thoroughly pleasurable feeling - some say a warmth radiating from your chest throughout your body

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Now let yourself breathe normally and tell yourself [mentally ]relaxing phrases: 'I feel very relaxed ... All the tension is going out of me as I exhale and good feelings are coming into me as I inhale ... When I am playing, I will be able to take a few deep breaths and by saying, "Easy " will be able to tell myself to relax whenever I feel overly tense ... When I'm playing, I will recall the good feelings I am experiencing now and they will automatically return to me ' Imagine all this happening as you say it to yourself. Now do as follows:

Inhale - Breathe in slowly Hold breath - Hold it very briefly Exhale - Let the air out slowly while mentally saying to yourself: 'Easy... easy... easy... easy.' Repeat this cycle ten times.

Now let your breathing go naturally, and pay attention to the pleasant feelings in your body. Repeat the same encouraging phrases to yourself that you did earlier. Listen to the sound of your own breath coming in and out. You will notice that the breathing is slow and deep without you having to make it that way. The exhaling will last longer as long as an eight-count, perhaps. Continue to do the breathing exercises for the rest of the session, each time alternating the ten cycles of inhale-hold-exhale with the mental encouragement. After the last cycle of ten, just let yourself enjoy the feeling for a minute. Easy Tell yourself for the rest of the day I will recall these sensations every time I tell myself EASY Can you create your own approach? Practise this example. As you get better you can modify it or change the approach and make your meditation technique your own. Something that you can switch on any time and anywhere. How do I achieve relaxed muscles? Progressive muscular relaxation involves the active contracting and relaxing of muscles. When a muscle is tightened for 4-6 seconds and then relaxed, the muscle returns to a more relaxed state. This process should be performed for the following parts of the body in turn - feet, legs, thighs, buttocks, stomach, back, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, jaw, face and eyes.

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How will relaxed muscles feel ? J.H. Schultz in the 1930's noticed that patients in a relaxed state experienced one of two sensations: the feeling of warmth or the feeling of heaviness in completely relaxed limbs. During the relaxation process concentration should be focused on one of these sensations. For the first few sessions the athlete should alternate the focus between sessions to determine which one they prefer. Can relaxation have a negative effect ? In a competition situation a player will either be:

under-excited - low in arousal; find it hard to "get up" for the competition; disinterested; etc. over-excited - high in arousal; over the top; nervous-anxious; scared of the competition; sick with worry; etc. optimally-excited - nervous but in control; looking forward to the competition but apprehensive; thinking positively; feeling good; etc.

If we were to use Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. with an over excited athlete, we might be able to reduce the arousal level to that of the optimally excited player. This would have a positive effect the players performance. However if we asked an under-excited athlete to use relaxation procedures it would only make it harder for him to "get-up" for the competition. The coach therefore has to know his/her athletes and how they react in competitive situations. What is mental imagery ? Mental imagery involves the players seeing himself in a specific environment or performing a specific activity. The images should have the players performing these items very well and successfully. They should see themselves enjoying the activity and feeling satisfied with their performance. They should attempt to enter fully into the image with all their senses. See, hear, feel, touch, smell and perform as they would like to perform in real life. When a player is in a fully relaxed state, he is particularly receptive to mental imagery. What can mental imagery be used for ? Mental Imagery can be used :

To see success. Many athletes "see" themselves achieving their goals on a regular basis - performing skills at a high level and seeing the desired performance outcomes To motivate. Before or during training sessions, calling up images of your goals for that session, or of a past or future competition or competitor can serve a motivational purpose. It can vividly remind you of your objectives, which can result in increased intensity in training.
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To perfect skills. Mental imagery is often used to facilitate the learning and refinement of skills or skill sequences. The best athletes "see" and "feel" themselves performing perfect skills, programs, routines, or plays on a very regular basis. To familiarise. Mental imagery can be effectively used to familiarize yourself with all kinds of things, such as a competition site, a race course, a complex play pattern or routine, a pre-competition plan, an event focus plan, a media interview plan, a refocusing plan, or the strategy you plan to follow To set the stage for performance. Mental imagery is often an integral part of the pre-competition plan, which helps set the mental stage for a good performance. Athletes do a complete mental run through of the key elements of their performance. This helps draw out their desired pre-competition feelings and focus. It also helps keep negative thoughts from interfering with a positive pre-game focus. To refocus. Mental imagery can be useful in helping you to re focus when the need arises. For example, if a warm-up is feeling sluggish, imagery of a previous best performance or previous best event focus can help get things back on trackYou can also use imagery as a means of refocusing within the event, by imagining what you should focus on and feeling that focus.

How do I Apply Mental Imagery ? Golfing great Jack Nicklaus used mental imagery. In describing how he images his performance, he wrote: "I never hit a shot even in practice without having a sharp in-focus picture of it in my head. It's like a colour movie. First, l "see" the ball where l want it to finish, nice and white and sitting up high on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes, and I "see" the ball going there: its path, trajectory, and shape, even its behaviour on landing. Then there's a sort of fade-out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality only at the end of this short private Hollywood spectacular do l select a club and step up to the ball." You must see and feel it as realistically as possible. When should mental imagery be used ? To become highly proficient at the constructive use of imagery, you have to use it ever day, on your way to training, during training, after training, and in the evenings before sleeping. If you want to perfect and use mental imagery to your fullest advantage you can start by doing two things. In every training session, before you execute any skill or combination of skills, first do it in imagery as perfectly and precisely as possible. See, feel, and experience yourself moving through the actions in your mind as you would like them actually to unfold. In competitions, before the event starts, mentally recall the event focus plan, significant plays, skills, movements, reactions, or feelings that you want to carry into the event.

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What are the benefits of combining imagery and relaxation? Relaxation itself can be useful in: the promotion of rest, recovery and recuperation

the removal of stress related reactions, e.g. increased muscular tension, etc. the establishing of a physical and mental state which has an increased receptivity to positive mental imagery the establishing of a set level of physical and mental arousal prior to warming up for competition.

When combined with positive mental imagery it is useful in:

developing self confidence developing pre-competition and competition strategies which teach athletes to cope with new situations before they actually encounter them helping the athlete to focus his/her attention or concentrate on a particular skill he/she is trying to learn or develop. This can take place both in or away from the training session or competition situation.

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