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Affirmations
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| Phrases used
to induce a positive frame of mind. May be written (cue cards) or
spoken (see self-talk). |
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| Just in case anybody gets
this wrong, alcohol is banned under IOC rules as a relaxant. In any
case, nobody is really sure whether it improves your score, despite
a lot of people spending much of their lifetime trying to get the
dose right. But if you have to get the relaxation skills toolkit out
instead of stopping off for a drink - alcoholic or otherwise - after
a hard day's shooting, IMHO you're taking this psych stuff a bit too
far. |
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| Referring to thought
processes. Cognitive anxiety relates to mental symptons of anxiety,
such as worry, apprehension and fear of failure. |
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| Coping
strategy |
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A planned response to external
events (usually unwanted or unplanned). Coping is daling with
events. Coping strategy is the particular approach used. The
basic approach to developing coping strategies is: 1. Think about
what might go wrong. 2. Work out what to do if it happens. (Note;
you should also work out how to stop it happening!).
Examples;
Event: Might lose tab. Coping strategy: Carry spare.
Event: Might get nervous. Coping strategy: Learn & apply arousal
control method. |
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| Cue
word |
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| Word or phrase associated
with a response. Usually used to trigger a desired response, such
as relaxation, concentration or a particular mood or attitude. Sometimes
also associated with a movement cue, like snapping fingers, clenching/unclenching
a fist etc. |
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| Goals or targets for end
results. Examples: Number of 'golds' shot; Winning or placing at events;
Medals won. Outcome goals tend to be rewarding, and make good motivators;
the reasons you do sports. Thay also tend to be uncertain and less
in the archer's control, so they make poor targets from an anxiety
control perspective. |
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| A method of mental rehearsal
in which the athlete visualises performance before executing a move.
Previsualisation can either be literally a picture, played like a
movie in your head, or it can be an 'internal' view of the activity,
such as 'feeling through' the shot beforehand. A complete visualisation
might include everything from the feel of the bow handle and tab as
the shot starts, through the muscle feel, alignment, feel of face
contact, visual image of the aim, feel of the draw through the clicker,
feel of the explosion and follow-through and simultaneous picture
of the shot arcing into the gold. Very useful part of pre-performance
preparation in 'closed' sports like archery where action is initiated
by the archer, not by a competitor or external event. |
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Process Goals
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| Goals or targets
for INPUTS to a process, such as a training process. Examples: Number
of arrows shot; Number of days per week in training. They can nearly
always be set entirely within your control, so make good goals for
anxiety management - but they tend to be dull, so make poor motivators.
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| Self
talk |
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| Literally, talking to yourself;
a general term covering the things athletes say to themselves. Negative
self-talk is common in untrained athletes ("you idiot! how could
you shoot a black at 50m??!!"). Not generally helpful.. Positive
self-talk can be applied as a useful mood adjustment method, in which
an archer reads, recalls or even speaks phrases designed to evoke
a particular mood or change a thought pattern. The phrases are worked
out beforehand (and should be truthful!). Examples might be "I
have prepared well for this competition", "I usually achieve
the targets I set" etc. |
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| Broadly, related to the
body. The technical term somatic anxiety refers to awareness
of physiological arousal in the body. |
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| Tactile
feedback |
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| Tactile relates
to Touch. Tactile feedback is feedback you get from touch,
or contact. Examples: The feel of the pressure point on your bow hand,
or the feel of the string against your face. |
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