Anxiety

Cognitive anxiety

• psychological responses
• thoughts and worries of performer
• doubts in their ability to complete task 

Somatic anxiety

• physiological responses of performer
• increased heart rate
• sweating
• muscles tension

State anxiety

• anxiety felt in a particular situation/at a specific time

Trait anxiety

• enduring personality trait -> performer generally perceives situations as threatening

Physiological methods

• measure somatic anxiety -> increased HR, sweating and muscle tension
• put performer in an artificial situation -> being in this situation creates anxiety by itself

Observation

• looking for symptoms of changes in performer -> increased bodily movements + agitation
• take place in artificial environment -> leads to extra anxiety
• reliant on skill of observer + time consuming/expensive
• if performer knows observation is occurring they may behave differently/become more anxious/increased state anxiety
• observer needs to know normal behaviour patterns of performer for comparison 

Questionnaires

• responses to questions may not be true reflection of their feelings
  
• quick to administer/cheap to produce
• misinterpretation of questions/lack of understanding
• questions may not allow for full answers/limited options to express emotions  

Sport Competition Anxiety Test (****)

• find out which competitiors are likely to become too anxious in competitive situations
• self-report applied specifically to sports competitions
• scoring gives indication of performer's level of state anxiety in competition-specific situations
• coaches and psychologists can evaluate who needs help controlling anxiety

State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)

• people rate how nervous they feel both in general (trait) and specific situations (state)
• scoring gives indication of both state and trait anxiety of the performer
  

Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2)

• measures cognitive and somatic anxiety in a competitive situation
  
• given out on more than one occasion leading up to the event
• enables researcher to compare baseline level of anxiety with pre-competition levels
• also whether any aspect of anxiety becomes more evident in pre-competition period

Imagery

• 'calming image' to reduce anxiety -> creating mental images to escape the immediate effects of stress or anxiety/recreate a relxaing situation
• 'image of success' to increase confidence -> creating a mental image of what you want to happen/lock in on perfect performance by going through emotions of successful performance

Visualisation/mental rehearsal

• lock in on 'perfect performance' -> focusing on controlling performance by going through emotions of successful performance
• reduces anxiety by diverting attention away from the cause/blocking out anxious thoughts

Positive self-talk

• developing positive thoughts about one's actions
  
• vital that self-talk remains positive and focuses on self-instructing/motivational content

Negative thought-stopping

• conditioning the mind to think of alternatives to the anxiety-causing negative thought
• used to block an unwanted thought before it escaltes/disrupts performance 
• use of cue/action/word
• helps to create a sharp refocus of attention/re-directs attention to positive thoughts
• Example – key word – focus

Attentional control and cue utilisation

• aims to improve the performer's ability to focus on the appropriate cues (cue utilisation)
• number of errors caused by other distractions is reduced
• to improve attentional control -> performer avoids negative thoughts/feelings 
• -> performer must remained focused on present/relevant stimuli
• Broad/external – used during games to detect fast changing situations and identify the best option
• External/narrow – used to concentrate on specific objects or tasks, possibly with limited number of cues
• Narrow/internal – used to mentally rehearse a skill or task 

Biofeedback - info about changes in physiological variables/measuring physiological responses (HR monitor)

• performer watches monitor displaying changes in HR -> tries to lower the reading by distracting their attention away from cause of anxiety/learn to recognise/control anxiety responses

Breathing control - using diaphragmatic/deep breathing as a means of foucsing on relaxation

• breathe deeply in through nose -> expand abdomen fully -> breathe out slowly through mouth
• may invlove repeating a key word (mantra) that helps relaxation  

Centering - using deep breathing as a way of refocusing concentration -> interrupting stressful situation

• critical in helping you stay focused and avoid distractions

Progressive muscular relaxation (PMR)

• often combined with effective breathing control
• focus on specific muscle groups
• contract muscles tightly -> hold in extreme tension -> relax muscles

'a technique used to control anxiety by directing attention away from stress and towards an achieveable target' 

Specific - linked to performer/sport

Measurable - objective/not subjective

Agreed - involve the performer in setting the goals

Realistic - with performers ability/not demotivating

Time phased - set time for evaluation

Exciting - motivate the performer

Recorded - written for future reference

Outcome goals

• based on end result e.g. winning the match
• method of achieving result is not important - 'win at all costs'
• repeated attempts (failures) at achieving desired result leads to an increase in anxiety

Performance goals

• based on performers own ability level e.g. linked to personal best time
• setting realistic performance goals helps performer to concentrate on specific aspects of performance -> distract themsleves from stress i.e. only finishing 4th

Process goals

• based on performers techniques/tactics e.g. slower backswing during bunker shot
• often influence performance goals