Performance Enhancement for Ballroom Dancers: Psychological Perspectives

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patsy Tremayne ◽  
Debra A. Ballinger
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Mental Preparation ◽  
Adequate Knowledge ◽  
Ballroom Dance ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Insight Into

Ballroom dance has resurfaced worldwide as a highly popular competitive sport and might be added to Olympic medal competition for the 2012 London Games. This resurgence presents opportunities for sport psychologists to provide psychological-skills and performance-enhancement training for ballroom dancers at all competitive levels. Few sport psychologists have the personal experience, expertise, or an adequate knowledge base about the competitive-ballroom-dance environment to provide meaningful intervention strategies for participants. This article was developed to provide initial guidance for sport psychology professionals interested in working in this environment. An overview of the competitive-dance and ballroom-dance environment, strategies used by dance couples for enhanced mental preparation before and during dance competitions, and excerpts from an interview with an Australian championship-level couple provide readers insight into performance-enhancement strategies for DanceSport.

Systematically Reviewing the Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Enhanced Athletic Performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Sappington ◽  
Kathryn Longshore
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Quality Of Research

The field of applied sport psychology has traditionally grounded its performance enhancement techniques in the cognitive-behavioral elements of psychological skills training. These interventions typically advocate for controlling one’s cognitive and emotional processes during performance. Mindfulness-based approaches, on the other hand, have recently been introduced and employed more frequently in an effort to encourage athletes to adopt a nonjudgmental acceptance of all thoughts and emotions. Like many applied interventions in sport psychology, however, the body of literature supporting the efficacy of mindfulness-based approaches for performance enhancement is limited, and few efforts have been made to draw evidence-based conclusions from the existing research. The current paper had the purpose of systematically reviewing research on mindfulness-based interventions with athletes to assess (a) the efficacy of these approaches in enhancing sport performance and (b) the methodological quality of research conducted thus far. A comprehensive search of relevant databases, including peer-reviewed and gray literature, yielded 19 total trials (six case studies, two qualitative studies, seven nonrandomized trials, and four randomized trials) in accordance with the inclusion criteria. An assessment tool was used to score studies on the quality of research methodology. While a review of this literature yielded preliminary support for the efficacy of mindfulness-based performance enhancement strategies, the body of research also shows a need for more methodologically rigorous trials.

An Integrated, Multifactorial Approach to Periodization for Optimal Performance in Individual and Team Sports

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 538-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iñigo Mujika ◽  
Shona Halson ◽  
Louise M. Burke ◽  
Gloria Balagué ◽  
Damian Farrow
Keyword(s):  
Exercise Training ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Recent Criticism ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Altitude Adaptation ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Multifactorial Approach

Sports periodization has traditionally focused on the exercise aspect of athletic preparation, while neglecting the integration of other elements that can impact an athlete’s readiness for peak competition performances. Integrated periodization allows the coordinated inclusion of multiple training components best suited for a given training phase into an athlete’s program. The aim of this article is to review the available evidence underpinning integrated periodization, focusing on exercise training, recovery, nutrition, psychological skills, and skill acquisition as key factors by which athletic preparation can be periodized. The periodization of heat and altitude adaptation, body composition, and physical therapy is also considered. Despite recent criticism, various methods of exercise training periodization can contribute to performance enhancement in a variety of elite individual and team sports, such as soccer. In the latter, both physical and strategic periodization are useful tools for managing the heavy travel schedule, fatigue, and injuries that occur throughout a competitive season. Recovery interventions should be periodized (ie, withheld or emphasized) to influence acute and chronic training adaptation and performance. Nutrient intake and timing in relation to exercise and as part of the periodization of an athlete’s training and competition calendar can also promote physiological adaptations and performance capacity. Psychological skills are a central component of athletic performance, and their periodization should cater to each athlete’s individual needs and the needs of the team. Skill acquisition can also be integrated into an athlete’s periodized training program to make a significant contribution to competition performance.

Performance Enhancement

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Disability Sport ◽  
Athletes With Disabilities ◽  
Training Quality ◽  
And Performance

Athletes with disabilities can perform more consistently and come closer to their potential if they maximize their mental skills as well as their physical skills. The purpose of this chapter is to present of humanistic developmental model of psychological skills training and an examination of disability sport psychology research on psychological skills. A humanistic developmental model prioritizes both athlete performance and well-being as they are viewed as complementary goals that exert a bidirectional influence on each other. In this model foundational factors, psychological skills and qualities, psychological methods, and facilitative and debilitative factors are seen as relatively distinct categories. Researchers have supported the importance of foundational factors, as reported in other chapters. Researchers have also supported the value of imagery and self-talk as methods to enhance confidence, motivation, and psychological skills, which in turn are positively related to performance. A host of facilitative and debilitative factors in disability sport also influence training quality and performance.

scholarly journals Now Hear This: Auditory Sense may be an Undervalued Component of Effective Modeling and Imagery Interventions in Sport

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny O ◽  
Barbi Law ◽  
Amanda Rymal
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Auditory Modeling ◽  
Auditory Sense ◽  
And Performance

One of the most important goals of behavioral research in sport psychology and motor learning is to increase our understanding of how to more effectively manipulate structural elements of psychological skills so as to optimize learning and performance. Imagery and modeling research have long-held parallel trajectories; advancements in the understanding of one construct has often informed subsequent research on the other. Preliminary research examining the effect of auditory modeling has indicated that deliberate manipulation of sounds employed during modeled actions can positively impact motor skill learning, performance, and consistency. The imagery research has yet to directly examine the auditory sense, and thus examination of this imagery component would represent a meaningful contribution to our understanding of how to further optimize athletes’ imagery practice. The current paper reviews current knowledge regarding effective imagery and modeling structure, and provides theoretical and evidence-based rationales for the examination of the auditory sense in imagery research.

Sport Psychology Considerations in Intercollegiate Athletics in the United States

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Bader ◽  
Scott B. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Intercollegiate Athletics ◽  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Athletic Department ◽  
Intercollegiate Athletic ◽  
And Performance

As a field of study, sport psychology is relatively young, gaining its formalized start in the United States in the 1920s. Then and now, the practice of sport psychology is concerned with the recognition of psychological factors that influence performance and ensuring that individuals and teams can perform at an optimal level. In the past 30 years, sport psychologists have made their way into intercollegiate athletics departments providing mental health and performance enhancement services to intercollegiate student-athletes. The differentiation between mental health practice and performance enhancement practice is still a source of some confusion for individuals tasked with hiring sport psychology professionals. Additionally, many traditionally trained practitioners (in both mental health and performance enhancement) are unaware of the dynamics of an intercollegiate athletic department. The interplay of the practitioner and those departmental dynamics can greatly influence the efficacy of the practitioner.

History of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology in Australia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Bond ◽  
Tony Morris
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Sports Medicine ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Performance Psychology ◽  
Sports Science ◽  
Sports Programs ◽  
Conference Presentations ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Performance

Australian sport psychology was effectively “launched” in conjunction with the establishment of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 1981. Prior to this date, sport psychology sat within the realm of a small number of research academics in tertiary institutions and many more unqualified practitioners with backgrounds in sport, hypnotherapy, medicine, and marketing and sales. The commencement of the legitimacy of the profession in the early 1980s correlated with the co-location of the AIS Sport Psychology Department with other sports medicine and sports science disciplines. From this rather humble but significant beginning, Australian sport psychology quickly became integrated into the training and competition plans of the vast majority of Australian Olympic sports and the developing professional football, tennis, golf, and cricket codes. The rapid growth of the AIS and its team of qualified and experienced sport psychology practitioners, combined with international competition exposure, international conference presentations, reciprocal visits to international sports institutes, and Olympic training centers culminated in the inclusion of sport psychology within the auspices of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and the accreditation of undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary programs in Australian universities. Applied sport psychology services are now a regular inclusion in most, if not all, Australian sports programs. An increasing emphasis on athlete and coach mental health in conjunction with the performance enhancement capability associated with sport psychology support has firmly entrenched the profession within the Australian sporting milieu.

Single-Subject Designs for Evaluation of Sport Psychology Interventions

1987 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne J. Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Multiple Baseline ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Skills Acquisition ◽  
Sport Skills ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Single Subject Designs

The case is made for using single-subject designs in evaluating psychological interventions for sport skills acquisition and performance enhancement. Advantages of single-subject designs are discussed, along with examples and considerations in the use of the A-B-A-B and multiple-baseline designs.

Reflections on Providing Personal and Performance Enhancement Consulting Services in Professional Baseball

1990 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey A. Dorfman
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Educational Approach ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Consulting Services ◽  
Minor League ◽  
And Performance

This article describes the delivery of personal and performance enhancement consulting services to the major league and minor league teams in the Oakland Athletics baseball organization over a 6-year period. The use of a combined clinical, educational approach is discussed as well as the range and type of services provided in the role as a full-time instructor/counselor. Factors affecting the effectiveness of delivering sport psychology services to professional baseball players are discussed, with special emphasis on developing trust and a good connection in the player/consultant relationship.

Xs and Os and What the Coach Knows: Improving Team Strategy through Critical Thinking

1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
William B. Strean ◽  
Kim L. Senecal ◽  
Stephen G. Howlett ◽  
J. Mark Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Strategic Thinking ◽  
Data Support ◽  
Causal Assumptions ◽  
Thinking Processes ◽  
And Performance

Critical thinking can be defined most simply as thinking that assesses itself (Paul, 1995). We explored the degree to which coaches engage in critical thinking about strategy. We used Brookfield’s (1995) critical thinking model to examine coaches’ strategic thinking processes. The merit of the model as a tool to facilitate research and intervention in team sports was considered. We examined whether identifying and examining paradigmatic, prescriptive, and causal assumptions, as well as exploring alternatives for thinking and acting, can improve team strategy. The results provide examples of these various conceptual categories. The data support the use of Brookfield’s (1995) model for understanding and intervening with coaches and athletes. Examples of how sport psychology and performance enhancement consultants might use this model in their work are offered.

scholarly journals Theoretical and Empirical Developments of the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment(MAC) Approach to Performance Enhancement

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zella E. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Mac Protocol ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Psychological Skills Training ◽  
Intervention Efficacy ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

As long as athletes strive to attain optimal performance states and consistently reach high performance goals, psychological interventions will be used to assist in the development of skill and the maintenance of performance. In the pursuit of these goals, newer evidence-driven models based on mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches have been designed to achieve these ends. Based upon questionable efficacy data for traditional psychological skills training procedures that emphasize reduction or control of internal processes, mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches develop skills of nonjudging mindful awareness, mindful attention, and experiential acceptance to aid in the pursuit of valued goals. The most formalized and researched mindfulness- and acceptance-based approach within sport psychology is the manualized Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) protocol. In the 8 years since the MAC was first developed and presented, and the 5 years since the first publication on the protocol, the MAC program has accumulated a continually growing empirical base for both its underlying theory and intervention efficacy as a performance enhancement intervention. This article reviews the empirical and theoretical foundations of the mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches in general, and MAC in particular; reviews the accumulated empirical findings in support of the MAC approach for performance enhancement; and presents recent MAC developments and suggested future directions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document