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Mental TrainingWhy Do I Feel Stress When Competing? Stress is your body's response to a physical or mental challenge. The gnawing feeling you get in your stomach before taking playing an important match, the clammy palms you get on the day of your qualifying match, a final or a match that means something to you, and the feeling you get while waiting for your scheduled match are all results of stressors (factors or situations that cause stress). Stressors trigger your body's "fight or flight" response, an internal alarm system. When you perceive a threat, your adrenal glands secrete the hormone epinephrine (commonly called adrenaline) into the bloodstream. Your muscles tense, your heart races, your blood pressure rises, you breathe faster, and you start to sweat. Your body literally prepares to fight or flee. Distress is a bad type of stress that arises when you must adapt to too many negative demands. Suppose you had a fight with a close friend last night, you forgot your homework this morning, and you're playing in a squash match this afternoon. You try to get psyched for the game but can't. You've hit stress overload! Continuous struggling with too much stress can exhaust your energy and drive. However, some stress is necessary, even helpful. Eustress is a good type of stress that stems from the challenge of a pleasant activity, such as a training run, tackling a tricky hobby, or rehearsing for a performance. Eustress pumps you up, providing a healthy spark for any task you undertake. For example, champion golfer Tiger Woods can be tense on the golf course. His father wondered aloud why Tiger wouldn't just relax. Tiger told him, "That's how I enjoy myself, by shooting low scores." What seemed like distress to his father was eustress to Tiger. Only Tiger could make the distinction. And only you can determine when stress is bad for you. Mental Training for Squash The mental side of squash is extremely important. The purpose of mental training, just like physical and technical training, is to help players consistently perform to the best of their ability in the toughest of situations. Here are the five basic mental skills and the important areas of mistake management along with between-point behaviour. 1. Muscle relaxation using "Centering"- The ability to relax the body and calm the mind give a squash player control over muscle tension that affects technique and anxious thoughts that can affect performance. Centering is a relaxation technique that uses breathing to reduce muscle tension and calm the mind. The "Centering" instructions are outlined here >> 2. Positive Self-talk- It has been proven that negative thoughts can produce significant changes in muscle tension, heart rate, and concentration. Rarely do athletes have their best performances while thinking negatively. Think about a best-ever performance- were you feeling positive or negative? However, not all negative talk is harmful. Appropriate unpleasant feelings (such as annoyance, disappointment) inform us that something is interfering with our goals and that we should alter our behavior to be more successful. Falling into rage of anger or deep depression is inappropriate and will hurt performance. To consistently perform to the best of one's ability, one must develop to the ability to stay positive, especially when things aren't going well. Successful and non-successful squash players can have negative thought. What distinguishes the winner for the loser is what one does with the thoughts. The secret is to use the negative thoughts to help you. Use this "Positive Self-Talk" training >> 3. Energy Activation- Sometimes squash players have problems with low energy or activation levels. Low activation can lead to movement and concentration problems. When a player has that tired sluggish feeling, use these steps to ENERGIZE!!! >> 4. Visualization - Visualization works by pre-programming actions and by motivating to reach goals. Visualization can be used to achieve many different goals including skills, tactics, strategies and attitudes. Here are some examples to use during your visualization workouts >> 5. Concentration - Coping effectively with the many different distractions that can occur in a match requires planning and preparation. Frequently, players who wait until they are in difficulty are unable to cope due to the negative emotions (frustration, chocking) that can accompany these distracting situations. Here are some techniques to help your concentration >> Body Language Control Not only do thoughts and feelings influence a player's performance, but the way they carry themselves and the physical image they project (body language) can also influence their success on the court. The process between our thoughts and emotions and our body language is interactive. In other words, not only can negative thoughts be reflected in a slouched, low energy negative posture, but a positive, confident walk and look can actually help a player to feel and thing more positively. It is extremely important for young athletes to be aware of their body language. Video analysis and comparisons with role models is very helpful. Use the Between-Point Checklist to help during the evaluatation >> Keeping Stress in Check When sports get too stressful, "Get away from the pressure. Go to a movie, or hang out with friends." If sports make you so nervous that you get headaches, become nauseated, or can't concentrate on other things, you're experiencing symptoms of unhealthy, potentially chronic (which means long-lasting and continuous) stress. Don't keep such stress bottled up inside you; suppressing your emotions might mean bigger health troubles for you later on. Talk about your concerns with a family or a friend. Simply sharing your feelings can ease your anxiety. Sometimes it may take an adult perspective to help resolve your conflict. A logical starting point is with your parent, coach or physical fitness instructor. It's possible that your anxiety stems only from uncertainty. Meet privately with your coach or instructor; ask for clarification if his or her expectations seem vague or inconsistent. Although most instructors do a good job of fostering athletes' physical and mental development, you may need to be the one who opens the lines of communication. You may also want to talk with your parents or another adult family member. Recognizing when you need guidance to steer yourself out of a stressful situation doesn't represent weakness; it's a sign of courage and wisdom. Don't stop looking for support until you've found it. Enjoying the Game Winning is exhilarating! But losing and some amount of stress are part of almost any sports program. Sports are about enhancing self-esteem, building social skills, and developing a sense of community. But remember that above all, sports are about having fun. Footnote: Article Taken From Kid's Health Organization and edited to suite.
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Fitness
