WHAT:
Recently in today's society, there has been an increase in school-age violence and aggressive behavior after school. Today's kids are left with a dead space of time between when they get out of school and when their parents come home from work. Within this time frame, these aggressive and sometimes violent behaviors have been occurring. Therefore, a plan of action has been administered by the school board to develop an after school program for the local middle school. This after school program will give the children the opportunity to partake in a scheduled and organized program during the time frame of when school is released and their parents get home from work. The program will be centered around physical activity and character development; focusing on the development of good sportsmanship. Our goal is to want these kids to follow rules from a variety of sources, have respect for others, and develop self control when thing aren't in their favor (Park, 2004). Another goal we would like to focus on is that this character development doesn't only have an affect on the children's life in the community and school, but also on the playing field while they are participating in a sport.
SO WHAT:
Fair Play for Kids incorporates fair play principles; including respect for rules and others, and self-control, into all classroom settings (Gibbons, Ebbeck, & Weiss, 1995). This emphasizes respect for rules, officials, and opponents, along with, the right of all to participants to play and the importance of self-control (Gill & Williams, 2008).
Personal-social responsibility model will also be used. This model emphasizes; (a) the teaching of life skills must be integrated with the teaching of physical activity, (b) lessons learned on the playing field must be taught in a way that kids can apply to other aspects of life, (c) teaching strategies must gradually shift responsibility from the program leader to the participants, and (d) the program leader must respect the capacity and ability of the participants to make decisions (Gill & Williams, 2008). This model give the students the opportunities to feel empowered, purposeful, and connected to others as well as to experience responsible behavior, persevere, and acknowledge activities that impinge upon others' rights.
Hellison's cumulative progression model uses goals or levels, six levels, are used to represent the progression of the student throughout the model. Level zero represents the student's inability to follow rules, make excuses, and blame others for what they do or fail to do. Gradually progressing to level V which is defined as the students are able to play level zero to level IV in life outside the playing field (Gill & Williams, 2008).
NOW WHAT:
For my after school program, the students will follow a progression system using the six defined levels of Hellison's progression model. Each student will start out at level zero, where we will focus on the goal of learning to respect officials and others. This stage my take time to progress out of. Students that are use to not following rules and blaming others for their mistakes will have a difficult time breaking these habits. By us focusing on having the same expectations towards everyone, our point of respect should develop steadily over time, which will allow this kids to learn to responsibilities and importance of showing respect towards superiors on and off the field. Especially on the field when dealing with officials, we have little to no control over what officials decide upon, however, we can focus on the how the children will respond and react when adversity, not in their favor is thrown their direction. As the students learn to respect officials, the next steps in to represent respect towards the opponent. Once again, we need to focus on the things we can control, our aggression and behavior towards others. We cannot control how our opponent will respond to adversity directed towards our children, however, we can control how we respond. By placing a focus on this aspect, there could be a shift in our opponents behavior (Park, 2004). As our students and athletes progress from no control to controlling themselves at all times, they will have reached the final level, level IV. At this stage, the students should be able to maintain control over their aggression and behavior at all times, whether it's on or off the field. Our overall goal with this program isn't only for these students to show respect on the field but to be able to control their behavior off the field in life itself. this "growth" of respect and control will assist them in the abilities to lower the acts of violence and aggressive behavior after school. Keeping our youths "nose clean" will take them further in life then they understand at their age. The sooner we can teach and develop these skills through sport and physical activity, something of enjoyment in a sense, the sooner they can progress to maturity and understand the importance of these skills throughout life.
CONCLUSION:
The development of respect and control of behavior is a crucial aspect for these kids to mature in sport and life. By using the steps, goals or levels, of the Hellison's prgression model, we are able to identify the progression of the students. These goals or levels give the students something to work towards. Developing respect for others and superiors as well as not making excuse or blaming others for what they do or fail to do. they can progress throughout the levels unit they are able to control their behavior and show respect at all times. Our overall goal of this program is to get kids off the streets to limit the acts of violence and aggressive behavior as well as learn and develop skills that will carry over to life off the field. By implementing the development of these skills through sport and physical activity, they are able to develop these skills in an environment that is enjoyable and fun.
REFERENCES:
Gibbons, S. L., Ebbeck, V., & Weiss, M. R. (1995). Fair Play for Kids: Effects on the moral development of children in physical education. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 66(3), 247-255.
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Park, N. (2004). Character strengths and positive youth development. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, 591(1), 40.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Culturally Competent
WHAT:
As the program facilitator at an exercise and fitness center, I am looking to promote the health and well-being of my students, clients, and athletes. In order to do this, I must be culturally competent and my programs must be inclusive and empowering to everyone.
SO WHAT:
The time and effort needed to be aware and have the ability to deal with each participant of a variety of cultural domains takes time. To become culturally competent won't happen over night and people shouldn't expect to see results and acquire the necessary skills to do so right away. As a professional, they need to have the experience and knowledge of society, in a big picture. Being able to identify and help participants effectively with and in a variety of cultural aspects; age, gender, beliefs, ethnicity, values, etc (Frenn & Malin, 2003). It's essential that we, professionals, are able to provide our participants with knowledge and experience to guide them. Having an array of experience with multiple cultural aspects, will benefit the professional in properly running and organizing a business, and in this case, promoting health and well-being to students, clients, and athletes. Another aspect in which should be recognized is the APA Multicultural Guidelines. These 6 guidelines play a key role of multicultural competencies in promoting health and well-being for sport and exercise psychology and kinesiology (Gill & Williams, 2008). A brief overview of the guidelines are as follow: (1) attitudes and beliefs can detrimentally influence a person's perception of and interaction with individuals, (2) recognize the importance of multicultural sensitivity and responsiveness, knowledge, and understanding of individuals, (3) employ the constructs of multiculturalism and diversity, (4) recognize the importance of conducting cultural-centered and ethical psychological research, (5) apply culturally appropriate skills in clinical and other practices, (6) use of organizational change processes to support culturally informed organizational development/practice (Gill & Williams, 2008).
NOW WHAT:
One of the most important steps when developing multicultural competencies is to study and observe your clientele (Frenn & Malin, 2003). By doing so I will be able to identify the variety of cultures that exist within my exercise and fitness center. This will give me a basic understanding of people's beliefs and values. Also, I will want to walk around interacting with as many people as I possible can. This will allow me to develop a better, more detailed background of everyone and what their beliefs may be, allow me to develop myself. Also, I will be able to use other sources to develop a better understanding of backgrounds. For example, the internet is a great tool to use, for one it's easily accessible, however, I will need to be careful where I get my information from. Like a stated the internet is a great tool, however, there is a lot of non-credible information that floats around as well. The use of the Respectful model gives me a good start and outline of what I should be looking to identify and/or understand when researching ethnicity information (Gill & Williams, 2008).
Not only will myself, the professional, be competent but as well as the business/company. In order for this to take place, first we will start off by observing, like I did for my self awareness, to understand and become aware of individual's background. To apply this, I will offer classes and programming that will be beneficial and supportive of everyone's beliefs and values, to the best of my ability. Also, I will offer special program/membership pricing for low income members be not only benefit us, but more importantly, benefit the individual. This will allow them to be able to take full advantage of what we as a business can offer. I'm trying to promote health and well-being to the community, and everyone should be given the opportunity to have access to the center, no matter cultural differences and income status.
CONCLUSION:
Being able to understand and withhold knowledge to be culturally competent can and well benefit a professional with there success, as well as the businesses success. This knowledge will allow them to develop a comfortable environment for all clientele, and allowing them to take full advantage of what is being offered. More importantly, they will be able to stay true to their beliefs and values. Clients will not have to stress or worry that they maybe persuaded to alter or change from their inherited background and cultural differences. The most important step as a professional is to study and observe your clientele, as well as interact with them. Develop an understanding of what they believe in and value. Your goal is to make sure everyone feels as though they are secure with their beliefs. Also, having the knowledge of different cultural background, broadens your skills and your clientele will realize this, strengthening your reputation as a professional.
REFERENCES:
Frenn, M. & Malin, S. (2003). Diet and exercise in low-income culturally diverse middle school students. Public Health Nursing, 20(5), 361-368.
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
As the program facilitator at an exercise and fitness center, I am looking to promote the health and well-being of my students, clients, and athletes. In order to do this, I must be culturally competent and my programs must be inclusive and empowering to everyone.
SO WHAT:
The time and effort needed to be aware and have the ability to deal with each participant of a variety of cultural domains takes time. To become culturally competent won't happen over night and people shouldn't expect to see results and acquire the necessary skills to do so right away. As a professional, they need to have the experience and knowledge of society, in a big picture. Being able to identify and help participants effectively with and in a variety of cultural aspects; age, gender, beliefs, ethnicity, values, etc (Frenn & Malin, 2003). It's essential that we, professionals, are able to provide our participants with knowledge and experience to guide them. Having an array of experience with multiple cultural aspects, will benefit the professional in properly running and organizing a business, and in this case, promoting health and well-being to students, clients, and athletes. Another aspect in which should be recognized is the APA Multicultural Guidelines. These 6 guidelines play a key role of multicultural competencies in promoting health and well-being for sport and exercise psychology and kinesiology (Gill & Williams, 2008). A brief overview of the guidelines are as follow: (1) attitudes and beliefs can detrimentally influence a person's perception of and interaction with individuals, (2) recognize the importance of multicultural sensitivity and responsiveness, knowledge, and understanding of individuals, (3) employ the constructs of multiculturalism and diversity, (4) recognize the importance of conducting cultural-centered and ethical psychological research, (5) apply culturally appropriate skills in clinical and other practices, (6) use of organizational change processes to support culturally informed organizational development/practice (Gill & Williams, 2008).
NOW WHAT:
One of the most important steps when developing multicultural competencies is to study and observe your clientele (Frenn & Malin, 2003). By doing so I will be able to identify the variety of cultures that exist within my exercise and fitness center. This will give me a basic understanding of people's beliefs and values. Also, I will want to walk around interacting with as many people as I possible can. This will allow me to develop a better, more detailed background of everyone and what their beliefs may be, allow me to develop myself. Also, I will be able to use other sources to develop a better understanding of backgrounds. For example, the internet is a great tool to use, for one it's easily accessible, however, I will need to be careful where I get my information from. Like a stated the internet is a great tool, however, there is a lot of non-credible information that floats around as well. The use of the Respectful model gives me a good start and outline of what I should be looking to identify and/or understand when researching ethnicity information (Gill & Williams, 2008).
Not only will myself, the professional, be competent but as well as the business/company. In order for this to take place, first we will start off by observing, like I did for my self awareness, to understand and become aware of individual's background. To apply this, I will offer classes and programming that will be beneficial and supportive of everyone's beliefs and values, to the best of my ability. Also, I will offer special program/membership pricing for low income members be not only benefit us, but more importantly, benefit the individual. This will allow them to be able to take full advantage of what we as a business can offer. I'm trying to promote health and well-being to the community, and everyone should be given the opportunity to have access to the center, no matter cultural differences and income status.
CONCLUSION:
Being able to understand and withhold knowledge to be culturally competent can and well benefit a professional with there success, as well as the businesses success. This knowledge will allow them to develop a comfortable environment for all clientele, and allowing them to take full advantage of what is being offered. More importantly, they will be able to stay true to their beliefs and values. Clients will not have to stress or worry that they maybe persuaded to alter or change from their inherited background and cultural differences. The most important step as a professional is to study and observe your clientele, as well as interact with them. Develop an understanding of what they believe in and value. Your goal is to make sure everyone feels as though they are secure with their beliefs. Also, having the knowledge of different cultural background, broadens your skills and your clientele will realize this, strengthening your reputation as a professional.
REFERENCES:
Frenn, M. & Malin, S. (2003). Diet and exercise in low-income culturally diverse middle school students. Public Health Nursing, 20(5), 361-368.
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Team Building in a Physical Education Setting
WHAT:
As a middle school physical education teacher, I would like to try team building with my seventh grade classes. The main objective of PE classes is to enhance skills and physical activity in youth. Even though teamwork is more directed towards sport teams, team building skills may be beneficial in PE classes, developing and improving teamwork skills and values for these kids whether they are presently participating in sport or other after school activities (Carron & Spink, 1993). These skill will not only benefit these kids in class and in other activities, but also in future jobs or other classes where teamwork may be important to complete a project on time.
SO WHAT:
Team building is defined as "team enhancement for both task and social purposes" (Gill & Williams, 2008). Four aspects that stand out in the team building model are; group environment, group structure, group processes, and group cohesion. Each one has it's own specific role in developing teamwork/team unity. Group environment refers to the distinctiveness on the group. Group structure is the groups norms and positions on situations, event, etc. Group processes are the groups interaction and communication to solve a problem that may arise. And lastly, group cohesion is the groups attraction and integration towards task and social purposes (Gill & Williams, 2008). Also, another important aspect that should be noted and involved is group/team goals and individual goals (Senecal, Loughead, & Bloom, 2008). This allows the team (class) to set goals as a whole, as well as, allowing individual's to set specific goals directed towards self.
NOW WHAT:
In the effort to develop teamwork, throughout the semester the students will be given challenges and put into situations to allow team building skills to take place, requiring them to work together. Each person will asked to partake in different roles within the group, so everyone's given the opportunity to have a sense of accomplishment. My goal as an instructor is for the class to develop team cohesion and communication skills for other activities, whether it's in a sport, classroom, or work setting. By requiring everyone to partake in different roles throughout the semester, each student will be able to develop and further improve new and familiar skills, in hopes of developing comfortability in a variety of roles within a team/group.
CONCLUSION:
The incorporation of team building skills in a PE class will help enhance the development of communication, self-worth, and role ability. These skills will not only be beneficial in their present class, but also other activities; sports, classes, jobs, etc. The early development and improvement of these skills will allow the students to feel comfortable and have a sense of accomplishment when they are "thrown to the wolves" or put into a difficult situation. The confidence of being exposed to the similar challenges, no matter the role they played, will help them extract these skills and apply them.
REFERENCES:
Carron, A. V., & Spink, K. S. (1993). Team building in an exercise setting. The Sport Psychologist, 7(1), 8-18.
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Senecal, J., Loughead, T. M., & Bloom, G. A. (2008). A season-long team-building intervention: Examining the effect of team goal setting on cohesion. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 30, 186-199.
As a middle school physical education teacher, I would like to try team building with my seventh grade classes. The main objective of PE classes is to enhance skills and physical activity in youth. Even though teamwork is more directed towards sport teams, team building skills may be beneficial in PE classes, developing and improving teamwork skills and values for these kids whether they are presently participating in sport or other after school activities (Carron & Spink, 1993). These skill will not only benefit these kids in class and in other activities, but also in future jobs or other classes where teamwork may be important to complete a project on time.
SO WHAT:
Team building is defined as "team enhancement for both task and social purposes" (Gill & Williams, 2008). Four aspects that stand out in the team building model are; group environment, group structure, group processes, and group cohesion. Each one has it's own specific role in developing teamwork/team unity. Group environment refers to the distinctiveness on the group. Group structure is the groups norms and positions on situations, event, etc. Group processes are the groups interaction and communication to solve a problem that may arise. And lastly, group cohesion is the groups attraction and integration towards task and social purposes (Gill & Williams, 2008). Also, another important aspect that should be noted and involved is group/team goals and individual goals (Senecal, Loughead, & Bloom, 2008). This allows the team (class) to set goals as a whole, as well as, allowing individual's to set specific goals directed towards self.
NOW WHAT:
In the effort to develop teamwork, throughout the semester the students will be given challenges and put into situations to allow team building skills to take place, requiring them to work together. Each person will asked to partake in different roles within the group, so everyone's given the opportunity to have a sense of accomplishment. My goal as an instructor is for the class to develop team cohesion and communication skills for other activities, whether it's in a sport, classroom, or work setting. By requiring everyone to partake in different roles throughout the semester, each student will be able to develop and further improve new and familiar skills, in hopes of developing comfortability in a variety of roles within a team/group.
CONCLUSION:
The incorporation of team building skills in a PE class will help enhance the development of communication, self-worth, and role ability. These skills will not only be beneficial in their present class, but also other activities; sports, classes, jobs, etc. The early development and improvement of these skills will allow the students to feel comfortable and have a sense of accomplishment when they are "thrown to the wolves" or put into a difficult situation. The confidence of being exposed to the similar challenges, no matter the role they played, will help them extract these skills and apply them.
REFERENCES:
Carron, A. V., & Spink, K. S. (1993). Team building in an exercise setting. The Sport Psychologist, 7(1), 8-18.
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Senecal, J., Loughead, T. M., & Bloom, G. A. (2008). A season-long team-building intervention: Examining the effect of team goal setting on cohesion. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 30, 186-199.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Families Together and Active Program
WHAT:
Families are looking to spend quality time together. With today's society, families may be struggling to find quality time together, whether its due to parents working different shifts, children involved in an array of activities, or social and work relationships consume a majority of the time. By developing a family membership plan that will allow families to come, compete, and spend quality time together will allow these families to regain connections with each other and other families. Also, it will allow parents and peers to influence their beliefs and values on their children, assisting in the development of a strong, connected family outside of the recreation center.
SO WHAT:
Social facilitation can help the influence in the presence of others on performance, including audience and coaction effect (Gill & Williams, 2008). However, this needs to carefully observed and used because the presence of an audience can increase arousal, possibly impairing learning but influences performance of a task.
Social learning theory is an important factor to consider. This is the concept that someone may behave differently in a classroom than they would in a gym, or behave differently around their parents than they would around their peers/friends (Gill & Williams, 2008).
Social influence can be demonstrated in four ways; significant others, parents, peers, or coaches. Each one has a different effect on the behavior of children in a physical activity setting. Parents may influence their beliefs and values their children. For example, a father may value sport/exercise, and believe that his son or daughter may be better off participating in a specific sport over another (football vs baseball, or volleyball vs basketball) (Courneya & McAuley, 1995). Peer influences are believed to be important because children indicate that being with friends and being able to compare against one another is an important source of competence (Smith, 2003).
NOW WHAT:
The main focus of the Families Together and Active program is to positively influence children and develop performance through a wide variety of exercise and physical active, as well as a variety of influences through parents, peers, and coaches/instructors. I believe that by using a variety of ways to influence children will not only allow them to be competitive against friends but also their parents will be able to influence their beliefs and values of physical activity upon their children. Coaches/instructors will also influence these children to assist in the proper development of skills and performance tasks needed to enhance and improve performance. This is in an attempt to develop a well rounded athlete, student, and child, whether they are in the classroom, at home, or competing.
Throughout the week, kids and parents will be asked to participate in a variety of physical activity; racquetball, basketball, flag football, etc. The sports will be rotated through according to the season at which these sports are played. Along with partaking in a variety of sports, they will also be participating in a variety of exercise/fitness classes; yoga, martial arts, exercise programs, etc. The more variety offered, the less chance that kids will become bored. This will help insure motivation throughout the attendance of their membership.
We will have instructors/coaches run the activities. Demonstrating proper technique of skills and tasks, yet we will ask for there parents to demonstrate these tasks as well. Along with parents, we will have peers and children demonstrate tasks and skills to allow the other children to see and learn through visual observation and imagery.
CONCLUSION:
By allowing children to learn through a variety of influences; parents, peers, and coaches, it can assist in a well rounded development. Doing so will allow parents to influence their beliefs and values on their children, which will also help in the development of family relations. By putting these kids in an environment where these are influenced by peers, it will help develop a competitive edge, increasing arousal for performance, but by focusing on parent and coaches influence, it will also assist in the learning process that needs to take place. Since peer influences may impair learning, parental and coaches influence should help negate this impairment.
REFERENCES:
Courneya, K. S., & McAuley, E. (1995). Cognitive mediators of the social influence-exercise adherence relationship: A test of the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 18(5), 499-515.
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Smith, A. L. (2003). Peer relationships in physical activity contexts: a road less traveled in youth sport and exercise psychology research. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 4(1), 25-39.
Families are looking to spend quality time together. With today's society, families may be struggling to find quality time together, whether its due to parents working different shifts, children involved in an array of activities, or social and work relationships consume a majority of the time. By developing a family membership plan that will allow families to come, compete, and spend quality time together will allow these families to regain connections with each other and other families. Also, it will allow parents and peers to influence their beliefs and values on their children, assisting in the development of a strong, connected family outside of the recreation center.
SO WHAT:
Social facilitation can help the influence in the presence of others on performance, including audience and coaction effect (Gill & Williams, 2008). However, this needs to carefully observed and used because the presence of an audience can increase arousal, possibly impairing learning but influences performance of a task.
Social learning theory is an important factor to consider. This is the concept that someone may behave differently in a classroom than they would in a gym, or behave differently around their parents than they would around their peers/friends (Gill & Williams, 2008).
Social influence can be demonstrated in four ways; significant others, parents, peers, or coaches. Each one has a different effect on the behavior of children in a physical activity setting. Parents may influence their beliefs and values their children. For example, a father may value sport/exercise, and believe that his son or daughter may be better off participating in a specific sport over another (football vs baseball, or volleyball vs basketball) (Courneya & McAuley, 1995). Peer influences are believed to be important because children indicate that being with friends and being able to compare against one another is an important source of competence (Smith, 2003).
NOW WHAT:
The main focus of the Families Together and Active program is to positively influence children and develop performance through a wide variety of exercise and physical active, as well as a variety of influences through parents, peers, and coaches/instructors. I believe that by using a variety of ways to influence children will not only allow them to be competitive against friends but also their parents will be able to influence their beliefs and values of physical activity upon their children. Coaches/instructors will also influence these children to assist in the proper development of skills and performance tasks needed to enhance and improve performance. This is in an attempt to develop a well rounded athlete, student, and child, whether they are in the classroom, at home, or competing.
Throughout the week, kids and parents will be asked to participate in a variety of physical activity; racquetball, basketball, flag football, etc. The sports will be rotated through according to the season at which these sports are played. Along with partaking in a variety of sports, they will also be participating in a variety of exercise/fitness classes; yoga, martial arts, exercise programs, etc. The more variety offered, the less chance that kids will become bored. This will help insure motivation throughout the attendance of their membership.
We will have instructors/coaches run the activities. Demonstrating proper technique of skills and tasks, yet we will ask for there parents to demonstrate these tasks as well. Along with parents, we will have peers and children demonstrate tasks and skills to allow the other children to see and learn through visual observation and imagery.
CONCLUSION:
By allowing children to learn through a variety of influences; parents, peers, and coaches, it can assist in a well rounded development. Doing so will allow parents to influence their beliefs and values on their children, which will also help in the development of family relations. By putting these kids in an environment where these are influenced by peers, it will help develop a competitive edge, increasing arousal for performance, but by focusing on parent and coaches influence, it will also assist in the learning process that needs to take place. Since peer influences may impair learning, parental and coaches influence should help negate this impairment.
REFERENCES:
Courneya, K. S., & McAuley, E. (1995). Cognitive mediators of the social influence-exercise adherence relationship: A test of the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 18(5), 499-515.
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Smith, A. L. (2003). Peer relationships in physical activity contexts: a road less traveled in youth sport and exercise psychology research. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 4(1), 25-39.
Monday, October 25, 2010
After-school Program: A road to an active future
WHAT:
Overweight children seems to be an increasing problem with today's society. It has been shown that physical activity has been linked to nearly all major health problems; physical and mental disorders (Classen & Hokayem, 2005). More so, physically activity patterns of childhood and adolescence tends to be the beginning of a lifetime pattern of physical activity participation in individuals when they reach adulthood (Gill & Williams, 2008). Also, it is indicated that activity declines more so in a person's adolescent stage of life, particularly in females (Gill & Williams, 2008).
The facilitation on an after-school program to help promote and support healthy physical activity at a young age, may contribute to these children's lifetime patterns of physical activity as they mature into and beyond their adolescent stage of life. Being an overweight child can be mentally and socially difficult. Children may experience times where they are put in an uncomfortable situation where physical activity is the main focus, and struggle to partake because of their health status (Powell & Pratt, 1996). Children are not only pressured and feel insecure due to other children, but also from today's media (Classen & Hokayem, 2005). Developing an after-school program will allow these kids to become comfortable performing physical activity in a supportive and positive environment, which may be a helpful starter to a pattern of physical activity throughout their lifetime. It starts at an early age, and getting off to a positive start may limit health risks further down the road.
SO WHAT:
The health belief model has a considerable support in relation to health behaviors and medical compliance but limited application to exercise and physical activity. Health belief model includes four components: perceived susceptibility for a particular health threat, perceived severity, perceived benefits of taking action, and perceived barriers/cost of action (Gill & Williams, 2008).
Decision theory entails the perception and evaluation of relative costs and benefits (Gill & Williams, 2008). Meaning, a person may generate a list of short- and long-term consequences of an exercise program, then weigh them to determine whether the pros outweigh the cons, in their mind.
Social cognitive theories takes into consideration what affect self-efficacy has on a person's exercise behavior. These theories are good predictors of physical activity in various populations, including obese people and people with physical disabilities.
Behavioral approaches to exercise adherence has two stages: acquisition of the exercise habit (early stage) and exercise maintenance (later stage). As part of the early stage, shaping, reinforcement control, and stimulus control are important strategies to considered. Shaping is important for establishing long-term exercise habits. Reinforcement control uses social support and praise during sessions to motivate. Stimulus control uses cues in acquiring the exercise habit (Gill & Williams, 2008).
Relapse preventions is an important model to consider. It is often linked to the dropping out of exercise programs. Participants may first lapse, meaning to "slip" missing one workout or eating something not allowed by a diet. Next they may experience a relapse, which is a string of lapses occurring back to back or over a short period of time. Lastly a participant may experience a collapse, where they give up completely or return to past behaviors (Gill & Williams, 2008).
NOW WHAT:
Each individual student will sit down with me and discuss goals and desires that they wish/want to accomplish through physical activity. I will assist them in producing feasible/reachable goals that will keep the students interested and motivated to continue to participate and return to the after-school program. Also, during the meeting, I will have them, to the best of their knowledge, make a list of short- and long-term consequences of being physically active. This will help/assist them in developing and understanding of why being physically active isn't only beneficial presently but also as they mature throughout their adolescent and adult years. By allowing them to realize that starting positive habits and patterns now, may benefit them in the future and possibly limiting health risks as well.
During their first stage of the behavioral approach, I will start of with basic exercises to develop an interest and establish a long-term exercise habit. I will gradually progress them through exercises, not pushing them over board, but yet not pushing them at all. I would start off mainly using body weight exercises and making connections to interests that each individual student has to create a positive environment. By using body weight exercise at the start of the program, the student will become and develop awareness of how there body moves in free space, also to develop a base strength where they are able to control and move their own body weight. Each program for the students will have a variety of exercises from day to day to keep their interest and motivation toward the exercises/workouts high and positive. I will allow the students to decide between a 3-days per week or a 5-days per week program, depending on their schedules. Whether they choose the 3 or 5-day program, each student will still receive the same amount of physical activity per week, 2.5-3 hours.
Lastly, I will give the students an information packet on the benefits of participating in physical activity of at least 30 minute a day, and why it's important to develop an interest and positive habit of exercising at such a young age, as well as, the possible risks of skipping a workout for the wrong reasons. I would like the parents to go over the packets with their children to help them understand the benefits and also the parents will develop an understanding of why physical activity may be a positive motivator for other lifestyle patterns.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, today's youth have developed more health problems and a greater number of the youth have developed issues with obesity. It is important to develop a positive habit of exercise at a young age in hope of these habits causing a waterfall effect on these children's physical activity patterns throughout their developmental stages of life. The sooner we are able to develop these positive exercise habits, the sooner today and future generations obesity rates can start to decline. If we are able to get a jump start on this growing problem, the better off the future may be by limiting health risks and disease.
REFERENCES:
Classen, T., & Hokayem, C. (2005). Childhood influences on youth obesity. Economics & Human Biology, 3(2), 165-187.
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Powell, K. E., & Pratt, M. (1996). Physical activity and health. BMJ, 313(7050), 126.
Overweight children seems to be an increasing problem with today's society. It has been shown that physical activity has been linked to nearly all major health problems; physical and mental disorders (Classen & Hokayem, 2005). More so, physically activity patterns of childhood and adolescence tends to be the beginning of a lifetime pattern of physical activity participation in individuals when they reach adulthood (Gill & Williams, 2008). Also, it is indicated that activity declines more so in a person's adolescent stage of life, particularly in females (Gill & Williams, 2008).
The facilitation on an after-school program to help promote and support healthy physical activity at a young age, may contribute to these children's lifetime patterns of physical activity as they mature into and beyond their adolescent stage of life. Being an overweight child can be mentally and socially difficult. Children may experience times where they are put in an uncomfortable situation where physical activity is the main focus, and struggle to partake because of their health status (Powell & Pratt, 1996). Children are not only pressured and feel insecure due to other children, but also from today's media (Classen & Hokayem, 2005). Developing an after-school program will allow these kids to become comfortable performing physical activity in a supportive and positive environment, which may be a helpful starter to a pattern of physical activity throughout their lifetime. It starts at an early age, and getting off to a positive start may limit health risks further down the road.
SO WHAT:
The health belief model has a considerable support in relation to health behaviors and medical compliance but limited application to exercise and physical activity. Health belief model includes four components: perceived susceptibility for a particular health threat, perceived severity, perceived benefits of taking action, and perceived barriers/cost of action (Gill & Williams, 2008).
Decision theory entails the perception and evaluation of relative costs and benefits (Gill & Williams, 2008). Meaning, a person may generate a list of short- and long-term consequences of an exercise program, then weigh them to determine whether the pros outweigh the cons, in their mind.
Social cognitive theories takes into consideration what affect self-efficacy has on a person's exercise behavior. These theories are good predictors of physical activity in various populations, including obese people and people with physical disabilities.
Behavioral approaches to exercise adherence has two stages: acquisition of the exercise habit (early stage) and exercise maintenance (later stage). As part of the early stage, shaping, reinforcement control, and stimulus control are important strategies to considered. Shaping is important for establishing long-term exercise habits. Reinforcement control uses social support and praise during sessions to motivate. Stimulus control uses cues in acquiring the exercise habit (Gill & Williams, 2008).
Relapse preventions is an important model to consider. It is often linked to the dropping out of exercise programs. Participants may first lapse, meaning to "slip" missing one workout or eating something not allowed by a diet. Next they may experience a relapse, which is a string of lapses occurring back to back or over a short period of time. Lastly a participant may experience a collapse, where they give up completely or return to past behaviors (Gill & Williams, 2008).
NOW WHAT:
Each individual student will sit down with me and discuss goals and desires that they wish/want to accomplish through physical activity. I will assist them in producing feasible/reachable goals that will keep the students interested and motivated to continue to participate and return to the after-school program. Also, during the meeting, I will have them, to the best of their knowledge, make a list of short- and long-term consequences of being physically active. This will help/assist them in developing and understanding of why being physically active isn't only beneficial presently but also as they mature throughout their adolescent and adult years. By allowing them to realize that starting positive habits and patterns now, may benefit them in the future and possibly limiting health risks as well.
During their first stage of the behavioral approach, I will start of with basic exercises to develop an interest and establish a long-term exercise habit. I will gradually progress them through exercises, not pushing them over board, but yet not pushing them at all. I would start off mainly using body weight exercises and making connections to interests that each individual student has to create a positive environment. By using body weight exercise at the start of the program, the student will become and develop awareness of how there body moves in free space, also to develop a base strength where they are able to control and move their own body weight. Each program for the students will have a variety of exercises from day to day to keep their interest and motivation toward the exercises/workouts high and positive. I will allow the students to decide between a 3-days per week or a 5-days per week program, depending on their schedules. Whether they choose the 3 or 5-day program, each student will still receive the same amount of physical activity per week, 2.5-3 hours.
Lastly, I will give the students an information packet on the benefits of participating in physical activity of at least 30 minute a day, and why it's important to develop an interest and positive habit of exercising at such a young age, as well as, the possible risks of skipping a workout for the wrong reasons. I would like the parents to go over the packets with their children to help them understand the benefits and also the parents will develop an understanding of why physical activity may be a positive motivator for other lifestyle patterns.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, today's youth have developed more health problems and a greater number of the youth have developed issues with obesity. It is important to develop a positive habit of exercise at a young age in hope of these habits causing a waterfall effect on these children's physical activity patterns throughout their developmental stages of life. The sooner we are able to develop these positive exercise habits, the sooner today and future generations obesity rates can start to decline. If we are able to get a jump start on this growing problem, the better off the future may be by limiting health risks and disease.
REFERENCES:
Classen, T., & Hokayem, C. (2005). Childhood influences on youth obesity. Economics & Human Biology, 3(2), 165-187.
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Powell, K. E., & Pratt, M. (1996). Physical activity and health. BMJ, 313(7050), 126.
Monday, October 11, 2010
I Want to Go Heavier
WHAT:
As an athlete in the sport of weightlifting, a technical and fundamentally sound sport, I can become very frustrated and poorly motivated some days/sessions. If I have a difficult workout the day before, I seem to allow it to carry over to the next day's session. Anxiety and negative behavior control how I approach each training session. Also, days where I'm sore, tired, fatigued, or have body aches, I tend to think about about how I feel (negatively) throughout the entire day, building up my anxiety which affects my performance in training. Over the last few months I've been dealing with back and knee problems which has effected my training, not only physically, but more so mentally. I'm easily distracted from the task at hand as well as easily become frustrated with my performance.
SO WHAT:
Looking at my situation from a third person view, I can see reasons of why I let this effect my training. According to Gill and Williams (2008), positive and negative reinforcement are key ways of changing behavior by implementing a stimulus, either positive or negative, to get a controlled response to the athlete's behavior (Wiese, Weiss, & Yukelson, 1991). Also, a punishment may be used, in this case decrease behavior strength not increase it (Orlick, 1974). By implementing something negative, behavior can be changed to a more positive response in an effort to eliminate negative behavior (Gill & Williams, 2008). The implementation of a behavior plan may be crucial in an athlete's ability to change behavior and response. Also, the plan assists the athlete to follow through with the plan to meet their goals, depending on the goals set for the individuals problem(s) or struggles. There are seven steps at which need to be considered when developing a behavior plan; (1) Clarify the problem, (2) formulate goals for the consultant, (3) design target behaviors, (4) identify the maintaining conditions of the target behavior, (5) design a treatment plan, (6) implement the plan, and (7) evaluate the success of the plan (Gill & Williams, 2008). Each one of these steps allows the coach, consultant, or supervisor to properly set up a plan of attack to allow the athlete to succeed.
NOW WHAT:
First, I will sit down with my coach and clearly state my problem(s). These need to be specific so that later in the process, specific goals can be constructed. By clearly stating my specific problems, I will be able to understand why these behaviors have developed and my coach will be able to recognize them later in training. Once I have specifically stated my problem, next, I will formulate specific goals. I will personally set these goals, unless my coach believes they are unachievable, then he will step in and assist me in formulated goals that will better benefit me. I would want to set a goal where I'm only allowed to do a certain percentage of my max to better develop my technique. I believe that my technique has diminished due the compensation I've been developing to limit the amount of back pain I experience during a lift. Also, I'll add that once my technique and pain start to better, I would be rewarded with a chance to increase the percentage of my 1RM that I can go for certain lifts. As my technique betters, I will be able to increase the number of sessions per week that I can do a higher percentage, as long as I stay technically sound. I will gradually increase and work my way up in weight, then once again reward myself with a chance to max out. These goals won't be set in stone, I would be able to revamp/reevaluate my goals throughout according to my behavioral response(s). Designing target behaviors in the next step. I would measure my behavior based on my performance by accomplishing a set number of repetitions and sets at the set percentage without technical breakdowns. For example, being able to make 5 sets of 3 80% of my 1RM in snatch and/or clean & jerk with my technique remaining solid. Once my technique starts to breakdown, I get frustrated, which is what we're implementing the plan to cope with this negative behavior. Having these target behaviors actively performed, will allow me to evaluate myself. Being able to identify why I may maintain a negative behavior. The ABC model is a basic way of understanding these behaviors (Gill & Williams, 2008). A stand for the antecedents; why do I mentally breakdown when my technique breakdown. B stands for the behavior itself; becoming unmotivated to train or attempt more weight for a certain set and rep combination. C stands for the consequences of the behavior; missing reps or the feeling of not wanting to train/finish the training session. Next step is to design a treatment plan using reinforcement that has a value to me, whether its objects or in my case the ability to attempt heavier weight more often. Also, it might mean being able to training in a certain area of the room or getting to decide the music selection for a certain day. Implementing the plan on an agreed date, athlete and coach, have decided upon. The treatment plan needs to be monitored continually and adjusted over-time by the coach and myself making sure the goals and activities are being met, if not revised to accomplish them. Lastly, evaluation on our plan needs to be done, whether that's over a couple months or over years. Over-time my coach will be able to taper off following consistent success. We would have follow up meetings to track my progression and success.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, being able to implement a behavior plan can change my response to negative responses associated with poor training sessions, due to technique. Being able to clearly state why I'm struggling and developing these negative responses and then developing techniques and reinforcement plans that can be evaluated over-time can alter my response during training. Positive and negative reinforcement and punishment may be used as a stimulus to develop a controlled response to certain behaviors, positive or negative. Setting goals to motivate an athlete to understand that the behavior is positive or negative keeps the athlete on track to improve and strive for certain reinforcements; objects, verbal complements, or the allowance to specifically do something of value to them.
REFERENCES:
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Orlick, T. D. (1974). Sport participation: A process of shaping behavior. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 16(5), 558-561.
Wiese, D. M., Weiss, M. R., & Yukelson, D. P. (1991). Sport psychology in the training room: A survey of athletic trainers. The Sport Psychologist, 5(1), 15-24.
As an athlete in the sport of weightlifting, a technical and fundamentally sound sport, I can become very frustrated and poorly motivated some days/sessions. If I have a difficult workout the day before, I seem to allow it to carry over to the next day's session. Anxiety and negative behavior control how I approach each training session. Also, days where I'm sore, tired, fatigued, or have body aches, I tend to think about about how I feel (negatively) throughout the entire day, building up my anxiety which affects my performance in training. Over the last few months I've been dealing with back and knee problems which has effected my training, not only physically, but more so mentally. I'm easily distracted from the task at hand as well as easily become frustrated with my performance.
SO WHAT:
Looking at my situation from a third person view, I can see reasons of why I let this effect my training. According to Gill and Williams (2008), positive and negative reinforcement are key ways of changing behavior by implementing a stimulus, either positive or negative, to get a controlled response to the athlete's behavior (Wiese, Weiss, & Yukelson, 1991). Also, a punishment may be used, in this case decrease behavior strength not increase it (Orlick, 1974). By implementing something negative, behavior can be changed to a more positive response in an effort to eliminate negative behavior (Gill & Williams, 2008). The implementation of a behavior plan may be crucial in an athlete's ability to change behavior and response. Also, the plan assists the athlete to follow through with the plan to meet their goals, depending on the goals set for the individuals problem(s) or struggles. There are seven steps at which need to be considered when developing a behavior plan; (1) Clarify the problem, (2) formulate goals for the consultant, (3) design target behaviors, (4) identify the maintaining conditions of the target behavior, (5) design a treatment plan, (6) implement the plan, and (7) evaluate the success of the plan (Gill & Williams, 2008). Each one of these steps allows the coach, consultant, or supervisor to properly set up a plan of attack to allow the athlete to succeed.
NOW WHAT:
First, I will sit down with my coach and clearly state my problem(s). These need to be specific so that later in the process, specific goals can be constructed. By clearly stating my specific problems, I will be able to understand why these behaviors have developed and my coach will be able to recognize them later in training. Once I have specifically stated my problem, next, I will formulate specific goals. I will personally set these goals, unless my coach believes they are unachievable, then he will step in and assist me in formulated goals that will better benefit me. I would want to set a goal where I'm only allowed to do a certain percentage of my max to better develop my technique. I believe that my technique has diminished due the compensation I've been developing to limit the amount of back pain I experience during a lift. Also, I'll add that once my technique and pain start to better, I would be rewarded with a chance to increase the percentage of my 1RM that I can go for certain lifts. As my technique betters, I will be able to increase the number of sessions per week that I can do a higher percentage, as long as I stay technically sound. I will gradually increase and work my way up in weight, then once again reward myself with a chance to max out. These goals won't be set in stone, I would be able to revamp/reevaluate my goals throughout according to my behavioral response(s). Designing target behaviors in the next step. I would measure my behavior based on my performance by accomplishing a set number of repetitions and sets at the set percentage without technical breakdowns. For example, being able to make 5 sets of 3 80% of my 1RM in snatch and/or clean & jerk with my technique remaining solid. Once my technique starts to breakdown, I get frustrated, which is what we're implementing the plan to cope with this negative behavior. Having these target behaviors actively performed, will allow me to evaluate myself. Being able to identify why I may maintain a negative behavior. The ABC model is a basic way of understanding these behaviors (Gill & Williams, 2008). A stand for the antecedents; why do I mentally breakdown when my technique breakdown. B stands for the behavior itself; becoming unmotivated to train or attempt more weight for a certain set and rep combination. C stands for the consequences of the behavior; missing reps or the feeling of not wanting to train/finish the training session. Next step is to design a treatment plan using reinforcement that has a value to me, whether its objects or in my case the ability to attempt heavier weight more often. Also, it might mean being able to training in a certain area of the room or getting to decide the music selection for a certain day. Implementing the plan on an agreed date, athlete and coach, have decided upon. The treatment plan needs to be monitored continually and adjusted over-time by the coach and myself making sure the goals and activities are being met, if not revised to accomplish them. Lastly, evaluation on our plan needs to be done, whether that's over a couple months or over years. Over-time my coach will be able to taper off following consistent success. We would have follow up meetings to track my progression and success.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, being able to implement a behavior plan can change my response to negative responses associated with poor training sessions, due to technique. Being able to clearly state why I'm struggling and developing these negative responses and then developing techniques and reinforcement plans that can be evaluated over-time can alter my response during training. Positive and negative reinforcement and punishment may be used as a stimulus to develop a controlled response to certain behaviors, positive or negative. Setting goals to motivate an athlete to understand that the behavior is positive or negative keeps the athlete on track to improve and strive for certain reinforcements; objects, verbal complements, or the allowance to specifically do something of value to them.
REFERENCES:
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Orlick, T. D. (1974). Sport participation: A process of shaping behavior. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 16(5), 558-561.
Wiese, D. M., Weiss, M. R., & Yukelson, D. P. (1991). Sport psychology in the training room: A survey of athletic trainers. The Sport Psychologist, 5(1), 15-24.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Take a deep breath and relax
WHAT:
A junior tennis player is experiencing emotional ups and downs during competition, and when the competition becomes toughest, late in tournament play, he rarely plays up to his potential. Young players that have promising talent and ability in sport may be receiving added stress from their coach, parents, or themselves (Taylor, 1992). With this added pressure/stress, they have a difficult time focusing on the task/competition at hand. Even though they are physically capable of out playing everyone they face, they allow added stress to effect their emotions. This is usually caused by the lack of the ability and experience to manage and cope with these emotions and stresses (Jones, 2003). Being able to learn to adapt on the fly and cope, will allow this athlete to eventually play at his potential.
SO WHAT:
First off, this athlete, being a junior competitor, more than likely has difficulty coping with stress and emotions while in competition. His lack of knowledge and experience dealing with these issues makes it difficult to let go and move on.
My initial analysis of this athlete is that he's allowing his arousal levels to get too high, which narrows his focus. According to Gill and Williams (2008), when arousal levels increase beyond the optimal level, emotional control is needed. Most strategies for stress management involve relaxation methods. Also, overarousal initially increases either physiological arousal and cognitive worry can quickly create a negative thought-anxiety cycle; worry and increases in arousal create a negative cycle that decreases performance (Gill & Williams, 2008). Mayer and Salovey's model of emotional intelligence includes 4 branches: (1) emotional perceptions and expression, (2) emotional facilitation of thought, (3) emotional understanding, and (4) emotional management. These skills allow a person to benefit from being able to control emotion during specific skills.
Lauer's developed the three Rs; react, relax, and refocus. People who struggle with emotional control first need to react; recognize the negative emotion, feel it, but don't let it control you. Next they need to relax, or calm down; using deep breathing, self-talk, or imagery to respond positively. Lastly, refocus and return to play (Gill & Williams, 2008).
NOW WHAT:
First off I will have a meeting with the athlete, sit down with him and discuss how he feels during competition. I would like to understand how and what he is feeling; physically and emotionally. This will allow me to put a plan of attack together to help this junior tennis player learn to cope and redirect negative emotion and stress towards positive action/performance.
First, I will teach him how to recognize that he is losing control of his emotions. The ability to recognize this is the first step in taking action to overcome and being able to react. I will teach the athlete to acquire feedback from his body, physically and emotionally. This could mean being able to notice muscle tension, fear, sickness, heartbeat, fatigue, etc...
Once he able to notice these "red flags," I will teach him ways of relaxing, the second R. Breathing exercises are the simplest and most effective relaxation techniques, slow, deep breathing (Gill & Williams, 2008). Its an effective way to control respiration rate, heart rate, and body temperature. Some of these physiological responses are more difficult than others to control, but deep breathing can contribute to all. For muscle tension, teaching this athlete to use progressive relaxation to assist in the release of tension is a popular method used by athletes. The progressive tensing and relaxing of tense muscle groups helps release the tension, relaxing the muscle(s) (Gill & Williams, 2008). Meditation and autogenic training are other methods that may be used to to relax, however, they are more difficult to use and learn. Which with a young athlete, deep breathing and progressive relaxation may be easiest to teach and most effective methods to use.
Lastly, teaching the athlete to refocus, after reacting/noticing the stress or loss of control and relaxing, and return to play immediately, and using the redirected control towards positive play. Using a verbal cue, word or phase, that the athlete will use as a "switch" to forget about the past event and focus on the play at hand or upcoming.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, being able to use the three Rs was my main focus for this athlete. Being able to react, relax, and refocus during competition is vital for this athlete to play at his potential. For him to be able to control his emotional ups and downs throughout play using various techniques, simple yet effective techniques, were the main focus for an athlete his age, and as he develops, teach him more difficult relaxation techniques. This athlete allows himself to lose control of his emotions which decreases performance, based on the anxiety cycle. Also, according to the emotional intelligence model, being able to identify, redirect thought, understand, and monitor his emotions, he can return to play, more importantly, positive play.
REFERENCES:
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Jones, M. V. (2003). Controlling emotions in sport. The Sport Psychologist, 17, 471-486.
Taylor, J. (1992). Coaches are people too: An applied model of stress management for sports coaches. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 4(1), 27-50.
A junior tennis player is experiencing emotional ups and downs during competition, and when the competition becomes toughest, late in tournament play, he rarely plays up to his potential. Young players that have promising talent and ability in sport may be receiving added stress from their coach, parents, or themselves (Taylor, 1992). With this added pressure/stress, they have a difficult time focusing on the task/competition at hand. Even though they are physically capable of out playing everyone they face, they allow added stress to effect their emotions. This is usually caused by the lack of the ability and experience to manage and cope with these emotions and stresses (Jones, 2003). Being able to learn to adapt on the fly and cope, will allow this athlete to eventually play at his potential.
SO WHAT:
First off, this athlete, being a junior competitor, more than likely has difficulty coping with stress and emotions while in competition. His lack of knowledge and experience dealing with these issues makes it difficult to let go and move on.
My initial analysis of this athlete is that he's allowing his arousal levels to get too high, which narrows his focus. According to Gill and Williams (2008), when arousal levels increase beyond the optimal level, emotional control is needed. Most strategies for stress management involve relaxation methods. Also, overarousal initially increases either physiological arousal and cognitive worry can quickly create a negative thought-anxiety cycle; worry and increases in arousal create a negative cycle that decreases performance (Gill & Williams, 2008). Mayer and Salovey's model of emotional intelligence includes 4 branches: (1) emotional perceptions and expression, (2) emotional facilitation of thought, (3) emotional understanding, and (4) emotional management. These skills allow a person to benefit from being able to control emotion during specific skills.
Lauer's developed the three Rs; react, relax, and refocus. People who struggle with emotional control first need to react; recognize the negative emotion, feel it, but don't let it control you. Next they need to relax, or calm down; using deep breathing, self-talk, or imagery to respond positively. Lastly, refocus and return to play (Gill & Williams, 2008).
NOW WHAT:
First off I will have a meeting with the athlete, sit down with him and discuss how he feels during competition. I would like to understand how and what he is feeling; physically and emotionally. This will allow me to put a plan of attack together to help this junior tennis player learn to cope and redirect negative emotion and stress towards positive action/performance.
First, I will teach him how to recognize that he is losing control of his emotions. The ability to recognize this is the first step in taking action to overcome and being able to react. I will teach the athlete to acquire feedback from his body, physically and emotionally. This could mean being able to notice muscle tension, fear, sickness, heartbeat, fatigue, etc...
Once he able to notice these "red flags," I will teach him ways of relaxing, the second R. Breathing exercises are the simplest and most effective relaxation techniques, slow, deep breathing (Gill & Williams, 2008). Its an effective way to control respiration rate, heart rate, and body temperature. Some of these physiological responses are more difficult than others to control, but deep breathing can contribute to all. For muscle tension, teaching this athlete to use progressive relaxation to assist in the release of tension is a popular method used by athletes. The progressive tensing and relaxing of tense muscle groups helps release the tension, relaxing the muscle(s) (Gill & Williams, 2008). Meditation and autogenic training are other methods that may be used to to relax, however, they are more difficult to use and learn. Which with a young athlete, deep breathing and progressive relaxation may be easiest to teach and most effective methods to use.
Lastly, teaching the athlete to refocus, after reacting/noticing the stress or loss of control and relaxing, and return to play immediately, and using the redirected control towards positive play. Using a verbal cue, word or phase, that the athlete will use as a "switch" to forget about the past event and focus on the play at hand or upcoming.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, being able to use the three Rs was my main focus for this athlete. Being able to react, relax, and refocus during competition is vital for this athlete to play at his potential. For him to be able to control his emotional ups and downs throughout play using various techniques, simple yet effective techniques, were the main focus for an athlete his age, and as he develops, teach him more difficult relaxation techniques. This athlete allows himself to lose control of his emotions which decreases performance, based on the anxiety cycle. Also, according to the emotional intelligence model, being able to identify, redirect thought, understand, and monitor his emotions, he can return to play, more importantly, positive play.
REFERENCES:
Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Jones, M. V. (2003). Controlling emotions in sport. The Sport Psychologist, 17, 471-486.
Taylor, J. (1992). Coaches are people too: An applied model of stress management for sports coaches. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 4(1), 27-50.
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