Introduction & Motivation
Lecture 1 / Yperen
perfection is not required gold medal
(e.g. Ireen Wüst, Jannik Sinner, Roger Federer)
”Is the perfect race/match’ an unattainable goal?” → yes, you always make mistakes
basic model:
performance = potential performance - performance losses
“it’s about overcoming your mistakes in the race and remaining composed” – Allen Johnson
aspects of athletic performance:
(1) physical, (2) technical, (3) tactical & (4) psychological
mental side [discipline; focus]:
– mental training is typically directed at avoiding performing losses: to teach, develop and maintain
mental skills that help athletes to focus exclusively on how you play while ignoring distractions
including internal and external distractions such as weather conditions, the click of a camera, or
actions by opponents or others = help “to remain composed”
- how you play = how you can play - performance losses
1. what you potential can after a lot of practice (/ how you can play)
2. performance losses due to pressure [underachieve]
performance gains: cause (potential) performance to increase over time (level and consistency)
→ the higher the potential the better you play
APA = Acknowledge, Practice, Act
— knowing different from the behavior itself
coaches: “athletes have to learn how to win”
in general perfection is not achievable [realistic expectations for younger athletes]
→ strive for perfection, but do not expect perfection
- learn how to deal with failure
stoic philosophy: focus on the things you can control
stoicism → you (can) control how you play (today)
if mental processes are crucial for athletic success:
- increasing their performance gains
- forestalling their performance losses
,applied sport psychology as a sub field of performance psychology is about enhancing athletes
performance and helping them reach their potential (rather than addressing mental health issues)
! however part of the sport psychologist's job responsibilities is to be able to provide
therapeutic services, likely by referral to a clinical specialist
- e.g. by developing individuals mental toughness, regarded by athletes and researchers as a
key characteristic of successful athletes
mental toughness
the FIRE (willing to win) and ICE situation (accepting loss) [capacity to balance]
you can try your very best and that what you always try for
hardiness is a constellation of personality characteristics that enables people to mitigate the adverse
effects of stressful situations (Kobasa, 1979)
– 4C’s model of mental toughness:
1. control = the capacity to feel and act as if one could exert an influence in the situation in
question
2. challenge = the habit of perceiving potentially stressful situation as positive opportunities
rather than as threats
3. commitment = stickability to the extent to which an individual is likely to persist with a goal
or work task
4. confidence (+ hardiness) = a strong belief in one's ability to complete a task successfully
! little agreement exists about what the construct itself actually means or about what
theoretical mechanisms underlie it
→ in research, coaching or any other context: be clear about the definitions, frameworks and
assumptions you use
statement: sport is 90% mental and the other 10% is physical
both answers are correct
1. agree
- when competing against an opponent of similar ability, mental factors make the
difference (performance losses)
- mental factors are more sensitive to pressure situation than physical, technical and
tactical factors
2. disagree
- competence/skill level determines fluctuations in performance → if people lack the
competence, the mental piece is completely irrelevant
however it is not possible to determine the weight of each separate component because:
- ‘weight’ is a function of person, time, context, and moment
- the different components (body and mind) are inseparable
in 2016 Max Verstappen (18 yrs) becomes the youngest ever formula one grand prix winner
, how you play / performance
1. expertise/capacity to perform
(how you can play)
- genetics
- practice and training
- high responder to training (50%) have certain genes
- higher baseline for endurance
2. opportunity to perform
- social support
- athlete support programs
- birthdate
- birthplace
3. the mind to perform
- personality traits
- psychological skills and motivational orientations
mental practice in sport to improve performance gains
1. developing mental skills and enhancing sustainable motivation
2. improving one’s expertise (level & consistency)
3. optimizing opportunities to develop and to train
mental practice in sport to improve less performance losses
1. enhancing the ability and motivation to effectively self-regulate during performance
2. developing the competencies to utilize when performing
3. optimizing the opportunities to perform well
self determination theory (SDT): motivation
motivation = the psychological forces that determine the direction of a person’s behavior, a person’s
level of intensity or effort, and a person's self-regulation and level of persistence
intrinsic motivation (IM) / enjoyment = when an activity is performed for its own sake – that is, the
behavior is experienced as inherently satisfying, because it's satisfies the basic needs for autonomy,
competence, and relatedness, the natural ingredients for IM
extrinsic motivation = the activity is perceived as a means to a separable outcome (i.e., as being
instrumentally important)
amotivation = the absence of motivation
Lecture 1 / Yperen
perfection is not required gold medal
(e.g. Ireen Wüst, Jannik Sinner, Roger Federer)
”Is the perfect race/match’ an unattainable goal?” → yes, you always make mistakes
basic model:
performance = potential performance - performance losses
“it’s about overcoming your mistakes in the race and remaining composed” – Allen Johnson
aspects of athletic performance:
(1) physical, (2) technical, (3) tactical & (4) psychological
mental side [discipline; focus]:
– mental training is typically directed at avoiding performing losses: to teach, develop and maintain
mental skills that help athletes to focus exclusively on how you play while ignoring distractions
including internal and external distractions such as weather conditions, the click of a camera, or
actions by opponents or others = help “to remain composed”
- how you play = how you can play - performance losses
1. what you potential can after a lot of practice (/ how you can play)
2. performance losses due to pressure [underachieve]
performance gains: cause (potential) performance to increase over time (level and consistency)
→ the higher the potential the better you play
APA = Acknowledge, Practice, Act
— knowing different from the behavior itself
coaches: “athletes have to learn how to win”
in general perfection is not achievable [realistic expectations for younger athletes]
→ strive for perfection, but do not expect perfection
- learn how to deal with failure
stoic philosophy: focus on the things you can control
stoicism → you (can) control how you play (today)
if mental processes are crucial for athletic success:
- increasing their performance gains
- forestalling their performance losses
,applied sport psychology as a sub field of performance psychology is about enhancing athletes
performance and helping them reach their potential (rather than addressing mental health issues)
! however part of the sport psychologist's job responsibilities is to be able to provide
therapeutic services, likely by referral to a clinical specialist
- e.g. by developing individuals mental toughness, regarded by athletes and researchers as a
key characteristic of successful athletes
mental toughness
the FIRE (willing to win) and ICE situation (accepting loss) [capacity to balance]
you can try your very best and that what you always try for
hardiness is a constellation of personality characteristics that enables people to mitigate the adverse
effects of stressful situations (Kobasa, 1979)
– 4C’s model of mental toughness:
1. control = the capacity to feel and act as if one could exert an influence in the situation in
question
2. challenge = the habit of perceiving potentially stressful situation as positive opportunities
rather than as threats
3. commitment = stickability to the extent to which an individual is likely to persist with a goal
or work task
4. confidence (+ hardiness) = a strong belief in one's ability to complete a task successfully
! little agreement exists about what the construct itself actually means or about what
theoretical mechanisms underlie it
→ in research, coaching or any other context: be clear about the definitions, frameworks and
assumptions you use
statement: sport is 90% mental and the other 10% is physical
both answers are correct
1. agree
- when competing against an opponent of similar ability, mental factors make the
difference (performance losses)
- mental factors are more sensitive to pressure situation than physical, technical and
tactical factors
2. disagree
- competence/skill level determines fluctuations in performance → if people lack the
competence, the mental piece is completely irrelevant
however it is not possible to determine the weight of each separate component because:
- ‘weight’ is a function of person, time, context, and moment
- the different components (body and mind) are inseparable
in 2016 Max Verstappen (18 yrs) becomes the youngest ever formula one grand prix winner
, how you play / performance
1. expertise/capacity to perform
(how you can play)
- genetics
- practice and training
- high responder to training (50%) have certain genes
- higher baseline for endurance
2. opportunity to perform
- social support
- athlete support programs
- birthdate
- birthplace
3. the mind to perform
- personality traits
- psychological skills and motivational orientations
mental practice in sport to improve performance gains
1. developing mental skills and enhancing sustainable motivation
2. improving one’s expertise (level & consistency)
3. optimizing opportunities to develop and to train
mental practice in sport to improve less performance losses
1. enhancing the ability and motivation to effectively self-regulate during performance
2. developing the competencies to utilize when performing
3. optimizing the opportunities to perform well
self determination theory (SDT): motivation
motivation = the psychological forces that determine the direction of a person’s behavior, a person’s
level of intensity or effort, and a person's self-regulation and level of persistence
intrinsic motivation (IM) / enjoyment = when an activity is performed for its own sake – that is, the
behavior is experienced as inherently satisfying, because it's satisfies the basic needs for autonomy,
competence, and relatedness, the natural ingredients for IM
extrinsic motivation = the activity is perceived as a means to a separable outcome (i.e., as being
instrumentally important)
amotivation = the absence of motivation
