In review of the PST programme, I will comment upon why we did the things we did e.g. the two techniques to improve motivation. And also why it was beneficial for the client to use these techniques rather than any others. I will interview the client and ask them questions about the programme so I can make improvements on my behalf as the sports psychologist. The questionnaire the client filled out during the consultation phase will be filled out again to monitor any improvements made over the 6 week period. This questionnaire is shown below:
The questionnaire clearly shows great improvement in motivation levels over the last 6 weeks. The client started the PST programme with a lack of motivation (amotivation) and using the techniques I have provided for him, it is clear to see they have worked in a positive manner and increased his motivation levels. As well as this, their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation has also increased which means they are more equipped to stay motivate throughout performing.
As well as this question, I also asked the client some final questions to see if improvements have been made and what could be done differently if we were to do the 6 week PST programme again.
- Has your knowledge of the psychology techniques improved? My knowledge of goal setting and listening to music has increased massively. I know that setting SMART goals and the type/length of goals are crucial also. I have also discovered that a higher BPM for songs will increase my motivation before an event or match.
- Do you feel as if your place is in sport and if so, do you now feel capable of succeeding? My motivation levels during performance has increased so I now believe my place is in sport. As a result of setting appropriate and SMART goals, I now believe I am capable of succeeding and achieving the goals I have set.
- Will you use the techniques I have provided you with again? I found that listening to music and goal setting were extremely useful techniques in increasing motivation levels. I will be definitely using them again by working with my coach, creating appropriate playlists and listening to them prior to an event. Goal setting was also useful but I found it less useful than listening to music.
- Are there any improvements to be made to the 6 week PST programme? If so, what could be done differently? I thought the only thing that could be improved on is the goal setting phases of the programme. I found the goals we set together useful, but more could have been set to a greater level of difficulty as I completed the short term and intermediate goals shortly after they were set.
From the questionnaire and the set of questions I asked the client in this week of the programme. It is clear to see that the client's motivation level has increased and they are no longer demotivated prior to events or during a match. The questionnaire also highlights how the client's intrinsic and extrinsic motivation has increased which will lead to a greater work ethic both on and off the field which will therefore result in an increase in performance. As a sports psychologist, the only thing that has been highlighted for me to improve on is setting more appropriate, and just more in general, goals for the client to achieve. If I were to do the 6 week PST programme again, I will take note of this feedback and input more appropriate goals for the client.
I feel as if the main strength of the 6 week programme on my behalf is the listening to music phases as the client gained the most information from these and is still using this technique now to increase their motivation. The videos that were added to the blog in the consultation, introduction to strategies and acquisition phases were highlighted as major strengths as the client found them useful to learn from. Other strengths included the meetings with both the client and the football coach, we got to know each other well and this helped with the education phase especially as I learnt how the client best learns e.g. visual learning from the videos I inputted.
One thing the client asked was; why did we use goal setting and listening to music as techniques to increase motivation? Why not other techniques?
As we know, motivation can have a huge affect on sporting performance and you can become demotivated if you are under or over achieving in your sport. Goal setting is free so any performer at any level can use this technique. Goal setting can overcome that by setting specific goals to your sport and having goals that can be measured on a scale so success can be monitored. The goals must be achievable, goals that are too easy or too difficult to achieve will promote amotivation which is why it is crucial to set attainable goals that are just within the athlete's limits. A time scale on the goal will motivate the athlete to achieve it within a specific time frame and the goal must be realistic to the athlete's ability. Overall, it has been found that goal setting has a consistent and powerful effect on behaviour and they help organise training and competition routines to ensure targets are being met, this is why goal setting was chosen as a technique to increase motivation levels.
Listening to music was chosen as in most competitions, athlete's ability levels are usually similar and listening to music has the potential to elicit a small but significant effect on sporting performance. Listening to music is ideal in a training environment and can be used right up to an event or match e.g. in the changing rooms. You often see professional footballers with their headphones walking into the football stadiums, this is a technique implemented by them to not only increase their arousal, but to also motivate them for the game ahead. Fast tempo songs are easy to find using the appropriate web links and it is simple and straight forward to build a playlist for an athlete to listen to. Overall, listening to music is an effective and straight forward way of increasing a performer's motivation as therefore increases their performance.
Techniques such as biofeedback involves employing devices that amplify specific body functions for psychosomatic feedback. In essence, biofeedback gives the performer the power to control their body and often helps with health conditions or physical performance. Biofeedback is also often used as a relaxation technique or a technique used to control arousal levels for a performer; therefore I would not use this technique for this 6 week PST programme as I was aiming to increase the performer's motivation. In biofeedback, devices used can be impractical and sometimes difficult to ascribe causes of results if two or more modalities are being used (Petruzzello, Landers and Salazar, 1991). Biofeedback may also cause an increase in arousal for a performer due to being evaluated so intensely and may find it difficult performing whilst being wired up to the specific devices. If results gained show that the athlete is not performing well, it may cause a demotivating effect which could lead to the athlete becoming highly anxious and stressed. A final reason why I did not use biofeedback as a technique during the programme is the devices used can be costly and need specialist knowledge and assistance to use the equipment correctly.
Controlled breathing is another psychological technique that could of been used in the 6 week PST programme. Controlled or timed breathing is steady and even breathing used for relaxation and also controls arousal levels; as this technique aims to control arousal levels, I did not use this in the PST programme as my client was struggling with motivation. Controlled breathing is a technique that might not be for everyone, some people may find it boring or are unable to carry out the technique correctly; as it isn't very exciting, it could actually have a negative effect on my client's motivation if this was used. It may also be easier to do prior or after an event rather than during as the performer would have other things on their mind and may not think about controlling their breathing.
Performance profiling is a psychological technique used to increase an athlete's motivation. It is a process whereby an athlete lists the most important attributes for their success in their sport. Newman & Crespo (2008). Whilst profiling my client's performance, as the sports psychologist, I may have to make sacrifices to avoid a rift with the client as they may disagree. My client has identified confidence as a negative previously and they may not want to say what they are good or bad at; on the other hand, if my client was over confident, they may think they are better than what they actually are. The process of performance profiling may not show the biggest weakness of my client but instead the area of weakness with the most importance to that sport; this may result in my client not working on their motivation but another psychological factor which they are stronger at. Overall, the disadvantages of performance profiling, in my opinion, outweigh the positives and this is why I would not use this technique during the 6 week PST programme.
One thing the client asked was; why did we use goal setting and listening to music as techniques to increase motivation? Why not other techniques?
As we know, motivation can have a huge affect on sporting performance and you can become demotivated if you are under or over achieving in your sport. Goal setting is free so any performer at any level can use this technique. Goal setting can overcome that by setting specific goals to your sport and having goals that can be measured on a scale so success can be monitored. The goals must be achievable, goals that are too easy or too difficult to achieve will promote amotivation which is why it is crucial to set attainable goals that are just within the athlete's limits. A time scale on the goal will motivate the athlete to achieve it within a specific time frame and the goal must be realistic to the athlete's ability. Overall, it has been found that goal setting has a consistent and powerful effect on behaviour and they help organise training and competition routines to ensure targets are being met, this is why goal setting was chosen as a technique to increase motivation levels.
Listening to music was chosen as in most competitions, athlete's ability levels are usually similar and listening to music has the potential to elicit a small but significant effect on sporting performance. Listening to music is ideal in a training environment and can be used right up to an event or match e.g. in the changing rooms. You often see professional footballers with their headphones walking into the football stadiums, this is a technique implemented by them to not only increase their arousal, but to also motivate them for the game ahead. Fast tempo songs are easy to find using the appropriate web links and it is simple and straight forward to build a playlist for an athlete to listen to. Overall, listening to music is an effective and straight forward way of increasing a performer's motivation as therefore increases their performance.
Techniques such as biofeedback involves employing devices that amplify specific body functions for psychosomatic feedback. In essence, biofeedback gives the performer the power to control their body and often helps with health conditions or physical performance. Biofeedback is also often used as a relaxation technique or a technique used to control arousal levels for a performer; therefore I would not use this technique for this 6 week PST programme as I was aiming to increase the performer's motivation. In biofeedback, devices used can be impractical and sometimes difficult to ascribe causes of results if two or more modalities are being used (Petruzzello, Landers and Salazar, 1991). Biofeedback may also cause an increase in arousal for a performer due to being evaluated so intensely and may find it difficult performing whilst being wired up to the specific devices. If results gained show that the athlete is not performing well, it may cause a demotivating effect which could lead to the athlete becoming highly anxious and stressed. A final reason why I did not use biofeedback as a technique during the programme is the devices used can be costly and need specialist knowledge and assistance to use the equipment correctly.
Controlled breathing is another psychological technique that could of been used in the 6 week PST programme. Controlled or timed breathing is steady and even breathing used for relaxation and also controls arousal levels; as this technique aims to control arousal levels, I did not use this in the PST programme as my client was struggling with motivation. Controlled breathing is a technique that might not be for everyone, some people may find it boring or are unable to carry out the technique correctly; as it isn't very exciting, it could actually have a negative effect on my client's motivation if this was used. It may also be easier to do prior or after an event rather than during as the performer would have other things on their mind and may not think about controlling their breathing.
Performance profiling is a psychological technique used to increase an athlete's motivation. It is a process whereby an athlete lists the most important attributes for their success in their sport. Newman & Crespo (2008). Whilst profiling my client's performance, as the sports psychologist, I may have to make sacrifices to avoid a rift with the client as they may disagree. My client has identified confidence as a negative previously and they may not want to say what they are good or bad at; on the other hand, if my client was over confident, they may think they are better than what they actually are. The process of performance profiling may not show the biggest weakness of my client but instead the area of weakness with the most importance to that sport; this may result in my client not working on their motivation but another psychological factor which they are stronger at. Overall, the disadvantages of performance profiling, in my opinion, outweigh the positives and this is why I would not use this technique during the 6 week PST programme.
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