Elite sport psychology/anxiety/responses to stress

The performance of diver Jian Yang in the 2014 FINA World Diving Championships was nothing short of astonishing. Jian excelled under pressure, earning a perfect score for a forward 4-1/2 somersault pike, with a 4.1 degree of difficulty.

As indicated earlier, stress in sport can either be the force that stirs an athlete into action or a burden that inhibits them. The determining factor is not the amount of stress but the response to it. Stress produces two separate but closely-related responses, a physical response and a psychological response.

Physical response to stress

The human body is designed to be respond physically to stress. The so called “fight or flight” response is the physiological reaction to an external stressor. Adrenalin is released, the heart beats faster, the senses are more attuned, and the body is primed for action.

Psychologists sometimes call this aroused state as being “psyched up” and it can be seen as beneficial in some sports, in particular those that require quick bursts of intense activity, such as weight lifting or sprinting. At this optimal point, the athlete is in the best physical state for peak performance, but there is a downside. Once past this optimal level, further arousal leads to a rapid deterioration of performance. The athlete can be described as “psyched out.”

A key skill for an athlete is to be able to achieve the right amount of arousal for best performance. Too little and they are not in that peak zone, but too much and a decline in performance is almost inevitable. Another consideration is that different levels of arousal are required for different sports. Sports involving delicate skills such as archery and shooting require much lower levels of arousal than high intensity sports such as rugby or squash. Finally, some athletes require less arousal than others.  Some performers perform best when they are excited and agitated whereas others prefer to remain calm.

Psychological response

Arousal of the human body happens automatically when it is stressed, but there is also a psychological response that may cause further arousal. The psychological response is based on an athlete’s evaluation of the stressful situation.

For example, when athletes believe they cannot meet a challenge, a decline in performance often occurs and a self-fulfilling prophecy may result. On the other hand, when athletes believe they can rise to the challenge, the stressors may drive them to better performance.

A key psychological skill for an athlete is therefore to recognise their own natural responses to stress.

Assessing and recognising anxiety

Individuals respond differently to stressful situations and some are more prone to feelings of anxiety than others. Psychologists distinguish the tendency to become anxious, called trait anxiety, from the anxiety response itself, referred to as state anxiety.

Athletes who are high in trait anxiety need to gain awareness of their own anxiety levels and develop strategies to avoid its negative effects.

State anxiety can be recognised by athletes on three levels:

Somatic level

These are physical responses including profuse sweating, pounding heart, clammy hands, trembling, butterflies in the stomach and, in extreme cases, vomiting.

Behavioural level

These are specific patterns of behaviour including biting fingernails, lethargic movement, pacing up and down, and avoidance of eye contact.

Cognitive level

These are particular thought processes including indecision, confusion, negative thoughts, fear, and poor concentration.