Mental Skills Training Program Analysis

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The subject is a 20-year-old female who attends and plays volleyball for a university in the DC metro area. She has agreed to participate in this mental skills training program to be conducted over the course of six weeks. In addition to playing volleyball on the collegiate level, the subject is a full-time student that lives on campus and is very involved in various organizations. She exercises regularly through the volleyball program. Due to the rigor of collegiate sport and academics, the subject has been experiencing difficulty with stress. The subject was administered The Athletic
This is a brief overview of how the six weeks mental skills training program is ran and how it was linked to the psychological demands associated with the game …show more content…

Self-talk forces the athlete to think and talk positively while performing an action. This theoretically improves confidence levels while properly reinforcing the action in conjunction with the positive cue words/phrases.
In week three, the athlete will be focusing on utilizing music from their personal library to decrease their anxiety levels. The explanation behind this skill is that the lyrics and beats of the songs will help motivate the athlete as they participate in their sport.
Progressive muscular relaxation, a technique that reduces anxiety, is the focus of week four. The technique allows the athlete to calm down and focus under pressure like she would in the game of volleyball.
The focus of week five will also be to decrease anxiety using breathing control methods. Similarly to progressive muscular relaxation, breathing control will allow the athlete to remain calm and level headed. This is important so that the athlete does not work herself up and become too worried during competition.
To wrap up the mental skills training, the athlete will be utilizing goal-setting skills during week six to enhance confidence. If the athlete realizes that she can achieve the goals she sets then she will believe in herself more, thus improving her performance.

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