Scenario Question
Image 1
Iamge 2
Question
Part a)
Image 1 gives the performer qualitative information from personal reflections on his performance.
Image 2 gives quantitative information about the same performance.
Analyse what the information tells you about the impact on his performance of Mental Factors and Social Factors.
8 Marks
Hints
● 1 mark for each point of analysis
● Negative points must be made to ensure part (b) can be answered
● Make sure to respond with both Mental and Social factors
● Points made must stick to these two factors
● You must refer to both factors to access all 8 marks
PLAN
Mental
1 point qualitative, 1 points quantitative
Each point gets a paragraph and a sub factor.
Each paragraph targeting 2 marks.
1st mark analysing how the scenario problem might be caused by the sub factor
2nd mark for analysing the potential impact on the overall performance
Suggested Factors - Concentration, Decision Making, Anxiety, Problem Solving
Social
2 points qualitative, 2 points quantitative
Each point gets a paragraph and a sub factor.
Each paragraph targeting 2 marks.
1st mark analysing how the scenario problem might be caused by the sub factor
2nd mark for analysing the potential impact on the overall performance
Suggested Factors - Team Dynamics, Crowd, Coach, Communication
HINTS
MENTAL
Ideas - QUALITATIVE
…’My concentration wasn’t consistent throughout performance’...he thought this because in the game…the performer’s concentration towards end of game…impact on the performance was...
…’My decisions did not always have an effective outcome’...he thought this because...his decision making was poor...during game performer felt that they continually passed to player instead of taking on shot...this led to a turnover in possession…impact on the performance was...
…’Why did I give up when things weren’t going my way? Where was my mental toughness?’...he thought this because...anxiety overpowered...increase negative thoughts...impact on performance was…
Ideas - QUANTITATIVE
...The quantitative data for displays of concentration contradicts the personal opinion of the performer...it shows it to be effective...this would be shown in performance examples such as…
...Solving problems is shown to be a weakness...this seems to correspond with the performers’ opinion...10 out of 13 examples of this were ineffective...possible examples of these could be...the impact of these on his performance would be...
SOCIAL
Ideas - QUALITATIVE
…’I can’t seem to think about how to solve problems in my performance’...possible explanation could be problem with team dynamics...teammates putting pressure on performer to beat the superior player in front of them...being predictable with dribbling on favoured foot...defender applies pressure...slows down attack...team mates reluctant to pass ball to performer...this impacted team performance by…
…’Why did I give up when things weren’t going my way? Where was my mental toughness?’...The crowd may have broken down the performers’ mental toughness...due to early mistakes, crowd gave criticism...negative thoughts grew...this led to impacts in the performance such as…
Ideas - QUANTITATIVE
...Solving problems statistics low...problem with the coach instructions with the team...tactics do not suit, such as always playing direct passes with lack of creative thought in tactics...causes problems such as performer becoming predictable...impacts performance by…
...Decision making stats show it as ineffective...Communication being poor in squad...teammates not calling for ball...pressure on player as limited options...impacts performance by...
Full answer examples…
MENTAL
‘The performer has indicated written down ‘My decisions did not always have an effective outcome’. A possible reason he thought this was because his decision making was poor. During the game the performer may have hesitated taking a shot and continually passed to a supporting player. Unfortunately the pass was usually intercepted, leading to a turnover in possession. (1ST MARK) The impact on the performance was the opponents gained easy possession and the performer continually doubting their decisions and making them hesitate further. (2ND MARK)
SOCIAL
The performers ‘Solving problems’ statistics were high in their ineffectiveness. The potential problem could be with the coach instructions to the team. The coach could be new and trying to install a different style. The style or tactic may not suit the team strengths or weaknesses. , such as For example, the coach may demand the performer to play direct passes to the strikers. With a lack of creative thought in tactics, the performer becomes predictable.(1ST MARK) With the performer becoming predictable, this has the impact that the opposition expect a long ball from the performer they will apply early pressure on them, they will double mark the target player and attempt interception of the long ball forward. (2ND MARK)
Part b)
Explain possible next steps to ensure performance development
Plan
Mental approaches
Self Talk - 2 marks
Visualisation - 2 marks
Self Talk to improve anxiety
The performer could use self talk to improve anxiety levels during the performance. With self talk having three clear parts of Recognise, Regroup, Refocus the performer would be able to clearly identify the source of their anxiety, i.e. being pressured heavily by a superior player. The performer could then recognise the consequences of allowing the anxiety to take over their mental toughness, i.e. focussing on the negative images of the player dispossessing them. (1st mark). Finally they could use pre prepared phrases to allow them to refocus back to the task at hand, e.g ‘Focus’. This impact of this would avoid the cycle of negative thoughts growing in the performer and the defeatist attitude to take over, allowing the performer to think creatively,i.e. using a fake pass to play a 1-2 around the player. (2nd mark).
Visualisation to improve decision making
Visualisation is an easy method to use, as long as the performer dedicates time to practising the method. As visualisation is completed from a first person view point, the experience is personal to the performer. Therefore the performer can make the experience specific to the situations where they struggle to make the correct decision. (1st mark) Also, with visualisation being a relatively quick and simple method to use, the performer can pause at an appropriate moment during the game to compose themselves after making a poor decision and ensure the same mistake is not made twice. For example if the performer miss hits a free kick, will they unlikely repeat the mistake by visualising hitting the next free kick on target. (2nd Mark)
Social approaches
Team Building Exercises to improve communication
The performer could use team building exercises, such as the Human Knot and Cross the canyon, to develop the communication skills of the group. This would allows awkwardness between players to be broken down as they are friendly fun experiences where groups must share ideas to complete the task. (1st mark).This would allow for team mates to be more socially involved and allow barriers between players to be removed due to the fun aspect. When on the field of play the team mates should be more open to communicating to achieve the shared objective, i.e. winning the game. (2nd mark)
Group Practices to improve Team Dynamics
Using 3v2 pressure practices allows all team members to experience the pressure of playing against the odds when in the team of 2. If all team members have a better understanding of the pressure that is felt, team members may be more supportive if a player is finding it difficult to problem solve in a pressurized environment. (1st mark). This would allow team morale to remain high and team mates would develop the ability to share ideas to help to overcome the problem, thus improving team dynamics. (2nd mark).