Olchfa PE Dept

OlchfaPE Dept. GCSE Theory Booklet

PART 1

Psychology of Sport

and

Skill Acquisition

Motivation

People choose to take part in sport and exercise for a whole host of different reasons. Our reasons may change with our age and ability. Motivation is really important because it can affect how often we train as well as the overall standard of our performance.

Task – Make a list of all the reasons why you take part in your chosen sport.

Then think of a sport or activity that you have tried but no longer take part in. List the reasons why you no longer participate in that activity.

People who achieve success in sport all share one thing in common. They are all highly motivated and possess a willingness to work hard and sacrifice many things in life in order to achieve success. This motivation ensures they train regularly and compete with determination during competition.

Types of Motivation

Different people are motivated by different things.

Task – List three reasons why you think David Beckham started playing football as a young lad.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

List three reasons why David Beckham continues to play his Football in Los Angeles and Milan.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Intrinsic Motivation (Self Motivation)

This type of motivation comes from our inner drives. It is a major factor that gets people involved in sports in the first place and keeps many sports people participating in their chosen activity over a period of time. It includes such factors as:

Fun, enjoyment, pride in winning, meeting friends, satisfaction in performing well and a competitive streak satisfied!

Extrinsic Motivation (External Motivation)

Extrinsic motivation comes from rewards and external pressures. This could involve factors such as money (wages/prize money), trophies, league titles, medals and the roar of the crowd. It could also involve pleasing people who are important to you such as your parents, coaches and teachers or avoiding letting your team mates or fans down.

Most people are motivated by a mixture of both types: for example Wayne Rooney.

He clearly loves football, is hugely competitive and takes pride in performing well. He also earns millions of pounds a year and moved to Man Utd. from Everton because of the likelihood of winning trophies and achieving success.

Task –List the possible reasons Gavin Henson no longer plays rugby

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Unless we are motivated there is no way we are going to pursue a lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

Some people way struggle with motivation and building exercise into their daily lives may seem like too much of an effort. Here is a list of ways in which we could help people adhere to a training programme who may not be that well motivated:

Place and time of exercise – needs to be convenient and fun
Work with a partner of an equal ability or someone who shares similar goals. “strength in numbers!” or “a problem shared is a problem halved” are terms that come to mind.
Set realistic goals and share those goals
Establish a routine
Have plenty of variety-keep it interesting
Monitor progress made- Fitness tests, photographs, questionnaires

All these factors will help individuals establish a healthier lifestyle that is beneficial, sustainable and rewarding.

Exam Style Questions

Name three problems associated with over dependence on extrinsic motivation in sport. (3)

…………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………

Which type of motivation is better in the long term? Explain your answer. (2)

………………………………………………………………………………………

Goal Setting

What is a goal?

In general terms a goal is something that we aim towards, and is often thought of as a target to be achieved. Setting goals helps us to focus our energies in a particular area and helps to motivate and lift our level of performance.

Many of us have long term ambitions in Sport for example “making the County Netball Team”. This would be categorized as a Long Term Goal. These goals are generally in the medium to long term.

Task – List two long term goals that you have. At least one must be sport related.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

In order to achieve these Long Term Goals it is essential to set far more specific Short Term Goals. These goals are usually related to some technical or physical aspect of our performance. For example in order to make the County Netball Squad I will need to:

Improve my shooting percentage

Improve my agility

Improve my explosive strength

Achieving these short term goals will help you achieve your long term goal.

Task – Identify one Long Term Goal and three Short Term Goals you think will help achieve that goal

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Goals can also be considered as:

Outcome Goals – linked to the result of a competition/game eg. To win the cup/game/race

Performance goals – where the result is secondary to the performance. eg. I came last in the race but I ran a personal best time.

Which type of goal do you think is the most appropriate to set?

When setting goals you should apply the following criteria:

S pecific………………………………………………………………………..

M easurable………………………………………………………………….

A ccepted……………………………………………………………………..

R ealistic………………………………………………………………………

T ime Phased…………………………………………………………………..

E xciting…………………………………………………………………………

R ecorded………………………………………………………………………

Exam Style Question

Using the SMART principle, explain and give examples of how goal setting can lead to improved health and fitness. (6)

……………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Skill and Ability

When we watch top sportspeople in action, we see them perform their skills smoothly and with great control. They are exciting to watch because they seem to make difficult actions seem very easy. What we do not see are the hours of practice that take place over many years and which have enabled them to become highly skillful.

A somersault in gym, a penalty kick in rugby, a reverse stick dribble in hockey, a tumble turn in swimming and an overhead clear in badminton are all examples of skills from sport.

Skill can be defined as “the learned ability to choose and perform the right techniques at the right time, effectively, consistently and efficiently within a competitive game or activity.”

Task – Name three sportspeople who you consider to be skillful. For each example explain what it is they are able to do that makes them skillful.

……………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………

We are all pre disposed towards being skillful in certain areas as a result of the ability that we possess. Ability can be thought of as our innate, genetic characteristics that we inherit from our parents.

For example people who are very good at Badminton have inherited excellent hand-eye co-ordination, power and agility from their parents. These traits are all examples of ability.

There are however, some key differences between Skill and Ability:

Skill / Ability
Learned / Innate
Practiced / Genetic
Reversible / Enduring
Goal Directed / Underlying

Task – Identify an example of a skill from a sport of your choice. Then identify three abilities required to perform that skill effectively.

Skill…………………………………………………………………………………….

Abilities………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Think about skillful performers:

What is it about all these performances that allow them to be categorized as skillful?

This list is known as thecharacteristics of a skillful performance:

Efficient

Consistent

Aesthetically Pleasing

Practiced

Learned

Goal Orientated

Fluent

Effective Technique

Exam Style Question

Name a physical activity of your choice and evaluate fully a skillful performance. How could an improvement in skill levels lead to sustaining involvement in the physical activity? (6)

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………….