HEY! JUST RELAX: TECHNIQUES FOR CHASING AWAY THOSE PRE-CONTEST JITTERS BY FRED "DR. SQUAT" HATFIELD From: DrSquat@aol.com Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 Subject: Psychology and the Powerlifter Silverman Wrote: >I was speaking to a friend recently, and in the course of our discussion >he mentioned how uptight he gets before competition. He feels that this >is potentially causing him to not do as well as he might, and I wondered >if he had ever worked with a sports psychologist. He hadn't. > >Realizing how important it is to be at your physical best as well as your >mental best going into competition, I think he would benefit from this, >but I didn't know any good phsychologists to whom I could refer him. If >anyone knows any reputable individuals, probably in the northeast or >midwest (Chicago to Boston, south as far as Washington D.C.), please send >me some names, and I can pass them on. I noticed Dr. Silverman's request at around the same time I was working on an old powerlifting manuscript I had written back in the seventies, bringing it up to date for my new book. Much of the stuff is applicable to his friend, and possibly of interest to this readership as well. Here is a portion of the psychology chapter. Anxiety and over-arousal Lifters unaffected by pre-contest jitters are rare indeed. The reasons for the onset of such anxiety are many, and include fear of pain, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of group (i.e., training partners) reprisal, and a host of other factors. Often too, just the mere thought of all-out exertion causes tremendous physiological responses to occur, such as increased heart rate, adrenaline flow, tenseness, and sleeplessness. Lumped together, and considered from the point in time just preceding a contest, these anxieties are called the pre-start phenomenon. Naturally, since there are as many reasons for such a response as there are lifters, methods of coping with it are also many. However, there are a few overriding considerations that one may address in attempting to eliminate such problems. Collectively, these methods are referred to as stress reduction techniques, or , more specifically, arousal control techniques. Model training. This is a commonly used technique in controlling the pre-start phenomenon. It consists simply of 1) getting as much meet experience as possible, or 2) practicing under meet conditions often. both techniques tend to assist the lifter, through having become practiced at anxiety control, to cope with pre-meet arousal and anxiety. These "practice" sessions are, in a sense, "models" for you to learn from. However, I have seen lifters of vast experience still unable to control pre-start problems. This technique appears to be good only for some. Withdrawal from the psychological field. Generally, pre-start problems aren't manifest nearly as much when the lifter is at home, preparing for the daily workout, as they are at a big contest. Why? It appears that the importance of the contest, being far more than a single workout, causes the anxiety response. It is quite possible for lifters traveling to a meet, and lounging around the day before the meet, to essentially withdraw from the psychological atmosphere that causes pre-start, simply by acting totally normal. Acting as though you were home may include eating normally, dating the night before, working on y our car, listening to music, watching television, rap sessions with friends, and other such things that are not uncommonly included in your normal daily routine. In this way, the lifter is not forced into dwelling on the upcoming meet. Strange, pre-meet ritual in diet, activity, or other facets of wakefulness must be avoided by those plagued with pre-start problems. Social isolation. the contagious nature of arousal is well known. One lifter can turn an entire hotel full of lifters into a jittery bunch of nerve endings. Talk of the upcoming meet is often enough to evoke tremendously debilitating physiological responses in some lifters. They should avoid such intercourse altogether. Friends (or coach) of such lifters should convince him or her to go sit in the room and watch TV, go to bed, to a movie, or whatever it takes to not only isolate that lifter, thereby quelling anxiety, but to isolate that lifter from other lifters not totally immune to the pre-start phenomenon. Selective Association. Since anxiety is contagious, a lack of it may also be contagious. Over-anxious lifters would do well to associate with a low-anxious lifter (or friend) the night before the meet. It is not advisable, generally, for the over-aroused lifter to associate with a low-aroused lifter, since a reverse effect may occur with the low-aroused lifter instead. Progressive relaxation. Developed by Jacobson in 1938, progressive relaxation techniques have begun only recently to be used in any widespread sense. The technique is quite effective in relaxing (or controlling) residual muscle tension that results from factors related to the pre-start phenomenon. Such tension can literally ruin a lifter from the standpoint that undue fatigue always accompanies muscle tension. The technique requires some practice, but is quite simple to master. Simply stated, tension recognition is the key. To recognize tension, tighten and relax various muscles at different intensities of contraction (i.e., slight, moderate, maximum). Once you can perceive even the slightest tension, it is a small step to modulating it even further. Since significant evidence exists supportive of the notion that neuromuscular function and emotional states are directly related, it follows that emotional control follows muscular control. This technique is often used in conjunction with biofeedback apparatuses or techniques. By visual observation of muscular contraction on an oscilloscope, it is quite simple to "think" such conjecture to a halt. Soon, such apparatuses are unnecessary, and relaxation is easily effected at will. I regard this technique as the most easily learned and most significant method in existence for pre-meet tension reduction. My feelings are due largely to the ease with which such a practice can be learned and carried out. I strongly suggest every lifter having such problems spend the last wakeful moments of each day attempting to perceive tension-not only will you fall asleep faster, but you'll learn how to do this any time, anywhere. Autogenic training. The sport scientists of eastern Europe have, for many years, known that psychological states of athletes often weigh as heavily as physiological states in athletic performance. Schultz, a German sport scientist, developed autogenic training in 1956. It is quite similar to progressive relaxation (described above), but includes methods of self-hypnosis (referred to as the power of suggestion) in ones attempt to adjust activation levels of muscles. As with progressive relaxation techniques, this is a relatively easy method to learn, and the reader is referred to any one of numerous books or articles on the subject of self-hypnosis. Fred Hatfield, Ph.D. drsquat@aol.com http://www.ipf.com/fredhome.htm http://www.sportstrength.com http://www.issa-usa.com (under construction) ------------------------------