From BPS Research Digest:
It's reassuring to learn that even the most elite athletes can suffer frommental frailties. Maurizio Bertollo and colleagues interviewed 13 members ofItaly's 2004 pentathlon squad and a common theme to emerge was the curse ofso-called "ironic effects". As one athlete explained: "In some circumstancesmy intention is not to do the best but to avoid making a bad shot. That iswhen I make a bad shot. When I think about avoiding the error, I make the error."
The modern pentathlon involves pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200m freestyleswimming, show jumping, and a 3km cross-country run, all conducted on thesame day. Bertollo's research team transcribed the interviews they conducted with the pentathletes.
Several of the athletes said that during the days before an event they attempted to recreate the emotional stress of a real competition.They also said they prioritised relaxation time, set themselves goals andmentally rehearsed success.
During a competition, the athletes performed an opposite mental exercise tothat conducted prior to the event, attempting to recreate the feelings, such as of muscle relaxation, that they achieved during training. They also revealed that they tried to avoid dwelling on mistakes; that they reassured themselves that dysfunctional emotions usually stop once a contest getsstarted; and that they strive to focus their attention in useful ways, such as on the sight and target during shooting.
It's reassuring to learn that even the most elite athletes can suffer frommental frailties. Maurizio Bertollo and colleagues interviewed 13 members ofItaly's 2004 pentathlon squad and a common theme to emerge was the curse ofso-called "ironic effects". As one athlete explained: "In some circumstancesmy intention is not to do the best but to avoid making a bad shot. That iswhen I make a bad shot. When I think about avoiding the error, I make the error."
The modern pentathlon involves pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200m freestyleswimming, show jumping, and a 3km cross-country run, all conducted on thesame day. Bertollo's research team transcribed the interviews they conducted with the pentathletes.
Several of the athletes said that during the days before an event they attempted to recreate the emotional stress of a real competition.They also said they prioritised relaxation time, set themselves goals andmentally rehearsed success.
During a competition, the athletes performed an opposite mental exercise tothat conducted prior to the event, attempting to recreate the feelings, such as of muscle relaxation, that they achieved during training. They also revealed that they tried to avoid dwelling on mistakes; that they reassured themselves that dysfunctional emotions usually stop once a contest getsstarted; and that they strive to focus their attention in useful ways, such as on the sight and target during shooting.
REFERENCE: Bertollo et al (2009). Mental preparation strategies of elite modern pentathletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 10 (2), 244-254.
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