Sports Psychology.............................................. 22

from Bermuda Sports Journal Issue #7

by bermudasportsjournal

Health & Fitness .................................................. 16

• your performance is tentative, and you are afraid to take risks

• you might feel more easily distracted, have less confidence, and cannot find any momentum in your game or race

• you would rather practice than compete

MANAGING PERFORMANCE ANXIETY

– FINDING YOUR OPTIMAL LEVEL According to the well-known psychologist Yuri Hanin, finding the right level of anxiety to perform at your best as an athlete is found in the Zones of Optimal Functioning (ZOF), which is an individual process for each athlete. Many coaches and athletes will agree that some level of stress is good, but the point at which it becomes problematic is specific to each athlete. By comparing the athlete’s results with various internal and external stressors -i.e. viewing a competitor’s results, pressure from a parent, review of historical performance that triggers internal pressure to perform equally as well or better - we can identify the optimal level of stress to maximize performance. Using the Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) as part of your strategy We often analyze the quality of our physical training programmes to improve our performance. This can include reviewing the number of training sessions per week, the type of training sessions, strength verses distance sessions etc. In addition, consider including the following questions and analysis to find your IZOF in various training sessions as well as following competitions:

WHEN DID I PERFORM THE BEST?

This can be measured in time or individual results. The success is not measured relative to others i.e. first place, second place etc.

What level was my anxiety before, during and after the event or race?

On a scale of 1 (low) and 5 (high), how high was my anxiety (thoughts, physiological as well as physical response i.e. lots of negative thoughts, very sweaty palms and lots of fidgeting = 5 vs clear mind, easy breathing, very few butterflies and ease of movement). You can chart them on a grid and better understand the variables, or reasons why, that are associated with your best performance. Try different techniques to either increase or decrease your level of anxiety to realize your optimum performance. Notice the trends. The “X” below illustrates the point of optimum performance. Athlete A performs better with lower levels of anxiety and Athlete B may respond well to high levels of anxiety. Keep in mind that the triggers for anxiety can vary, however, as an example, Athlete A may perform best when there is a small crowd and there isn’t a qualifying deadline vs Athlete B who enjoys large crowds and a close race or tight deadline to meet. The important point here is finding your unique zone of optimal performance and then leverage techniques that are appropriate for you.

State Anxiety (ST AI)

40 Best performance - in the zone -

Out of zone Out of zone

Best performance - in the zone -

Out of zone

Athlete A (high IZOF)

Athlete B (moderate IZOF)

STRATEGIES TO MANAGE PERFORMANCE ANXIETY

If you need to reduce your anxiety levels, you may wish to leverage the following strategies.

• Identify your triggers • Use visualization and various deep breathing to lower your pulse and manage multiple thoughts you may be having • Leverage your friends and support network to distract you or make you laugh Alternatively, if you discover that you thrive on high-pressure situations, seek highly competitive meets and surround yourself with other athletes who spark that competitive spirit and induce the optimal level of anxiety. One of my favourite sayings is “let’s make lemonade out of lemons” and the same is true with dealing with performance anxiety. There is much discussion of late about how high anxiety levels are a significant challenge. As athletes return to training and competition, their levels of anxiety and pressure to perform can be at an all-time high and have a negative impact on performance. Not only is it possible to develop strategies to effectively manage performance anxiety, these are tools and strategies that athletes and coaches can use for life. Mastering your optimal zone can give you the confidence and technique that makes you unstoppable!

Micah Lambert, he is quiet, somewhat shy, but loves the game of tennis.

Story by Michelle Lambert & Ras Mykkal

Coach Smith noticed that Micah has good hand/eye coordination.

Micah works with Tennis coach Brent Smith approximately three days a week.

Micah Lambert’s Story

Searching for Gold and finding Micah

On July 15th, 2003, Shaun and Grace Lambert welcomed their second child, Micah into the world. Along with their first child, daughter Michelle, the Lamberts had their pair. As Micah grew, everything seemed good, just a little slow. He did not talk much and things like walking and potty training were taking a bit longer for him to reach that next milestone. At the age of four, Micah’s pre-school teacher, Bonnie Smith suggested that his parents take him to pediatrician Dr. June Hill to be assessed. Dr. Hill sent the family to Boston Children’s Hospital for further test, and he was diagnosed as mildly Autistic. There was a disparity in his “Y” and “X” genetic makeup. Micah’s ability to process change would be more problematic as it would take him longer to figure things out and why it would need to be changed. For example, teaching him to walk would take longer because it is different from sitting, but once he gets the concept of walking, he would struggle with the idea of running. Raising Micah would require caring people around him and patience. Luckily, Micah had his parents and an older sister who loved and supported him, but outside of the house, Bermuda was ill-prepared for him. Concerned about his future development, his parents turned to the Bermuda Government Ministry of Education for help and directions. Micah was placed at Dalton E. Tucker Primary School, the children teased him, and he started to lash out. The Ministry felt that he would continue to struggle if they left him in the ‘regular’ school system and placed him at Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy for the mentally and physically challenged, but Micah was too advanced to be there.

On occasions that Brent (L) could not meet with Micah for his tennis lessons, Larry Samuels (R) would volunteer to ensure he stayed on course.

With the introduction of a special needs class at Prospect Primary School, Micah was transferred to the ‘regular’ stream of the public school system and started receiving the help that he needed, and he started to thrive academically. At age 9, Micah was introduced to the sport of tennis with coach Brent Smith. Brent has been a professional tennis coach since 1997 and teaches out of Grotto Bay Hotel, and is also involved in the ‘Tennis in the Schools’ program with the objective of scouting for students with an interest in the local tennis league. Brent attended the Bermuda College, to obtain an Associate Degree in Human Services to gain professional knowledge in working with Special needs client. Additionally, he traveled to the Hilton Head Tennis facility in South Carolina where he earned his certification in coaching clients with special needs. He observed that Micah had good hand/eye coordination, but it was Micahs’ love for the game that built the athlete/coach relationship. They had scheduled classes two or three days a week at the Bermuda College tennis courts. Training sessions were held at various tennis courts throughout the week, namely, the Police Club, W.E.R. Joell Stadium or Cedarbridge Academy. As Micah grew older, graduating from Prospect Primary to Dellwood Middle School and on to Berkeley Institute in the Special Needs program and coach Brent remained as his coach. It was at one of those sessions at Cedarbridge Academy that Ms. Alicia Zuill, who knew Micah from the Youth & Sports special needs camp, saw him working with Brent.

Mrs. Karen Woolery President of the Bermuda Special Olympic Association Ms. Alicia Zuill

Ms. Zuill also worked with the Special Olympics committee and approached the family about Micah representing Bermuda in the 2019 Special Olympic Games held in Abu Dhabi. Mrs. Charlotte Sherlock, who has more than 42 years of working with students with severe physical and mental challenges, hearing impaired, learning disabilities and speech difficulties, has been involved with the Bermuda Special Olympic program for the last five years and was assigned to accompany Micah to Abu Dhabi due to her interest in tennis. If there was one administrative error, in organizing the trip to Abu Dhabi, it’s that Micah’s tennis coach, Brent Smith was not assigned as part of the team to assist with training sessions on the trip. Despite the later, Micah did well, at age seventeen, he was literally a boy against men and placed fourth overall, with his primary goal fixed firmly on winning the gold medal at the next Special Olympic Games in 2023. As Micah progressed in his academic studies, he continues to gain the honor roll recognition for his educational level. He is scheduled to receive his school leaving certificate from Berkeley Institute this year and will continue his preparation for the 2022 Regional Games in the US and the 2023 Special Olympics in Germany.