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Chapter 7 - Intervention Strategies ____________________________________________________

Visuo-Motor Behavior Rehearsal _______________________________________________________________________________________

M. L. Sunni developed visuo-motor behavior rehearsal (VMBR) in 1972 as an adaptation of Wo1pe’s desensitization procedures for humans. Suinn used the process of desensitization with his patients to overcome various phobias. For example, a patient fearing heights would be desensitized to this phobia through a series of systematic approximations to the fearful stimuli. Although Suinn used VMBR to treat people with depressions, he was especially interested in applying the techniques to athletes. His particular method of training consisted of relaxing the athlete’s body by means of a modified version of Jacobson’s progressive relaxation techniques. He had the athlete practicing imagery related to the demands of the athlete’s sport, or to practice a specific skill in a lifelike stressful environment. Basically, VMBR combines relaxation and imagery into one procedure. It also requires the athlete to mentally practice a specific skill under simulated game conditions. Theoretically, this would be better than actual practice, since the practice environment rarely resembles a game situation. Coaches and teachers typically go to great lengths to minimize distractions to their athletes during practice sessions. VMBR teaches the athlete to use relaxation and imagery techniques to create lifelike situations. Theoretically, going through these stressful experiences mentally should make it easier to deal with the stress of actual competition. Suinn recommends the use of internal kinesthetic imagery for VMBR training, but suggests that in addition, the athlete should use external imagery to identify performance errors. In testing the VMBR program, Suinn experimented with alpine skiers, Olympic Nordic and biathlon athletes, and a long-distance kicker in American football. While the results of these anecdotal reports were impressive in terms of perceived results, they were admittedly lacking in scientific controls. Because of the need for statistical evidence for the theory, Kolonay conducted a scientific investigation of VMBR. The results of this study provided evidence in favor of VMBR. In this landmark study, Kolonay used four groups of male college basketball players. Each group was assigned to a different treatment condition: a VMBR group, a relaxation-only group, an imagery-only group, and a control group. Before and after the six-week training period, each player’s free-throw shooting percentage was recorded. Improvement in free throw shooting was essentially used as the dependent variable. Kolonay’s results showed a significant improvement in free-throw shooting percentage of the VMBR group. The Kolonay study represented the first scientific investigation to study visual motor behavioral rehearsal as a technique to improve athletic performance. However, the study had weaknesses that tended to throw some doubt on the conclusions. Recognizing the limitations of the Kolonay research, several other investigators studied VMBR. The majority of these studies were in accord indicating that VMBR training is extremely effective in reducing an athlete’s trait and state anxiety levels. This is certainly important in terms of stress management. The potential for VMBR training to improve athletic performance is also very good, but its effectiveness depends on the type of task, skill level of the performer, and the athlete’s ability to relax and use imagery. As you might expect, highly skilled athletes are more effective in using VMBR training and mental practice to enhance performance than are the unskilled. It doesn’t take B.F. Skinner to figure out that Suinn’s VMBR is no more than a modification of Wolpe’s desensitization procedures.

Stress Training

Inoculation/Management

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Robert Meichenbaum developed Stress Inoculation Training in 1977. The key element associated with Stress Inoculation Training is the progressive exposure of the athlete to situations of


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