Define and contrast pre-performance routines
from rituals
Routine
"set pattern of physical
and/or mental
activities carried out
immediately prior to
performance with the
purpose of aiding
performance"
generally in self paced
situations with time to
prepare and a stable
predictable environment
Ritual
"a behaviour which does
not have a clear technical
function in the execution
of skill, yet which is
believed to control luck
and other external
factors"
may be created
through backward
chaining of random
events before
performance with a
successful outcome
Describe the goals of a pre-performance routine
Create an optimal internal
state for performance
Optimal emotions,
confidence, focus and
control
Explain why pre-performance
routines benefit the
performance of closed,
self-paced skills
Why do they work?
Attentional
control: divert
attention from
task irrelevant to
task relevant cues
Warm up
decrement: creates
psychological and
physical readiness
that can be lost
during rest periods
Automatic skill execution:
prevents performers from
conciously controlling
specific movements that
can inhibit smooth and
co-ordinated skills
The absence of routines, lots of
preparation time and no routine
Over thinking, distractions, loss
of confidence, overly elated
emotions
Decreased probability and
consistency of good
performance
Jackson & Baker (2001): case
study analysing Neil Jenkins'
pre-kick routine
Most physical
aspects were
consistent
Concentration time
increased with kick
difficulty
Used psychological
skills such as
thought stopping,
cueing and imagery
Lonsdale & Tam
(2007): analysed
televised game
footage from 2006
NBA playoffs
Duration did
not effect
outcome
If players stuck to
the behaviours of
their routine they
were more likely to
score
Describe the characteristics of
an effective routine
Self regulation of
thoughts and emotions
Narrow, deep
and sustained
concentration
Ideal self efficacy and
high but attainable
performance
expectancies
A quiet mind
Optimal visual orientation to the target
Consistency in
generating a routine
Automaticity in
activating those
processing that
enable one to
perform
effortlessly,
effectively and
successfully
Design a pre-performance
routine for a self-paced
sport situation based on
the five step strategy
outlined by Singer (2000)