John J. Bowman, Ph.D.

1. TRAIN THE MIND – PROTECT THE BODYPsychological Antecedents to Athletic Injury and the role ofMental Training in Prevention John J. Bowman, Ph.D. Mind Plus Muscle Institute

2. Overview • Psychological research in injury prevention • How injuries happen—psychological antecedents • Explaining the stress–injury relationship • Mental Training with “At Risk” athletes • Effective components of Mental Training • Psychological injury prevention plan

3. Injury Prevention Studies • Over 25 million people are injured each year in sport and exercise. • Physical factors are the primary causes of injury, but psychological factors also contribute significantly. • Finch (2010) found 11% of studies on sport injury prevention considered psychological factors.

4. Risk Factors and Interventions • Early studies identify risk profiles • Later studies demonstrate effective interventions

5. How Injuries Happen: Psychological Antecedents Profile #1: Major life stress Low levels of social support Poor coping skills Profile:2 Low self esteem Pessimistic Low hardiness High trait anxiety

6. The most frequently mentioned causal mechanisms between stress and injury are attentional deficits and increased arousal produced by stress. Andersen & Williams, 1988

7. Stress and Athletic Injury

8. Explaining the Stress–Injury Relationship • Attentional disruption: Stress disrupts an athlete’s attention by reducing peripheral attention and causing distraction and task-irrelevant thoughts. • Increased muscle tension: High stress can cause muscle tension and coordination interference as well as generalized fatigue, muscle inefficiency, reduced flexibility, and motor coordination problems.

9. Injury Prevention in SwedenHelping Soccer Players at Risk (2005) • Pool of 132 male and 103 female players from 12 elite teams • Screening – Sport Anxiety Scale, Life Event Scale and Athletic Coping Skills Intervention • 32 high injury risk players identified • Randomly assigned to treatment and control groups

10. Helping Soccer Players at Risk (cont’d)Intervention • 6 to 8 sessions over a 19 week season • Training in 6 Mental Skills Goal Setting Somatic & Cognitive Relaxation Stress Management Self Confidence Training Identifying Critical Incidents Focusing Skills

11. Helping Soccer Players at Risk (cont’d)Results • 10 of 13 players in Treatment Group were injury free • 13 of 16 players in Control Group incurred injury • Results were statistically significant

12. Common Problems in Conducting Mental Training • Lack of Knowledge and Comfort with Teaching Mental Skills • Prohibitive Costs • Lack of Time

13. The Mental Training Room • Goal Setting • Relaxation Training and Self Hypnosis • Building Confidence –Playing in the Zone • Focusing Skills Training • Mental Rehearsal for Performance • Stress Management Training

14. Benefits of Internet Based Team Mental Advantage Program • Resolves Time and Space Issues • Cost Effective • Self Paced Instruction • Sport Psychology Consultant Monitors and Provides Feedback to Coach and Athletes via two way portal

15. “After completing the Soccer Mental Training Room, the players became more confident in themselves, despite any setbacks. A team that used to crumble under pressure was now rising to the challenge and giving it everything they had until the last whistle blew.” Brittany Henderson Coach of Hauppauge Rage

16. Psychological Injury Prevention Plan • Use Positive Reinforcement to build Confidence and reduce Anxiety • Identify athletes with high risk profiles and refer for counseling • Conduct Mental Training with teams to improve performance and reduce competitive stress • Consider internet based Team Mental Training Programs for cost and time effectiveness

17. “The ultimate value of research dealing with psychological risk factors is the potential for using knowledge to reduce the tragedy and expense caused by avoidable injuries.” J.M. Williams (2001)