Mental Preparation For Competition In Heptathlon

Abstract

The concept of mental training gained special importance in recent decades, are being recognized and accepted outstanding merits in achieving superior sporting performance. This concept (which join the other factors of sports training), has a complex meaning, designating the whole range of factors which determine performance, ie both moral and volitional factors and the intellectuals, motivational and attitudinal, "which undoubtedly requires the use of systemic approach methodological advantage. The systemic approach favors highlight the dynamics activity "( Cucui, 2015, p. 326 ). The results recorded in world athletics have taken a special scale and once they began to speak increasingly of importance of the psychological factor in preparing athletes for training and competitions involving specific psychological them. The purpose of mental preparation for competition in sports training consists of a system of attitudes and conduct operational and regulatory nature whereby they adapt to situations flexible and creative contest and action opponents. Psychological preparation for competition is a component of training in addition to their physical, technical, tactical, biological that are geared towards ensuring effective performance of the competition. From this perspective one can speak of mental preparation for competition and general mental preparation for a particular contest.

Keywords: Athleticscompetitionmental preparation

Introduction

The concept of mental training gained special importance in recent decades, are being recognized

and accepted outstanding merits in achieving superior sporting performance. This concept (which join the

other factors of sports training), has a complex meaning, designating the whole range of factors which determine performance, meaning both moral and volitional factors and the intellectuals, motivational and

attitudinal.

The purpose of psychological preparation of athletes is "to be achieved by means of actions sports

training and psychological education, the mental capacity to allow efficient athlete in training activities

and results in better competitions" (Epuran, 1982, p. 88).

The results recorded in world athletics have taken a special scale and once they began to speak

increasingly of importance of the psychological factor in preparing athletes for training and competitions

involving specific psychological them.

Psychologically competition "is to achieve a situation by which one seeks assertiveness" and while

"is an important social assessment situation" (Epuran, 1999, p. 98).

By any race is getting a performance target, its value is confirmed, validated and appreciated

socially.

Preparing for the competition includes the whole range of measures, actions, efforts undertaken by

sports coaches in order to obtain a preliminary performance.

The main objective of sports performance is to achieve excellence, and this can be achieved by

knowing the importance of the complexity of the sport preparation implicitly peculiarities of

psychological preparation in the sample heptathlon are given the specificities of different sports events for

their demands, characteristics and age of the athlete.

Problem statement

Heptathlon is an athletic event comprising a total of seven samples (100 mg, high jump, 200 sqm,

weight throw, long jump, javelin, 800m), taking place over two days of competition in three meetings.

Given the duration of the contest for this sample I believe that psychological preparation is particularly

important contribution in achieving exceptional results.

Given the complexity of sample heptathlon I believe that mental preparation plays an important

role in maximizing sports performance.

„The psychological preparation of athletes can be operationalized complete, in fact, like any other

training to determine the maximum performances by adjusting specific states of mental sport”

(Mihăilescu, 2011, p. 386).

The purpose of mental preparation for competition is "a system of training athletes attitudes and

conduct operational and regulatory nature by which to adapt to situations flexible and creative contest and

the opponent for actions sports performance achievement " (Gagea, 2007, p. 109).

From personal experience, former athlete performance heptathlon practitioner sample, I can say

that it is a complex sample that requires self-control, concentration, motivation, boldness, self-regulating

capacity of states experienced before, during and after the competition. Athletes must be highly motivated

and be aware of the objectives they have to fulfill. It is a sample in which the outcome is not achieved

immediately, but only when the contest (after the seven samples by aggregating scores) heptathlon

athlethes must know how to accept failure as a sample and have the ability to focus on the following to do

further tests that have supported them for entering competitions.

Therefore, I say that this evidence can come out victorious in a sport that knows how to prepare

well mentally contest puncture, even if substantially equal in physically with the other competitors.

Based on the set say the need for sport to learn and conduct behavior-specific competition, learn to

control themselves, to adapt actions to difficult situations or surprising to preserve the freshness psychic

before and during the competition .

Psychological preparation for competition is a component of training in addition to their physical,

technical, tactical, biological that are geared towards ensuring effective performance of the competition.

From this perspective one can speak of mental preparation for competition and general mental

preparation for a particular contest.

Mental preparation for competition requires long-term action because human mental system is

very complex and reactive, it can not keep all components constant work in many situations by offsetting.

According to specialists (Dragnea, 2002; Popa, Larion, and Gevat2006; Crăciun, 2008; Holdevici

& Vasilescu, 1988) coach must skillfully use various means to make him the sport "work" not only alone

but also smart not only directed, but also independent (mostly) not only learned after the scheme but also

creative.

Mental preparation for competition should aim to create conditions for the effective conduct

resistant strain and disturbing factors more or less expected. The contest asks total personality athlete.

From this point of view I believe that the operationalization of mental preparation is imperative

and must have the following aspects:

ensuring optimal motivation and training of higher moral sentiments throughout the preparation and competition period;

 a clear awareness of the purpose and aspiration to attain and eventually overcome;

his ability of states of mental self, keeping them at optimum efficiency. This self-regulating

capacity are related: - Creation of a good emotional stability, ability to restrain emotions, the ability to adapt to stress;

- The acquisition and use of mental training;

- Achieve lucidity perceptions and thinking in critical situations or unexpected;

- Training adaptability of driving reactions and psychological report requests and unexpected

situations;

- Maintaining the level of activation in conditions of fatigue and failure;

- Developing the ability to submit a voluntary effort, overcome hardships subjective or objective, the

staunchness, perseverance, courage, initiative;

- Stimulate and maintain self-confidence, the ability to achieve the proposed performance;

- Increased combativity and desire for success;

- Developing the community spirit of moral bond with colleagues, the spirit of mutual aid;

- Develop correctness of fair-play fight with opponents, and respect for referees and spectators;

- Maintaining physical and mental freshness observing the "invisible workout" before the start of

psychic energy consumption reduction, correct restoration.

Competition for good conduct should be aware athlete each passing direct experience in

competition, knowing that the skills to compete satisfactorily and efficiently develop gradually until

reaching the stage sporting mastery.

Discusions

Mental preparation for a particular competition concerns concrete ways athlete encounters a

certain way of organizing the contest and a certain opponent.

The main content of the preparation for a particular contest consists of knowing the conditions and

peculiarities adversary and preparing technical and tactical behaviors in relation to this. In this case,

heptatlonistelor preparing for a particular contest is done differently for a national competition to an

international competition. The differentiated approach given the high level of outcomes International plan

and the large number of participants. Sportive must know how the organization of the competition, should

know the results adversaries to easily adapt the conditions for participation to accept the results and to

mobilize appropriate competition.

From a practical standpoint, methodical mental preparation must analyze the content for a

particular competition given the adaptive attitudes and behaviors.

The temporal dimension of mental preparation for competition has character diachrony, covers a

certain period of time, containing the following periods:

- "Long" - which begins when the decision to participate in that competition;

- "Eve" - the day before the competition;

- "The prestart" - the place of competition;

- "Downtime or interruption."

Analyzing content preparation steps for the competition we find that the common factor of their

psychic system consists of attitude that is developing and broken along the way, finally forming mental

state pre-competitive and competitive.

Attitudes are structural components of personality characterized by relatively constant availability

of the psychic system to perceive, judge and react in a certain way.

Specific training for competition consists of the formation of specific attitudes (cognitive,

emotional and volitional) that ensure maximum athlete's ability to adapt to conditions and its

requirements. These are called specific attitudes and states of preparation that by achieving their intended

role have to adapt to competition issues.

We can talk about attitudes formed spontaneously suggestion that may negatively influence the

efficiency of the psycho-behavioral. Among them "psychological barriers" which manifests itself in their

own distrust, fear the opponent, superstitions.

The states of preparation to ensure that the outstanding performance in the competition consists of

a series of specific events heptathlonist mental athlete, and may be spontaneous or induced specifically

designed.

This complex called "state of preparation consists of: arrangement, anticipation, gear-modeling,

adaptation and application-analysis, are for informational regulator, decisive and energetic” (Epuran,

1966, p. 86).

• Layout, that attitude affective intellectual nature lies in:

- Establishing the objectives expressed by the value of participation and performance;

- Ensuring motivation participation in the competition;

- Ensuring the optimal level of aspiration belief that the proposed performance can be achieved;

- Overcoming psychological barriers proposed in terms of performance or opponents.

The layout may be optimistic and positive when sport is satisfied that the proposed training will reach

to their participation; swing, sport is not safe if its performance or has powerful opponents.

• Anticipation is the state of preparation with predominantly intellectual - cognitive and voluntary

behaviors is to design and conduct technical and tactical general real conditions of emulation (concrete

conditions of development, regulation, opponents).

Is achieved by:

- More complex information regarding the venue of the competition and organizational conditions,

climate, administrative and regulatory thereof;

- Accurate information on adversaries (physical, technical, tactical);

- Assess the level at which sports are probably thinking that it will reach the date of the competition,

as in the case adversaries;

- To call the contest (a tactical plan);

- Objective assessment of adversaries to be found and the actual conditions of competition.

• Engage - modeling is performed by the state of preparation of operational nature and practical action.

The tactical and forward-looking elements of the competition following are checked and trained. The

engagement consists in guiding thoughts, feelings and actions towards their targets technical and tactical

tactical plan. It goes through several stages:

- The feelings before competition - is the first step of the engagement, the sports side and imagine how

it will react to different challenges during competitions (and of how opponents react to these challenges);

- Mental training - is repeating ideomotor actions to be taken in the competition;

- Experiencing the real-modeled emulation (time of deployment, the opponents with characteristics

similar to those to be found).

Modeling is closely linked to the gearing and requires that heating is carried out in accordance with the

particular conditions required for future competition. Modelling may not be complete, especially in terms

of psychological modeling, because the fight for a great result in the competition determines the charges

and special psychological tensions.

Modeling training is continuous and is closely related to the quality of the other components.

• Application - adaptation is checking the correctness of the first three states of psychological

preparation. Achieving the objective, regardless of unforeseen factors involved is determined by the

plasticity of the central nervous system.

The application consists principally of activation and use of learned behaviors technical, tactical

and psychosocial routines from referral to the field of equipping, heating, contact with opponents and

referees protocol and continuing with statements appropriate technical and tactical skills. The application

is not stereotypical, but variable.

The women will be learned:

- To show initiative in the important moments of emulation;

- Impose tactical plan;

- Amend intentionally and unexpected adversary own conduct;

- Use their "reserve shares" when the situation becomes difficult;

- To reorganize conduct after another plane if necessary.

Application-adaptation issues concern not only the technical and tactical behaviors or

psychosocial, but also the self-regulation of "urgent" (relaxation, breathing, concentration on the task,

autosugestie formulas for emotional rebalancing).

Breaks, rest time between samples heptathlon or break moments are to be used for two purposes:

- Organization or reorganization of technical and tactical behaviors.

• Analysis is to realistically assess how the objectives were achieved and the behavior of athletes in

competitions. The analysis is constructive element of the next competitions.

During the sample heptathlon, in moments of interruption or break of the samples, sport can make

an assessment of his conduct, can analyze the approach to competition until then but very importantly it

must concentrate samples that has supported them, to reorganize technical and tactical behaviors

depending on the situation of the moment, the situation of competition.

In cases where athletes do not realize progress, do not learn from their mistakes (and not

corrected) while maintaining the same attitude, we can work towards developing the spirit of observation,

capacity building self-esteem, critical thinking and self-criticism, the growing desire for permanent

progress.

Conclusions

Mental preparation is a very important aspect which is done with the other components of the

preparation. In work with athletes, we must not forget that general mental preparation of athletes training

provides mental qualities and traits required of sports performance and mental preparation for

competition use these attributes in a system specific attitudinal and fully adapted to the contest.

Mental preparation in sport training is a necessity, a determining factor in sports performance and

we can say that a proper mental preparation, carefully operationalized generate human performance

excellence.

Based on the set and as a former athlete necessary to create a strategic approach on conducting

psychological preparation of athletes to achieve maximum performances.

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