Sport And Exercise Psychology: A Critical Introduction

Figure 3.1 According to Pádraig

Harrington, playing in the Ryder Cup

can be a nerve-racking experience

Source: courtesy of Inpho Photography

As Harrington revealed, most athletes have discovered from personal experience that if
they wish to perform consistently well in competition, they must learn to control their
arousal levels effectively. Put simply, they have to be able to “psych themselves up” (see
Chapter 2) or else calm themselves down as required by the situation. Indeed, some
sports challenge the performer to alternate regularly between these two mental states
within the same competition. For example, gymnasts must be able to energise themselves
before attempting a vault exercise but must relax when preparing for a routine on the
beam. Otherwise, they may slip—as happened to Andrea Raducan, the 2000 Olympic
gymnastics champion, who fell off the balance beam at the 2002 world championships in
Hungary (Sarkar, 2002). Interestingly, the importance of arousal control in sport was
highlighted by Mike Atherton, a former captain of England’s cricket team, who observed
that

there are two sorts of player: those who are quite placid people...who

need an adrenaline flow to get them up for it, and so find nerves a real

help. And then there are those who are naturally hyper for whom that

additional flow may not be such a good thing. When I look at players now

I can see who fits into which category and then their ability to cope

Sport and exercise psychology: A critical introduction 66