Mind Tools - Sports Psychology - Simulation and Role Play

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Simulation

Simulation seeks to make your training environment as similar to the competition environment as possible.

While imagery relies on use of imagination, simulation relies on manipulation of the training environment by actually recreating the stresses under which you will perform.

Effectively, you can consider normal training only to train muscles and nerve pathways directly involved in the control of muscles. Imagery is a good way of training these nerve pathways in the brain, as well as those related to performance and sports psychology. It does not train muscles and body nerves nearly as effectively.

Simulation, however, seeks to train all parts of your brain and body by helping you to physically perform the skills being trained under a physical environment that recreates all the stresses and distractions of competition. This helps you to develop the mental skills that stop you 'choking under pressure' - stress management, distraction management, goal focus and imagery. It enables you to actually feel that you have been in a novel situation before.

Military training uses simulation in exactly the same way to teach soldiers to handle the intense psychological stresses of combat.

Aspects of Simulation

You can try introducing the following stresses into a training session to make a practice as realisitic as possible:

Noise: Loud noises can be played such as the sound of a large crowd at a football match
Spectators: Spectators can be allowed in to view a training session. The more well-known you are, the more people will turn up to watch training.
Referees: Referees and judges can be invited along to criticise and score your performance.
Bad Refereeing Decisions: Bad or biased refereeing decisions can be made to train you to focus on performance, not outcome goals. This should be used relatively rarely.
Cameras: Television cameras, flash photographers and press can be brought into the training session.
Arena: If possible training should occur on the course or in the arena where competition will take place.
Weather: Every opportunity should be taken to train in the worst weather conditions possible for competition.
Fatigue: Push yourself to perform effectively when tired, so that you can learn how to keep concentration on good technique when your resources are low.
Training when you have just eaten: This helps you to cope with the consequences of having to perform effectively unexpectedly.

If you simulate conditions that are much worse than the real conditions under which you will perform, then you will have the following advantages:

Confidence that you can handle anything thrown at you
Well practised skills to handle the stresses and distractions of performance
Confidence in your stamina and ability to keep technique good even under poor physical conditions such as tiredness, bad weather, poor equipment etc.

You can also use simulation, in the form of role-play to handle non-sporting stresses associated with performance, such as press interviews, etc.

While only top athletes may have the resources to use all aspects of simulation in their training sessions, you should be able to use some aspects effectively to help you prepare to give maximum performance under difficult physical and psychological conditions.

Links

References

Learning to Use Imagery Observing Top Technique

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