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The key sport psychology themes to look out for in the 2022 Six Nations


The key sport psychology themes to look out for in the 2022 Six Nations

This past weekend marked the beginning of the 2022 Six Nations, with the teams setting the tone for the rest of the tournament. After an exciting start, we’ve obviously been thinking about different sport psychology themes we might see emerge in the Six Nations this year.

Here’s what we have been discussing here at InnerDrive…

 

Emotional control

In order to win the Six Nations, the rugby teams will need to control their emotions before each of their games so that they don’t have a negative impact on their performance. Recent research, which compared elite and non-elite rugby players, demonstrated how having the ability to control their emotions leads to differing performance outcomes.

Athletes at the top of their sport are often able to frame their anxiety in a positive or helpful way, so that they see it as being something that enhances their performance. These players will have practised techniques that they can use to stop the debilitating effects of anxiety – for example, they may recall past successes, as well as using positive self-talk.

 

Team resilience

Resilience is talked about so often in sport, but at the level required in the Six Nations, for the teams to be successful, they are going to need a high level of resilience to get to through the stressors they encounter along the way.

For a team to have resilience, they are going to need to…

  • Have an inspirational leader who can encourage a shared vision in the team;
  • Share the responsibility throughout the team to spread accountability and ownership;
  • Make it about “we” and “us” rather than “I” and “me” to create a shared identity throughout the team so their behaviours can reflect the team as a whole;
  • Learn together, to ensure they interpret decisions in the same way, make shared decisions and coordinate actions;
  • And enjoy together! The core motivation for all players is that they love rugby – the teams that have fun together will build stronger relationships, making them more motivated and confident.

 

Aspirations or expectations?

Aspirations relate to wanting to perform better and getting to a better standard. In comparison, expectations are how likely we believe we are to succeed.

Raising expectations has been proven to help, but this is not the case for aspirations. Six Nations players are at the top of their sport, and most will hold high aspirations of where they want to get to in the tournament.

However, just wanting to be better doesn’t just lead to that. This is where expectations are helpful. Using expectations, coaches in particular can help their athletes get a clear picture of what they should be doing to reach their goal and in turn, increase their achievement.

 

Some important notes if you want to use the power of expectations as a coach though…

  • High self-expectations will ensure players take responsibility for their actions, ask for feedback more and have a more internal (and thus more enduring) motivation, too.
  • Remember that more isn’t always better. Evidence suggests that unrealistic expectations can lead to a decline in performance and become a source of stress.
  • Keep it simple – when coaching your athletes, breaking down key parts of their performance into simple, controllable objectives will be really helpful.
  • Remember your wins along the way!

 

Psychological safety

Psychological safety focuses on creating a healthy atmosphere that in turn allows athletes to thrive and become the best they can be. It has been defined as a belief that a team feels safe to share “interpersonal risk-taking, such as asking for help, admitting one’s errors, or seeking feedback from others”.

Athletes in a psychologically safe environment are genuinely interested in their teammates, have positive intensions towards one another, as well as a mutual respect for others’ competence, especially when mistakes are made. This is going to be important for the players in the Six Nations because mistakes will be made throughout the tournament, but those teams that are in a psychologically safe environment will be able to move forward rather than blame others and get hung up on mistakes.

 

Take it day by day

It is common for athletes to overthink, especially in those high-pressure moments where you just want it to go right. Overthinking and thinking too far in advance can affect your performance. It can cloud your judgment and lead your brain to send too many signals to your body at one time.

If the players in the Six Nations get swept up and start focusing too far ahead, they will lose their focus on the current match and underperform. So, how can they ensure they are taking it day by day?

  • Players need to stay in the now and, as we tell our athletes, “be where their feet are”.
  • Focus needs to be on themselves, not other competitors.
  • Concentrate on the process rather than the outcome.
  • Remember all the preparation you have put in.
  • Focus but don’t overthink – talk to yourself in a positive and energising manner to prevent negative thoughts.
  • Minimise the noise around you – forget about distractions like the press and the crowd.
  • Have fun with it. You have put in the hard work so enjoy competing in an international championship!

 

Get into a flow state

For the rugby players to perform at their best, they will be looking to reach a state of flow. Flow is defined as an optimal state of consciousness, where your feelings and performance are at their best. It involves being fully focused on what you are doing, so focused that everything else disappears and your mind goes quiet. This heightened attention allows your actions to happen with ease and is associated with many benefits.

 

 

Here are some things to consider when trying to achieve a flow state

  • The right level of challenge is needed. You are most likely to experience flow when you have the skills but still feel challenged by the competition.
  • Become comfortable with challenging and trusting yourself.
  • Develop an accurate appraisal of skills.
  • Set clear goals.
  • Remember to enjoy yourself.

 

Bouncing back after a loss

Throughout the Six Nations, the teams will play a lot of matches and it will be unlikely that they win every single one. Therefore, they need to be able to bounce back after a loss in order to perform well again. Here are a few things to help them…

 

Confidence is key

After losing a match, the team’s confidence will suffer. It is important for the team to acknowledge this in order to overcome it. Strategies to enhance confidence include:

  • Using your past to remind yourself of previous successes
  • Using your present to encourage positive-self talk in your teammates
  • Using your future to visualise yourself and your team being successful

 

Reduce fear of failure

The Six Nations players need to embrace the uncertainty: a defeat doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom. They need to remember that sport is unpredictable, and they should judge themselves on their attitude and effort as these are behaviours you want to see again.

Following a loss, players can start to think emotionally about worst-case scenarios or catastrophising small setbacks. Something they can do to stop this is ask each other whether what they are thinking is fact or feeling, which will help them think more rationally.

 

Teamwork makes the dream work

Encourage athletes to seek support from within the team itself but also outside: friends, family, professionals… Teamwork can help teams bounce back from failure by:

  • Enhancing the team’s effort
  • Helping them deal with stressful situations
  • Providing motivation

 

Final Thoughts

Here are just a few key sport psychology themes that will help the players in the Six Nations play to their full potential. But these tips aren’t just for elite rugby players – they can be beneficial for any athlete, of any level, in any sport.

 

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