Plan

This is an overview of how the 6 week psychological skills training programme is going to run and it will be linked to the psychological demands of volleyball so that athlete X can show these in their performance whether it being during training or in a match.

The psychological demands of volleyball are that you have to be in control of your emotions, this is important because if you start to loose faith and show this during competition then the whole team will fall to pieces but this is something that athlete X does not need to focus on. An athlete should also have confidence in the moves that they are performing as if they were to hesitate they could loose the ball which would pass as a fail which is not good for the team, this however is vital for the athlete to improve on in order to make their performance powerfull. Volleyball is an intense sport for the most part and therefore mental toughness is required by the athletes in order to perservere through the game this is something in which athlete X is capable with withholding. Low levels of anxiety are required in volleyball so that the sport has a nice flow to it becaus eif an athlete is nervous and worried when they are participating then the game could come to a hault which might be offputting to the other athletes, again this is somewithing which athlete X needs to work on because they have high to moderate levels of anxiety which is bad for their performance. Arousal and stress are welcoem in volleyball as the athletes need to be pumped up or motivated so that they can enjoy the sport more easily, stress is not a bad aspect in volleyball because the more worked up you are the harder you will hit the ball which makes it travel better allowing you to have a decent game.

6 Week Psychological Skills Training Programme Plan

This will be carried out two times through out the week either at the training ground (out of hours and during hours) or during competition so that the athlete can get an idea of how the skills work both surrounded by people and by theirself. It will be carried out for 20 minutes on either session, the reason for this is because athlete X needs guidence in order for them to understand how effective the skill's are. Once the skill's have been introduced athlete X can use them whenever they are needed in order to help with their performance.


In week 1 athlete X will be using the imagery skill which helps to increase confidence. The reason this wil help athlete X with their confidence is because if they were to imagine the best session and get a feel for what it looks like then they will want to have them feelings again which will therefore make them want to be in that session so that they can build on their performance.

In week 2 the athlete will be using the skill that is self talk which helps to increase confidence. The reason for this is because if athlete X was to think and talk positively then they would believe in themselves more which theoretically increases confidence levels.

In week 3 the athlete will be using music from their ipod which helps increase confidence, the reason for this is because the lyrics and the rhythm of the songs that are chosen will mean something to athlete X which will allow them to become motivated in participating in the sport.

In week 4 the athlete shall be using progressive muscular relaxation technique which helps to decrease anxiety. This is because it allows people to calm down so that they are not all over the place, this is important in a game of volleyball in order to make the athlete not so hyped.

In week 5 the skill that is going to be introduced is breathing control which helps decrease anxiety. This would allow the athlete to remain calm when they are worried about competition and is important so that they do not work themselves up to the point of breaking point.

In week 6 the athlete will be using the skill of goal setting which helps to increase confidence. The reason for this is because if athlete X realises that they can achieve the goals that had been set then they will believe in themselves more often which will make their performance look better.