Can Associative and Dissociative Strategies Affect the Swimming Performance of Recreational Swimmers?

Couture, Roger T.; Jerome, Wendy; Tihanyi, Jeno

doi:10.1123/tsp.13.3.334

Cited by 34 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Experiment two also showed the superiority of an internal focus of attention over baseline and external conditions as well as elevated heart-rate levels in the internal condition, indicating that participants worked harder. A study by LaCaille, Masters, and Heath (2004) showed faster running times over 5 km when participants focused internally on their heart rate compared with focusing externally on music, and similar results were found in swimming (Couture, Jerome, & Tihanyi, 1999). These studies stand in contrast to those that show better performance in the external conditions like an early study in running (W. P. Morgan, Horstman, Cymerman, & Stokes, 1983) or more recent studies in swimming (Stoate & Wulf, 2011) and the running studies already described in more detail (Schücker et al, 2013;Schücker et al, 2009).…”

Section: Movement Efficiency and Endurance Performancesupporting

confidence: 61%

An Internal Focus of Attention Is Not Always as Bad as Its Reputation: How Specific Aspects of Internally Focused Attention Do Not Hinder Running Efficiency

Schücker

Knopf

Strauß

et al. 2014

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

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The aim of this study was to examine differentiated effects of internally focused attention in endurance sports. Thirty-two active runners ran 24 min on a treadmill at a fixed speed of moderate intensity. For each 6-min block, participants had to direct their attention on different internal aspects (movement execution, breathing, or feeling of the body) or received no instructions. Oxygen consumption (VO2) was measured continuously to determine running economy. Results revealed that the different internal focus instructions had differentiated effects on VO2: A focus on breathing as well as a focus on the running movement led to higher VO2 than a focus on feeling of the body which showed similar VO2 as the control condition. We conclude that an internal focus of attention is solely detrimental to performance when directed to highly automated processes (e.g., breathing or movement). However, an internal focus on how the body feels during exercise does not disrupt movement efficiency.

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Section: Movement Efficiency and Endurance Performancesupporting

confidence: 61%

An Internal Focus of Attention Is Not Always as Bad as Its Reputation: How Specific Aspects of Internally Focused Attention Do Not Hinder Running Efficiency

Schücker

Knopf

Strauß

et al. 2014

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

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“…The association focus resulted in faster running but lower levels of positive affect than the dissociation focus. Other researchers have also reported better performance by athletes with an association focus in the sports of rowing (Connolly & Janelle, 2003) and swimming (Couture, Jerome, & Tihanyi, 1999). However, there have also been contrary findings (e.g., Morgan, Horstman, Cymerman, & Stokes, 1983).…”

Section: What This Paper Addsmentioning

confidence: 93%

The Effect of Different Attentional Strategies on Physiological and Psychological States During Running

Neumann

Piercy

2013

Australian Psychologist

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The attentional focus of an athlete or recreational exerciser may influence performance outcomes during running. The present study used an experimental approach to manipulate the associative attentional focus of regular exercisers (n = 21) as they ran on a treadmill at 75% of Vmax. Participants focused their attention on their breathing, running movements, the distance travelled, or under no specific instructions (control). A focus on distance travelled produced the lowest respiration frequency, and a focus on running movements produced the lowest VO2 consumption. The distance focus was also rated as one of the least difficult and most preferred strategies. Mood states and enjoyment of exercise did not differ across the conditions. The results suggest that the attentional focus that an individual adopts can improve physiological performance outcomes during running without any negative psychological cost. The attentional focus may, thus, be an important factor in the advice that psychologists give to competitive athletes and recreational exercisers.

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“…Internal as well as external associative strategies resulted in a higher rating of perceived exertion levels (Stanley et al, 2007). Couture et al (1999) showed that swimmers using an associative strategy (thinking the word air when inhaling) swam significantly faster than the control group. Two further supporting studies were conducted in a rowing task (Scott et al, 1999;Connolly & Janelle, 2003).…”

Section: Associative and Dissociative Attentional Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological skills training as a way to enhance an athlete's performance in high‐intensity sports

Birrer

Morgan

2010

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

213

140

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The importance of psychological skills training (PST) in the development of athletic performance is widely recognized. This paper is a comprehensive review of PST in elite sports, with a special focus on high-intensity sports (HIS). The reviewed literature showed a lack of convincing evidence and theoretical underpinning concerning traditional psychological skills to enhance performance in HIS. Therefore, a model with three conceptual levels (psychological demands, skills and techniques) is presented. The model facilitates the identification of the psychological demands of a specific sport, which in turn enables distinguishing which psychological skills are required. This allows an expert to choose psychological techniques to improve the athlete's psychological skill. Considerations based on our model and the limited HIS-related literature available revealed self-skills, personal development and life skills, arousal-regulation skills, volitional skills, motivational skills and recovery skills as the most important skills to address in order to enhance performance. Development of harmonious passion, in-practice integration of volitional strategies, use of associative attentional techniques, pain management techniques, use of the mindfulness-acceptance approach and the facilitative interpretation of cognitive and somatic sensations are regarded as suitable to meet the psychological demands of HIS. They are recommended for systematic application by athletes and coaches.In today's professional and semi-professional sports, the thin line between winning and losing is becoming progressively thinner. At the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, the difference between first and fourth places in the men's rowing events averaged 1.34%, with the equivalent for women being a mere 1.03%. This increasing performance density creates massive pressure. Thus, it is not surprising that in recent years, the importance of psychological skills training (PST) has been recognized, and the number of athletes using psychological training strategies has increased. This paper aims to address the effect of PST on an athlete's performance progress, with a special focus on a group of sports involving a high-intensity load. High-intensity sport (HIS) is characterized by an impact duration between 1 and 8 min, with a very high-impact intensity and a continuous power output throughout the performance phase. Typical examples of HIS are rowing, swimming, 800 and 1500 m track and field running, track cycling and flat-water canoeing. While some authors (e.g. Mujica, 2009) state that high-intensity exercise is also crucial in team sports, this paper focuses merely on individual sports because the psychological demands in these two sport forms are very different. This paper argues that in attempting to achieve outstanding performance, PST should be adapted to the psychological and physiological demands of each discipline. Therefore, it introduces the systematization of PST and proposes a model for the identification of the psychological demands of a specific...

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Can Associative and Dissociative Strategies Affect the Swimming Performance of Recreational Swimmers?

Cited by 34 publications

References 10 publications

An Internal Focus of Attention Is Not Always as Bad as Its Reputation: How Specific Aspects of Internally Focused Attention Do Not Hinder Running Efficiency

An Internal Focus of Attention Is Not Always as Bad as Its Reputation: How Specific Aspects of Internally Focused Attention Do Not Hinder Running Efficiency

The Effect of Different Attentional Strategies on Physiological and Psychological States During Running

Psychological skills training as a way to enhance an athlete's performance in high‐intensity sports

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