The Effects of Arousal on Physical Performance

Whats the optimum level of arousal for physical performance and how can you attain it? Most athletes are asking themselves this question at some point in their career. Arousal can help or hurt your overall performance. This psychological and physiological state affects your balance and coordination as well as your focus rhythm, decision-making speed, and muscular tension.

In order to achieve optimum arousal, its essential to understand what this state is and how it affects your athletic performance. Most experts define arousal as a mental, emotional, and physiological state that prepares your body for action. Its the readiness for action that motivates an athlete to run faster, lift heavier weights, or hittheir opponent harder.

Arousal and physical performance are strongly connected. You need the appropriate level of arousal for the things you want to do, whether its working out, jogging, or digesting a meal. This state is closely related to stress, anxiety, motivation, attention and other factors that affect your mood. Too much or too little arousal will work against you. Research indicates that this state can affect your performance in various ways. Several theories highlight the connection between arousal and sports performance:

Each of these theories has its own strengths and weaknesses. Most experts seem to agree that when anxiety becomes severe, performance declines even if your keep arousal at optimal levels. The most widely use approach to the relationship between anxiety, stress, and physical performance is the inverted-U hypothesis, which claims that these factors are interrelated. However, many health experts claim that these theories are oversimplifying the relationship between performance and competitive anxiety.

Not all athletes are able to reach optimal levels of arousal. Additionally, different sports require different arousal levels. In a game of rugby or football, higher arousal levels will lead to increased strength, power, and aggressiveness. On the other hand, shooting, gymnastics, and archery require lower levels of arousal. Many athletes and teams rely on sports psychologists to help them develop the mental skills needed for reaching peak performance. Professionals use various techniques for attaining optimal arousal, such as:

Practice is required for controlling arousal and stress. Youll know it when youre optimally aroused! To increase your chances of success, use the techniques listed above. Start with progressive muscle relaxation, which is being used by many athletes to maintain arousal at optimal levels before a competition. This technique involves tensing and relaxing your muscles systematically. Meditation has proven to be effective too. This popular relaxation method requires you to focus attention on a single object or thought. When done properly, it relaxes your mind and body, improves your overall performance, and prepares you for competition. You can also try deep breathing, which is one of the easiest ways to reduce your arousal levels.

Guided imagery or visualization has excellent results for most athletes. This technique helps control anxiety and arousal. Another popular technique involves self talk and positive thinking. Many coaches teach sports players and athletes how to self-talk positively using statements like I can score a goal, Keep running, or Dont give up! Youre almost there. These techniques can be used anytime for reducing or increasing arousal. In general, athletes are using them before competitions and other important events. For best results, practice until you find a level of arousal at which you perform best.

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