Exam (elaborations)
PYC4812 EXAM PACK 2023
- Course
- PYC4812 (PYC4812)
- Institution
- University Of South Africa
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
[Show more]
Content preview
PYC4812EXAM PACK
2023
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
, lOMoARcPSD|24668432
Section A: Background
Thabang Mokoena is a 28-year-old, all-rounder cricket player at the Soweto
Pioneers Cricket club. My initial contact with Thabang was through a mutual friend. I
reached out telephonically and set up our first meeting at Soweto Cricket Oval (Elkah
Stadium). It was a convenient selection as I know a friend of his who arranged for us
to meet.
Thabang has been paying cricket for more than12 years, since primary school. He
fell in love with cricket because it was not popular in the townships and was hoping it
would afford him opportunities to study and pay professionally.
When he was 17 years old, he started playing first class for his team, which is when
he started playing with professional players, both provincial and national.
The highlight of his career was playing alongside, Quinton de Kok and Kagiso
Rabada. With the under 19 team, as the Gauteng Elite squad they played and won
the Sunfoil tournament.
During the meeting he noted the biggest challenge he had was with speed and his
swing. His concern was speed because, as medium bowler, he wanted to bowl
faster.
He noted that he loses focus due to getting carried away when batting and then
takes risky shots. This resulted in him often hitting inconsistently.
<When you are bowling you got good areas and you got bad areas so I was all over
the show cause couldn't control this.= Thabang Mokoena.
Fitness was also a bit of a problem for him, especially after COVID restrictions which
stopped play for about 2 years. Speed and swing are impacted by fitness levels as
well, which can be improved.
He seemed disappointed with where he is currently, as he had hoped of being
further with his cricket career.
Downloaded by Jack martinez (pmachuki7686@gmail.com)
, lOMoARcPSD|24668432
So, I would recommend ways to improve his focus, in terms of mental state and
wellbeing. Goal setting is also a major factor that may be impacting his performance
because he doesn9t have a clear path of where he sees himself.
I would also suggest confidence building interventions to help him with his
performance.
Section B: Literature
Self-talk is a cognitive technique that is used by athletes as the result of, or as a
means of, influencing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (Walter, 2019)
The primary objective of the study by Walter (2019) was to investigate the effects of
self-talk training on talented young athletes9 anxiety level, self-efficacy, skills, and
performance.
Repeating cue words during practice helps focus an athlete9s mind and emotions.
When noticing self-doubt, negative thoughts, or criticism, the cue word reframes
thinking to positive, instructive self-talk. Teammates can remind each other of their
positive attributes during poor and positive performance (Biber, 2019)
Sport confidence is a relatively global concept that refers to an individual9s belief that
they can do whatever it takes to be successful in their sport (Williams, 2021).
Self-confidence is a person9s belief in own ability to carry out life tasks and relates to
someone9s competences and self-esteem.Sports practitioners, theorists and
researchers alike have for long considered self-confidence as a critical mental skill
and psychological attribute that influences sport performance (Rintaugu. E.G., 2018).
Choking under pressure describes suboptimal sport performance in stressful
situations, which has led to two fundamental 8choking9 models: distraction and self-
focus. Knowing these models may help athletes and coaches select and implement
effective strategies and methods to improve performance under pressure (Gröpel.
P., 2019).
Mesagno and Hill (2013) defined choking as 8an acute and considerable decrease in
skill execution and performance when self-expected standards are normally
achievable, which is the result of increased anxiety under perceived pressure9.
Downloaded by Jack martinez (pmachuki7686@gmail.com)
, lOMoARcPSD|24668432
Studies have shown that the sources of sport confidence are likely to vary based on
the athletes9 level of competition. Studies have reported that sources of sport
confidence are also influenced by other factors such as athletes playing position
(Rintaugu. E.G., 2018).
According to Williams (2021), research has shown impressive results of goal setting
on overall sport performance.
Results of previous studies concluded that coaches and athletes underutilize goal
setting and need further goal-setting education. More emphasis must be placed on
teaching athletes about process goals, the relationship between long- and short-term
goals, skill, and fitness goals, and implementing goals in practice and competition
(Williams, 2021).
It is important to note that mindful athletes are more likely to experience a state of
flow of energized focus and full involvement, during athletic performance (Carraça,
2018).
Optimal performance in sport generally occurs when an athlete focuses attention on
relevant information, processes, and behaviours, while intentionally blocking out
distractions (Gröpel. P., 2019).
Concentration is essential for performing one9s best irrespective of sector or field of
performance. Few areas in sport psychology are as important to overall performance
as the area of concentration or attention (Williams, 2021).
Effective concentration means paying attention to the right things at the right time
and in the right way. Unless concentration skills have been mastered and the
performer knows what to attend to, performance will almost always suffer.
Good concentration is geared toward being present in the now. Thinking about the
past or future outcomes too much may cause an athlete to lose focus.
Optimal concentration requires keeping an appropriate focus over an appropriate
length of time and the ability to shift attention based upon changing performance
demands. Correspondingly, for many tasks, the athlete must be able to shift his or
her focus of attention in response to changing performance and environmental
demands (Williams, 2021).
Downloaded by Jack martinez (pmachuki7686@gmail.com)
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller reinah44. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R46,40. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
66579 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy summaries for 14 years now