Psychological training for athletes exercises. Psychotraining: games and exercises. A young psychologist cannot be a professional

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Let the presenter be creative in using available tools. If, for example, classes take place in the hall where there is a TV, then at different stages it can be used both as a source of interference, and as an object of concentration, and as a topic for imagination and the transfer of feelings. If you darken the room and reduce the brightness of the image so much that the picture is barely visible, then the uncertainty of perception can serve as good food for imagination (exercises No. 7, 11, 25, 53). Perhaps there is a long corridor in the building where the classes are held - it can be used while working on attention. To do this, with the gradual complication of the “Selector” exercise, you can increase the distance, measuring in meters the degree of contact achieved. It goes without saying that classes can be held outdoors; You can also diversify the games using a tape recorder and an overhead projector.

If the general idea and direction of psychotechnical classes are clear enough, then you can not only modify the proposed exercises, but also boldly invent new ones. Help in transforming games can be provided by the basic techniques for modifying exercises outlined in the appendix (p. 137).

Finding something new, however, does not mean lacking a plan and organization. Before each lesson, the presenter must carefully consider how he is going to conduct it, weighing and calculating everything down to the details. After the lesson, you need to remember what happened in as much detail as possible and try to note all the possibilities in the progress of work that were not realized. Preparation and summing up is a lot of painstaking work for a coach. During classes, however, he must first of all navigate what is happening, react to changes in the group, to all surprises and turns in the thoughts and feelings of the participants. A plan and program are not needed to limit and suppress the natural aspirations of the participants. They set a system of reference points, but do not exclude free travel in various directions and the exploration of new, unexplored areas. If you do not adhere to this attitude towards programs, then athletes will quickly understand that they are playing the role of extras in a play where the main character is the coach. They will not be able to participate sincerely enough in such a production.

Leadership style

By Based on the general style of conducting classes, the trainer can adhere to one of three main strategies: free, thematic and programmatic group management.

Free management. From the very beginning, the group is given freedom to choose problems and how to solve them. The trainer is the first to offer participants neither goals nor means of achieving them. Both arise during the work of the group itself. When using this style of conducting classes, the trainer turns out to be something like a consultant who is contacted as needed. This most complex leadership style, in our opinion, may seem to the untrained observer to be a strategy of maximum passivity. Indeed, sessions may begin with the facilitator spending quite a long time - sometimes several sessions - simply listening to what the participants have to say, without giving any guidance. It seems as if everyone is wasting their time, and the group’s work is not moving forward. But a turning point comes, and everything changes dramatically. It becomes clear that a certain problem has crystallized, on which the efforts of all participants, including the coach, are naturally focused. At this moment, the benevolent attention shown by the coach in the first phase of work, his sincere interest in the athletes’ opinions, the ability to agree with their understanding, temporarily putting aside his “only right”, begin to bring results. The achieved mutual understanding and trust, disinhibiting the feelings of the participants and deeply including them in the work, turns the restructuring and development of mental abilities into a real possibility.

Thematic management. The trainer suggests a specific topic for work. It can be selected from the main topics of this book (for example, “Attention”), or taken from those tasks that are in this moment stand before a team or athlete (for example, “The ability to rest”), or generated by some other circumstances (for example, “How to do homework quickly and well” for schoolchildren). The presenter, having proposed a topic, begins its discussion, directing it in such a way that sooner or later it reaches the level of practical experiments. At the same time, he must not only be well prepared for this lesson, but also freely navigate the various techniques and exercises, and, if necessary, be able to invent new ones. This is especially important in cases where discussion of a problem leads to the discovery of new facets of a seemingly known problem. Thematic management allows you to interest athletes in a specific topic and bring them closer to the exercises. The participation and conscious attitude of the athletes becomes a natural extension of their own attempts to solve the problem formulated by themselves.

Program management. This is the most specific and rigid style of conducting classes. The coach invites the athletes to perform this or that exercise, explaining its meaning. You can prepare for classes conducted according to a specific program in advance by planning a course and even calculating the time for each exercise. An important positive feature of this style of conducting is the feeling of certainty that arises in both the leader and the participants. It is clear to everyone what goals are being pursued, and the means to achieve them are practically beyond doubt. There are never painful pauses filled with intense thinking that are characteristic of free leading. But the weakness of this style is the low activity of the participants, the blockade of their initiative, and the low probability of fresh discoveries.

The choice of one of the three teaching styles is determined by considerations related to the training of the trainer, the condition of the participants and the objectives of the course. Free facilitation is effective if the entire group is unconditionally confident in the benefits of the classes. It is advisable that the course be conducted at a time when the pressure of deadlines does not create a rush and a rigid work attitude, for example during health camps. This style of management is largely justified when working with experienced athletes who have reached sufficient maturity and independence. Program management, in our opinion, is best suited when there is an established intention to achieve a certain result in the psychological preparation of an athlete. If there is a clear goal (for example, to master the technique of concentration), then program management will be an appropriate way to achieve it. It is also useful when working with beginning athletes. Included in a beginner's daily training schedule, psychotechnical exercises can become an integral part of his sports training. Thematic management, as is clear from the previous one, occupies an intermediate position between programmatic and free. Its important advantage is the ability to organize an exchange of opinions and collect information on a specific topic. In addition, the group may find a new solution to a known problem. The result of studying the topic may be recommendations on the issue under consideration.

The peculiarity of thematic teaching is that during the practical study of certain topics, some “classical” questions of psychotechnics arise with enviable regularity: how to deal with distractions? what is needed to clearly represent an object? how to quickly relax? These questions provide a natural opportunity to move from one topic to another. Due to this, numerous connections between exercises and games arise. Therefore, thematic teaching can begin with any arbitrary task and then proceed from one group of exercises to another through problematic transitions. As a result, all basic psychotechnical skills will be affected. The appendix (page 139) discusses the most common routes for transitions between groups of exercises.

Forms of organization

Psychotechnical games can be carried out in the form of an intensive course, regular classes or occasional meetings. These forms differ primarily in the volume and density of work. Intensive courses can only be organized in the off-season due to their high impact; other activities can be useful year-round.

The intensive course is characterized by the fact that for a certain time, psychotechnical games become the main content of the athlete’s work. The development of new material in sports specialization stops for a while, training loads decrease or become monotonous, not requiring large expenditures of nervous energy. Psychotechnical classes are conducted daily for 2-6 hours for 1-2 weeks. Intensive training turns out to be a powerful stressor, sometimes causing violent changes in the athlete’s mental makeup. Skills and abilities to work with the psyche are acquired quickly, the idea of one’s capabilities and abilities changes rapidly, the attitude to many aspects is revised sports life and activities.

The intensive course is suitable only for athletes who independently conduct creative research. These activities destabilize, make the state unstable and open up new perspectives. If an athlete is in the phase of consolidating already achieved success or improving according to an already known program, then participation in an intensive course will be undesirable for him. You should also pay attention to the fact that the skills acquired during an intensive course in working with the psyche may turn out to be unstable. To avoid their destruction, it is necessary to ensure that the athlete regularly uses acquired skills in training, in Everyday life and at competitions.

Regular classes allow you to systematically and consistently teach athletes some psychotechnical skills. At the same time, sports and training work remains in first place. Regular classes can be done daily for 10-30 minutes or 1-2 times a week for 1-1.5 hours. It is very important that the coach ensures continuity and consistency in these activities. It is advisable that each game be repeated over several lessons. We believe that only frequent repetition (with relatively infrequent exercises) can give good results.

Regular classes can be conducted with athletes of different age and qualification categories and at any time. They will benefit both those who are intensely looking for new opportunities, and those who are confident in their infallibility and approach their studies with narrow standards of practicality. These classes can be carried out either in a special room or in a training room (shooting range, arena), during breaks between training sessions, and during rest breaks. It is obvious that in the latter case Only software guidance can be used. When working in an office (class, hypnotarium), you can use both programmatic and thematic guidance. Free facilitation is not suitable for regular classes in the volume indicated above - during the breaks between meetings, the content of the conversations will be forgotten, and the discussion will never reach a common conclusion.

Episodic meetings are the least burdensome of all forms of organizing psychotechnical classes. Games take place 1-2 times a month or less, depending on the circumstances. First of all, you need to strive to ensure that each meeting is an independent event, with a beginning, development and end. All exercises (games) must either be justified by previous events (an incident at a competition, the introduction of a new exercise in training), or prepare for the upcoming ones (approaching competitions, a planned increase in loads).

Everyone can participate in episodic meetings. The most suitable style of conducting them is programmatic. It is advisable to use bright and varied equipment. During such a one-time event, athletes who want to seriously engage in psychotechnics may be identified. That is, occasional meetings can provide material for the selection of athletes for regular or intensive courses.

We touched upon the volumes, intensities and corresponding forms of organization of psychotechnical classes. In addition, it is necessary to consider the general attitude towards conducting classes. There are three main possibilities: psychotechnical games as study (training), recreation (rehabilitation) and competition (competition). In real courses, these three attitudes are intertwined, but it is advisable to distinguish them at least in theory in order to be able, if necessary, to highlight one or another aspect.

Psychotechnical games as an educational event (training), they involve mastering a certain amount of knowledge and skills that allow one to achieve certain effects in the control of mental processes. With this approach to training, it is necessary, whenever possible, to start with simple exercises and only gradually move on to more complex ones, bringing maximum clarity to the technique of performing each technique.

If psychotechnical games are used as a form of recreation (rehabilitation), the approach to them should be completely different. In this case, it is not common understanding that comes to the fore, but the unusualness, incomprehensibility, and sometimes even mystery of the facts obtained in class. When focusing on rehabilitation, you need to make the exercises as relaxed as possible, make them funny, funny, teasingly incomprehensible. Then they will help not only to recover from heavy workloads or regain hopes shattered by defeat, but also to see your world from a new perspective, strange, and sometimes funny. This invigorating push of unusualness will allow you to get rid of stereotypes in assessing your condition, dead cliches in dealing with yourself. By placing emphasis on comic and fantastic moments, introducing varied and colorful material, encouraging the spirit of playful competition, you can ensure that classes are perceived as fun, pleasant, and maybe even useful game, leisure In this case, there is no point in focusing on regularity and consistency in exercises: impromptu, improvisation, an unexpected turn and “accident” in the exercise scenario can successfully replace consistent pedantry and reasonable correctness.

Psychotechnical games can finally be used as a competition. To do this, they need to be reformulated so that in each exercise it is possible to identify a winner or winning team. In some exercises (for example, “Association Run”) this is not difficult (the winner is judged by the number of words correctly reproduced). In other cases (for example, “Through the Looking Glass”) this is much more difficult to do. Then a group of experts is invited to evaluate the execution of the exercise, who make their judgments similar to how it is done in figure skating on skates. In any case, it is necessary to ensure that in each exercise (game) it is possible to identify a winner. If psychotechnical games are used as a competition, then the role of the coach changes significantly. He is not obliged to teach and explain methods of achieving high results in one exercise or another. He gives full opportunity for his student to suffer and seek for himself. Only if the athlete wants to learn something from the coach can he suggest an appropriate solution.

About training a trainer

Theoretical Preparation. We assume knowledge of psychology within the scope of the course at physical education institutes. It is advisable for a coach to keep abreast of basic research on sports psychology and regularly read relevant periodicals. The knowledge obtained from theoretical books must be carefully processed, reformulated into the language of practice, correlated with one’s experience and determined what is acceptable and what is incompatible with the coaching credo.

Practical training includes two aspects: studying exercises and special skills in working with people during psychotechnical classes. Studying exercises presupposes not only the ability to organize a particular game, but also a fairly large amount of preliminary work with it. Before offering any technique to his students, the coach must work with it himself much more than they will do. It is difficult to name specific standards here, but for rough guidance the following values are suggested. It is desirable that the trainer be able to follow the movements of the “fly” for about 100 moves (“Fly”), confidently exit the maze in 12 moves (“Labyrinth”), memorize 30-40 words (“Running associations”, “Dominoes”) . It is quite difficult to control the level of performance of other exercises, so it is recommended that you simply want to figure it out and work with each of them for several hours. We believe that the amount of work with an exercise like “Fingers” should be about 2 hours (10-15 sessions of 10 minutes each), so that the trainer takes part in 100 battles (“Reflection”, “Coin”), sits, counting exhalations, a total of about 10 hours (“Decade”).

In order to start working with a group of athletes, you need to train daily (on your own or with a partner) for 1-2 hours for at least about a month. This minimum of work must be done, otherwise many important moments in the students’ work will pass unnoticed by the presenter.

We have no doubt that the trainer has vast experience and well-established people skills. He can simply and clearly explain the essence of the exercise and achieve it correct execution(if psychotechnical classes are considered as training), create a fun, relaxed environment (rest) or strictly define the limits of what is permitted (psychotechnical competitions). In any of these situations he will rise to the occasion. We also have no doubt that the coach knows how to approach his ward in a humane way, how to understand his problems and feelings with warmth. In short, the trainer has everything necessary to independently conduct psychotechnical classes.

Coaching work, however, is reflected in communication style. Despite the developed ability to understand, the coach sometimes lacks the skill of listening to another. It is necessary to focus on this when preparing for psychotechnics classes. The leader of psychotechnical classes is required to have a developed ability to patiently listen to a wide variety of statements from the participants in the classes. Not only listen without interrupting, but also constantly closely monitor the progress of thought, try to delve into the content, temporarily discarding your judgments and assessments. You must learn to “turn off” the feeling of the unshakable correctness of your understanding and selflessly work to find out the student’s opinion. About half of the free and thematic class time is spent on discussion and conversation. The actions of the trainer during these periods mean no less than during the explanation of the technique of the exercises themselves.

Listening skills should be developed. To do this, first of all you need to realize what you really need. In addition, you need a sincere desire to understand what is being communicated to you. Special exercises are also useful.

Exercise 1. Your partner tells you something, for example: “It’s very stuffy today.” You convey his thought in your own words, trying to reproduce it as completely and accurately as possible: “You feel uncomfortable because of today’s heat” or “You think that today is more stuffy than usual.” After this, your partner gives an assessment of how successful you were.

Exercise 3. Your partner emotionally demands something from you or accuses you of something. For example, he says: “You always tie your tie crookedly!” When will you finally learn?” You must find out in as much detail and accuracy as possible everything that is happening to him, without entering into arguments, explanations or justifications. You might ask, “Do you think this knot is crooked?” or “What would you recommend?” Your partner may be increasing the pressure, forcing you to resist. But you must firmly hold the position of a person who wants to find out the opinion of another.

These three exercises should be considered as special experiments to see the most vulnerable points in your ability to listen to another: where and how do you begin to pass off your thoughts as someone else’s? At what point do you get tired of paying close attention? Why do you slip from the desire to understand someone else to the desire to prove your own? Obviously, in their “pure form” these techniques are unacceptable in live communication, but they allow us to see how often we do not listen to each other, and help us learn to delve into the thoughts of our interlocutor.

To improve your skills in conducting a live conversation, we recommend the following analytical exercise.

Exercise 4. Tape record your conversation with someone. It is advisable to do this secretly from your interlocutor, and try to forget about your cunning. Then carefully write down on a piece of paper everything you remember from the conversation. Compare your notes with what you recorded on film.

Attention!

Of the 54 exercises, 9 are marked with an asterisk. These are games No. 9, 10, 13, 19, 21, 34, 48, 49 and 54. Conducting them requires special preparation: familiarity with auto-training and hypnosis, knowledge of the phenomena of group dynamics (exercise No. 34). We recommend using them only in two cases:

1) in the presence or under the guidance of a specialist;

2) after special training courses for trainers.

Where to start and where to end

Before All you need to do is to interest the participants in the games. Some can be attracted by explaining the supposed benefits of exercise, others need to show some unusual phenomenon (for example, pain relief or mnemonics), others need to give convincing examples from sports practice. If the games are held in the form of a competition, the incentive will be the title of the winner and the prize; if as entertainment - novelty and unusualness.

Once the composition of the group has been determined and the participants are interested, it is advisable to gather some information about their understanding of their tasks. Invite everyone (in writing or orally) to answer the questions: “Do I need psychological preparation? What tasks do I set for myself in this regard? What do I expect from the upcoming classes?” The information received is entered into the participant’s personal card.

Then you need to formulate a goal and plan the total number of classes, their days and times. Determine (for thematic and program management) a list of topics and games to be worked on, distribute them among classes. You can limit yourself to just one topic, for example, “Imagination and Self-Regulation,” or use several topics or even all together in the course.

Before each lesson, you should make a plan. When kept freely, it presents a list of the main issues likely to be discussed and the suggested topics for the exercise. If a thematic leadership style is chosen, it is necessary to provide a main topic and possible games. If the maintenance is programmatic, then you need to determine the time allocated for different types work.

A summary plan for program management may look like this: “Lesson of the 5th course “Attention and self-control” (10 lessons in total), February 3, 1983, 12.00-12.50.

1. Analysis of the previous lesson: N. complained of fatigue. What is the reason? Discussion. Ability to concentrate easily and relaxed (10 minutes).

2. Exercise “The lazy man and the hard worker.” Explanation, implementation and discussion (20 minutes).

3. Repeat the “Selector” exercise (5 minutes).

4. Competition in performing the already completed “Fly” exercise. Observe whether the leader tenses up (10 minutes).

5. Autogenic training (5 minutes).

After classes, you should, if possible, write down in detail in your diary everything that happened during the session, analyze what was planned and what was not, and what new moments were observed. Then you should write down the most interesting of their behavior and statements in the participants’ personal cards, and trace the dynamics of each participant’s mastery of psychotechnics using their personal cards. If necessary, you can prepare individual questions or instructions and identify unclear points.

When the course is completed, it is necessary to survey the participants again. This can be done publicly (in front of the group) or privately. If the survey is done publicly, then the group, as it were, sums up the results of collective efforts; if answers are given in private, everyone is accountable for their individual work. First of all, you need to answer the question: “What did these classes bring me?” The presenter must sum up the results and enter the final assessment into a personal card.

After the course, it is advisable to draw up a report and in it critically evaluate what has been achieved in the classes, identify your mistakes and discoveries, and try to determine the effect obtained. The last question is especially difficult, since neither the participant’s impressions, nor the coach’s ideas, nor the immediate sports results can reflect all the changes that have occurred with the athlete due to psychotechnical work.

So, we recommend that the trainer keep the following documentation: a diary (with lesson plans and reports), personal cards of participants (they note individual progress), a visit log. At the end of the course, write a general report.

Behind the walls of the greenhouse

Classes finished. Training continues, competitions are approaching, life goes on. Will the athlete be able to take the developed psychotechnical skills out of the greenhouse conditions of group work? In many ways it depends on him, but in some ways it also depends on the coach. How can we help?

1. Once every one to two weeks, ask the athlete about his work on psychotechnical preparation.

2. Analyze the competition with him from a psychological point of view.

3. Once a month, take an interest in the athlete’s psychotechnics in everyday life, study, and during rest.

All these conversations, when interest is met, intensify his search and help adapt the developed skills to real conditions.

Techniques for modifying psychotechnical exercises

1. Interiorization. The actual elements of the exercise are replaced with imaginary ones. In some cases, an exercise modified in this way, for example, twirling imaginary fingers (exercise 1) or generating “telepathic” interference (exercise 12), requires much more concentration than the original version.

2. Exteriorization. Elements of the exercise, usually performed in the mind, are either “voiced” or materialized in actions with real objects. With the help of this technique, it becomes possible to transfer some mental processes to an “external screen” (for example, when voicing exercises 19 or 5), as well as for the leader to exercise control over the actions of the participants on materialized models (exercises 16, 17).

3. Interpersonalization. Elements of the exercise, usually performed by one person, are distributed among several participants. This modification allows, in particular, to direct the work towards achieving deeper contact in the group - intellectual (for example, remembering the situation by one of the participants and transferring to them all the information necessary to reproduce the information in exercises 41 and 42), emotional (development by several participants of one topics in exercises 25 and 26; managing the partner’s sensations through emotionally rich pictures in exercises 3, 18, 19) or motor (for example, performing exercise 1 while intertwining the fingers of one participant’s left hand with the fingers right hand another).

4. Intrapersonalization. An exercise usually performed by several participants is assigned entirely to one person. This modification allows you to do many group exercises suitable for independent individual work (for example, exercises 2, 6, 15, 17, 26).

5. Dramatization. An exercise that produces a certain result available for registration during execution turns into a competition between teams or individual participants trying to outdo each other in this result. The subject of competition can be speed, accuracy, quality of exercises determined by a special group of experts, and other possible indicators. This technique often ensures that participants are more fully involved in the work due to the competitive motive, and also allows the group to focus their attention and efforts on the productive aspects of the exercises.

6. Stochastization. The clear assignment of functions or the order of their implementation to individual participants is replaced by random ones. For example, the circle movement in exercises 16, 17, 22, 23 and 27 can be transformed into movement along unpredictable trajectories, and the roles in exercises 7, 12, 35 and 45 can be unexpectedly redistributed between participants during the course of the game itself. This introduces an element of surprise, forcing each participant to act without preparation.

7. Changing the context of the exercise. The exercise is usually performed with the goal of developing some very specific ability. However, almost any exercise can be used to develop any of the mental abilities. To do this, the technical part of the exercise itself is framed by an appropriate introduction and conclusion. Thus, exercises 16 and 17 can be used not only to train the imagination, but also to unite the group; exercise 4 on selectivity of attention can be used to develop contact, and “contact” exercises 35 and 38, on the contrary, are also suitable for training attention.

8. Hybridization. New games are constructed from elements already famous exercises. For example, options are possible in which one exercise is “inserted” into the scheme of another as specific content (exercise 2 inside exercise 12; exercise 17 inside exercise 45) or means (exercises 26 and 27 inside exercises 18 and 19). It is also possible to sequentially or simultaneously apply several of the modifying techniques described above to any one exercise.

9. Improvisation. New psychotechnical games can spontaneously arise during group interaction. This is, for example, the biography of many of the exercises in this book. In this case, the source of original ideas and techniques becomes the characteristic electrification of the group by the leader and participants with the spirit of invention.

1. Intent. We proposed the organization of psychological training of athletes in the form of competitions for the following reasons:

1) the significant difficulty of carrying out work on psychological preparation in sports is the discrepancy between the real motivation of the athlete (struggle, overcoming obstacles) and the normative motivation of people mastering psychotechnical methods (cognition, self-improvement). One of the possible ways to resolve this contradiction is to create a form of training that would allow the athlete to engage in the work of mastering psychotechniques due to the prevailing competitive motivation;

2) the task of the psychological preparation of a pentathlete is to increase his psychological reliability, allowing the athlete to more fully use his capabilities in each of the five types and the best way balance the results of five days. The psychological reliability of an athlete is largely determined by his ability to manage his behavior, thoughts and feelings in an extreme competitive situation. Usually this ability comes with experience in competitions, but it is acquired by the athlete rather slowly (about 10 starts per season). In addition, it can be difficult to isolate the actual psychological moments in competition, since errors in self-regulation are often masked by high technical and physical indicators, as well as various random layers on the result. The athlete thus finds himself in an extremely difficult position when analyzing the results of the competition.

He cannot unambiguously determine what is due to the level of his athletic form, what is due to gaps in technique, and what is due to his inability to control himself. If it were possible to somehow free the competition from the baggage of technical skills and the burden of physical training, then one would be able to observe a struggle of character and self-control in its purest form. On the other hand, modeling the psychological aspects of competition during the preparation process makes it possible for athletes to accelerate the acquisition of self-regulation experience in extreme wrestling conditions;

3) one of current problems psychological training in sports is the problem of harmonizing the significantly different ideas that a coach and a psychologist use in their work. The competitive form of psychological training, the transfer of psychotechnical work to the usual springboard of concepts - training, estimation, wrestling - creates a unique opportunity for mutual understanding between the coach, psychologist and athlete. A language emerges that brings sports and psychological terminology to a common denominator - a psychotechnical result, which is considered by a psychologist as an indicator of testing, measuring a certain human ability, and by a coach as a personal achievement of an athlete.

Psychotechnical competitions are thus new form organization of psychological training of athletes, allowing to avoid such traditional difficulties of psychological work as inadequacy of motives, isolation from competitive experience and inconsistency with the sports conceptual apparatus.

2. Implementation of the plan. To implement the planned plan, a general physical training camp was chosen, during which it was possible to conduct daily psychotechnical classes without nervous overload of the athletes. The work was divided into three stages: preparation for the competition and estimates (January 5-13), competition holding (January 14-15), final discussion (January 16).

During preparation, 7 classes were conducted lasting from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. During these classes, athletes became familiar with various types psychotechnical all-around, and also studied psychotechniques suitable for use in competitions. The goal for the athletes was to prepare for the competition in the best possible way, using the tools offered during the classes. Exercises to master techniques for activating imagination, attention, and empathy alternated with short competitions in one or another particular exercise, and the winner was awarded a prize (book, tangerine, pencil, etc.). In addition to the exercises directly included in the competition program, some auxiliary techniques were also used. During the preparation, certain progress was observed in the participants’ performance of competitive exercises. In some types it was significant (for example, memorizing 20 words: at the beginning of classes 10-12 words, at the end - 18-20), in others it was small (searching for numbers).

Simultaneously with special training Before the competition, work was carried out to increase their significance. Coaches told athletes that they would judge psychological reliability based on their all-around results; there was an correspondence competition between coaches and athletes in certain types of programs; records were set for the speed of reading the Schulte-Platonov table. In short, by the time the competition began, sufficient excitement had been created around the psychotechnical all-around event.

The competition was held over two days. The program included 5 events, which, by analogy with the pentathlon types, were called “Jumping”, “Fencing” (held on the 1st day), “Swimming”, “Shooting” and “Cross-country” (2nd day). The results for each type were assessed in points. The winner was determined by the sum of 5 types.

Description. On an area of 40x40 cm there are 9 gates formed by a pair of cartridges from a small-caliber cartridge standing at the end, at a distance of about 20 millimeters. The gates are located in such a way that the route is distributed throughout the entire site. Two participants sit at the table. One of them (“horse”) places a pencil at the beginning of the route perpendicular to the table. The pencil is held by top part right hand, eyes closed. The second participant (“rider”) grabs the partner’s left hand with his right hand and uses pressure, compression, etc. tries to control the movement of the pencil. The task of this pair is to complete the route specified by the judges in the minimum time, without moving the sleeves (“without falling”) and without weaving in front of obstacles (“without throwing”). After familiarizing yourself with the route, time is given to warm up.

Pairs of participants are determined by drawing lots. Completing the route in 40 seconds without errors is awarded 1100 points. “Kicking” and “falling over” are worth 50 penalty points. Each second of difference between the result and 40 seconds gives, respectively, plus or minus 5 points. The results of each participant are determined as the average of two attempts: as a “rider” and as a “horse”.

Instructions for the “rider”. During the warm-up, try to adapt to your partner. The amplitude of his movements may be greater or less than yours, and the speed of response to the message may vary greatly. Don’t get annoyed if it seems to you that your partner is reacting “wrong”, but look for suitable way get desired result- this is better than trying to remake his reactions. Test your partner in different modes so that there are no surprises along the route. It is especially important to determine the behavior when braking in front of a gate. It’s good if you manage to feel your partner so much that you get the feeling of direct control of his hand. Stay calm and confident along the route. Uncertainty is transferred to the partner. Try to move evenly and pass the gate carefully.

Instructions for the horse. Try to meet your partner’s requirements in everything. Don't act on your own. Don't get angry if your partner is too rude or indecisive, because the points will be divided equally. Maintain the same mood on the route as you did during the warm-up. Make sure that the pencil is positioned strictly perpendicular to the board: this increases the chances of completing the route cleanly.

It is interesting to note that in this form, despite strong excitement, B. was able to establish contact with Ya. and show best result. Participant L. was careful and preferred to drive “cleanly,” even at the cost of more time. Art. was careless by placing the pencil at an angle: this could have worsened her result. On last place The athlete turned out to be the least syntonous in his relationships with people, the first one was the most syntonous.

Fencing

Description. A field of seven cells arranged in one row is drawn. A chip is placed on the central cell. Each participant is given a white and a black stone. It is determined by lot which of the two participants in the duel plays for coincidence and who for mismatch. At the referee’s command, given every 10 seconds, the participants place one stone on the table. If their colors match (two white or two black stones), the chip moves one square to the participant playing for the match. In case of color mismatch (black and white stones), the chip moves one square to the player playing for the mismatch. The goal of each player is to move the chip out of the field to his side, that is, to create a winning gap of four wins.

Each participant meets with everyone three times. During the fight, you are allowed to make comments to your opponent and pantomimically express your feelings. 8 wins are worth 1000 points, each win below or above this score is worth 100 points.

Instructions. If possible, study the game of your opponents. Try to answer the following questions:

1. What color does he prefer to choose at the beginning of the game?

2. Does it play in the style of alternating or maintaining color?

3. Does he change his tactics at the last line (before victory or defeat)?

At the beginning of a fight, strive not so much for small wins, but rather to catch the thread of the game, to grasp the way of thinking and actions of the enemy. To do this, try to guess his choice not only before your choice, but also after it. Maintain awareness of what is happening, especially in the case of a long-term struggle. Don't try to rely on chance in critical fighting situations. Experience shows that it often goes against you. Feel free to experiment! Impact your opponent different ways. For example, advise him which color to choose, tell him (truth or lie) about your future move, demonstratively worry or make your face impenetrable. If you take the initiative, it will be easier for you to steer the game in the right direction.

Before the start of the second event, all participants had equal chances and continued to fight with the same zeal as at the beginning of the competition. The duration of the fights varied from 40 seconds to 7 minutes.

Sk., from the first round until the end of the fencing competition, demonstrated a bright, unusual style of behavior. Unlike the other participants, who carefully monitor the facial expressions of their opponents, Sk. showed complete indifference. He pulled a woolen cap over his face and not only did not look at his competitor, but also did not allow him to look into his eyes. Sk. He was so involved in his game that if he won, he often didn’t even move the chip. His appearance caused bewilderment among many. Some participants demanded that he take off his cap. But Sk. remained impenetrable. To jokes directed at Sk. did not answer. In short, from the very beginning he got on everyone's nerves.

A completely opposite style of behavior was chosen by the athlete St. She actively participated in interactions with the enemy, constantly cracking jokes, persuading, making them laugh, tugging at her partners. For example, she could say: “Well, smile! That's good. (Win.) Come on, smile one more time!” or: “Please put in black. Thank you!" (The opponent bets white and loses.) Throughout the entire competition Art. she maintained a cheerful, sportingly angry mood, demonstratively upset by the loss, rejoicing at the win, giving free vent to her feelings. In the behavior of St. was alone shining moment, characteristic of her entire style. At the same time as her opponent, she placed her closed palm with a stone on the table. At the referee's command, the opponent opened his stone and Art. I opened it only if I won. If she lost, she only let out a groan of disappointment, and the enemy guessed the outcome of the attempt. The most inconvenient for St. turned out to be completely impenetrable Sk., to whom she lost all three fights, and the most convenient was the syntonic, sympathetic and open B. (St. won against her with a clean score). After the competition St. said that she considered the first round as reconnaissance, so she showed her best results in the second and third rounds.

Athlete Ya passed the first round without defeat. She hypnotized her opponents with a calm confidence. In the second round, B., who found herself in a very difficult position after four defeats in the first round, but did not lose the will to win, was able to dispel the myth of Ya’s invincibility. Ya’s confidence was undermined, which led her to four defeats in the second round.

Swimming

Description. To achieve results in this exercise, you must be able to control your heart rate, conjuring up stimulating or calming pictures in your imagination. The referee counts the number of pulse beats in 20 seconds. Then the command “Excitation!” is given, and after a minute, during which warning signals are given (30, 20 and 10 seconds before the end of work), a second measurement of the pulse rate is made. This is followed by the command “Calm!”, and a minute later - the third measurement of heart rate. The difference between the first and second measurements (excitement) is added to the difference between the second and third measurements (calming), and points are awarded based on the sum. The total difference of 15 strokes is estimated at 1000 points, and each strike of the difference from this result is plus or minus 50 points, respectively.

Instructions. During preparation and the first measurement, try to relax as much as possible. Especially carefully relax the muscles of your face and shoulders. Calm down, imagine something soporific and serene. During excitement, imagine something that usually makes you very excited: a competition, a fight, a fire, etc. Using your imagination, start with unimportant, minor details and circumstances: your clothes, surroundings, sounds, smells, lighting, etc. Imagine everything in great detail and vividly - this will help you believe in the reality of the fiction. Only after this do you move on to exciting pictures and events: you are called to the start or three people in jackets approach, etc. Excitement should reach its maximum at the moment of the second heart rate measurement. When re-calming, first resolve the exciting situation: the competition is over, the fight turned out to be a friendly prank, the fire has been put out, and then relax again and mentally immerse yourself in a calming picture. Do not overdo it in imagining exciting events: the pulse may not have time to calm down in a minute.

St., part of the leading group, was unable to cope with the pre-start fever and had the most rapid pulse at the beginning of the exercise. The remaining participants showed results in accordance with their abilities to manage autonomic functions.

Shooting

Description. In this mnemonic exercise, the participant is asked to memorize a series of 20 words. The words chosen are figurative, denoting easily imaginable objects. The rate at which the series is read is one word every 5 seconds. After the words are read, the participant is given 2 minutes to write down everything he remembers. For 18 correctly reproduced words, 1000 points are given. Each word difference from this result is worth 100 points. If two adjacent words in a row are reproduced in the participant's recording in the same order, an additional 5 points are given.

Instructions. Before starting the exercise, it is advisable to calm down, remove extraneous thoughts and tune in to relaxed, witty imagination. While reading words, it is best to vividly imagine the objects corresponding to them and connect them to the events of the animated film. For example, “tram-stocking-crow” can lead to the following cartoon scenario: a tram roars into a huge stocking, rides inside it, rips the sock, and - wow! - he turned into a crow, croaking and flying out of the hole. If your imagination is not enough to create a cartoon, place imaginary objects along some well-known route or familiar room. When you come across small objects, increase their size: make a thimble the size of a barrel, a needle the size of a sword, etc. This will help you find items when recalling. Your number one enemy is distraction. Enemy number two is anxiety, which blocks fantasy.

While recording, if you lose the sequence, start with any word.

The despair that gripped the athlete St. after the third type, led to a complete breakdown of the technique in this exercise. Having memorized 18-20 words during training, she turned out to be absolutely incapable of working in competitions. This, apparently, was due to the lack of experience in participating in pentathlon competitions, on which the ability to not despair after individual failures, but to cover all five types at the same time depends.

L. tuned in well and showed his best result. Ya remained calm and demonstrated what she usually showed in training. The most interesting was the performance of athlete B. She had sufficient preparation to demonstrate an absolute result. However, her inherent composure and concentration served her well in this subtle exercise bad service. The fact is that words are remembered largely due to flexible, liberated imagination. While reading the list, you need to create a series of bright, unusual images, continuously creating a “cartoon film”. B.'s concentration and composure had a blocking effect on her imagination, fettering the flight of her imagination. As a result, B.'s achievements were lower than usual. She forgot the words from the beginning of the list - it was at this point that her imagination stumbled. However, having mastered herself, B. was able to cope well with the rest of the task.

Description. On a sheet of paper in a 7 x 7 table there are 49 numbers - from 43 to 91. The sheet lies face down. At the referee’s command, the athlete turns over the sheet, looking for 91, points to it with a pencil and says out loud: “Ninety-one.” Then he finds the numbers 90, 89, and so on up to 43. The time it takes to complete the entire task is measured. A result of 3 minutes 40 seconds gives 1000 points. Every second difference from this result is worth 5 points. Before the start of the competition, you are given the opportunity to “warm up” on any table, except the one drawn by lot.

Instructions. When working with a table, try to take in several numbers at once. Sequential search based on searching through all the characters is the slowest tactic. Act quickly, but without fuss. Don't be nervous or upset if you can't find the number right away. Try to take a wide and calm look at the entire table again. After showing the number, remove your hand with the pencil - it may block your view. As you search, mark the numbers that may be useful in the next 3-4 steps. Stay fresh and sharp all the time, don't give in to fatigue.

Brief information about the competition

Of greatest interest are the events that happened to the athlete Sk. Even during training, he began an correspondence competition with coach Sd., who held the record in this exercise - 2.53. Sk. in one of the training sessions he broke this record, showing a time of 2.28. The challenge was accepted by SD., who after some time set a new record - 1.58. Sk. claimed that he could surpass this achievement. During the warm-up he was in an excited, fighting mood and showed an excellent result of -2.01. After the contender for victory Ya. finished the distance, he calculated that with a result of about 2 minutes he could become the winner of the psychotechnical all-around. Victory “shone for him,” he became more and more inspired, but... apparently, he burned out. Having started the race at an excellent pace, he suddenly faltered at 75 and searched for this unfortunate number for more than a minute. Desperate, he began to ask those around him: “Are there 75 here?” - and after an affirmative answer, he began to look through all the numbers one by one until he came across 75. The mood was ruined, time was lost, and Sk., the owner of the best time, ended up last. Frustration and overstrain led to the fact that Sk. switched from the most profitable tactic - simultaneous search across the entire table to sequential scanning of numbers.

...

IN THE STEEL RING OF FOCUS

...The athlete’s attention is tense, compressed to a point. The stadium, spectators, and judges disappeared. All that remains is the target in the sight slot, the ball flying over the net... The tip of the opponent’s insidious sword...

Absolute concentration during competitions... If it has not yet come with experience, has not been gifted with inspiration, then perhaps it will be brought up by regular psychotechnical training, which will give power over the psyche. Let not a day or two pass before rare successes in classes bring the ability to concentrate in any conditions. But the athlete’s attention is trained, he does not rush to the first bait that comes his way, he obeys his master in everything. What is its strength?

The trigger clicks idle for the third time in a row. A wildly twisted ball will knock out your finger. The faithful blade will break a couple of seconds before the victorious thrust. This kind of surprise can not only distract, but literally shake the athlete out of his state of concentration. And if you just open the way to doubt for a moment, just give up the fight in your thoughts, it’s as if something breaks in a person. Pain, fatigue, a mortal thirst for rest sets in, and nothing can be done about it.

“You can’t get by with attention alone,” you say. “You need will, self-control, and perseverance of character.” But isn’t will not attention raised into a cube? Self-control is not concentration in an extreme situation? After all, the same ability to tenaciously keep one’s goal in the focus of consciousness is manifested here, subordinating both thoughts and movements to it.

A strong-willed athlete cannot be disorganized or demagnetized by any stressful situation. But how to become strong-willed?

Exercise 11. "Superattention"

Participants are divided into two groups: “interfering” and “attentive”. The “attentive” ones are placed by the leader around the perimeter of the hall, facing the center, and receive distinctive insignia (armbands, scarves or caps). They are given instructions: “Your task is to portray, play, like an actor, to enter into the role of a person who is completely focused on some internal work and does not notice his surroundings. (The presenter shows the expression on the person’s face with an empty, absent look.) You must get used to this role and, standing with your eyes open and your ears open, not noticing what others are doing. To make it easier for you to cope with the task, try to vividly imagine that you are watching an exciting movie or taking part in a dangerous journey. Be consistent in your role : When the exercise is over (that is, after my command “Stop!”) and you are questioned, assert and convince others that you were truly completely absorbed in your thoughts and did not see or hear anything. Is it clear? The “interferers” will receive the task during the exercise. Are you ready? Let's start!" The exercise lasts 5-15 minutes. During this time, the leader, together with the “interferers,” organize a series of provocative actions. They chant: “Petya is a genius of attention!”, act out jokes in their faces, stage

finishing classes and leaving the hall, pretending to be animals, asking “attentive” people for alms, etc. At the same time, the leader makes sure that the actions of the “interferers” do not turn out to be too effective. He forbids touching the “attentive” and at critical moments helps them maintain their role. Then the command “Stop!” follows, and the discussion begins.

The paradox of this exercise is that the action of the instruction continues after the command “Stop!” Probably, the “attentive” one was sometimes distracted from completing the task, but the rules of the game forbid him to admit it. He is forced to convince his partners that he was absolutely attentive and was never distracted. The distrust and doubts of other participants in the lesson force the “attentive” person to resort to increasingly compelling arguments and, unnoticed by himself, become more and more firmly convinced of the indestructibility of his concentration. The game provides a wonderful opportunity to believe in yourself, to convince yourself by convincing others.

In this exercise, much depends on the skill of the leader. He must be vigilant to ensure that the charm of the game is not destroyed either by too active actions of the “interferers” or by the awareness of the game deception of the “attentive”. The presenter skillfully uses his power during the exercise, stopping those who, with their inappropriate skepticism (“Look! But he flinches from the clap!”) harms the development of the game. He must react immediately to such deviations, since a critical attitude can spread like a chain reaction and destroy the atmosphere of the game. Moreover, in many cases, it is desirable for the presenter to encourage the manifestation of the participants’ acting abilities with their remarks and behavior.

The exercise should not be used in groups where mutual trust and a spirit of creative engagement have not yet matured. The success of the "Super Attention" exercise moves the group much forward, while failure can put the whole exercise in doubt.

Exercise 12. "Carousel"

The group is divided into two equal parts. The “concentrators” sit in a circle and prepare for full concentration on the task. The task may consist of mentally solving a problem, memorizing a poem, concentrating on a mental image, on one of the parts of the body, etc. The “interferers” face the “concentrating” ones - each opposite their “victim”. At the command "Start!" “those who concentrate” begin the task, and “those who interfere” begin to interfere with them (within the limits specified by the leader). When the leader claps, the “interferers” move one person to the right so that each of them changes their “victim”, and the game continues. After several “turns” the presenter stops the “carousel”. Everyone starts discussing.

The leader has the opportunity to observe the clashes of the aspirations of the “concentrating” and “interfering” ones, which in this exercise take on the character of a martial arts. At first, the forces in this combat will not be equal: after all, the “interferers” have a rich arsenal of means. If the game begins immediately with their use of the most severe measures, then this can discourage those “concentrating” and break their faith in their capabilities. The leader should monitor the work of everyone and, as necessary, give instructions to the “interferers” to reduce the interference, so that the “concentrators” do not show signs of distraction at least 2/3 of the time. This proportion of success will provide the most suitable conditions for the growth of the ability to self-control.

The peculiarity of this exercise is the personification of the source of interference. The reason for the distraction is a specific living person: it may happen that for the athlete Egorov the only effective hindrance is Sidorov. Then the task of concentration moves into the area of communication. Exercise after exercise, Egorov calmly ignores the claps and screams of all participants, responding with an uncontrollable fit of laughter to any remark from Sidorov. What to do? General recipe no, but almost always Egorov’s awareness and recognition of this fact turns out to be the starting point for significant changes. Let him, for example, try once again, when Sidorov begins to approach him, to abandon his unsuccessful attempts to concentrate and directly address his “interfering”: “I know that until now I have never been able to concentrate in your presence. my ability to interfere exceeds my ability to concentrate. What advice would you give me?" If Sidorov takes sincere interest in Egorov's difficulties, then his answer will turn out to be useful regardless of the specific content.

Another important point of the “Carousel” exercise is mastering the ability to suggest and counteract the suggestion of others. Each “interferer” strives to find a technique with the help of which it would be possible to make a hole in the armor that protects the consciousness of the “concentrator” from external influences. The ability to suggest is largely based on this skill. Having experienced himself in the role of a “hypnotist,” the participant begins to look with different eyes at the interference created during his own concentration. His ability not to succumb to the influence of others will be strengthened by understanding the mechanism of influence on others. In the future, personifying the source of interference may also be useful in detuning circumstances from “hypnosis.”

If the “Carousel” exercise is used repeatedly (it is one of the regularly practiced exercises), then gradually the balance of forces changes in favor of the “concentrating” ones. Despite the growing sophistication of “interferers,” distractions are becoming less and less common. Gradually, the task of concentration from external (not to move, not to laugh) becomes internal (to prevent the slightest slippage of thought). In this capacity, the exercise can be used for quite a long time, but it is unlikely that an athlete should polish his attention in such a way. We recommend moving on to the next exercise.

Exercise 13. “Field training”*

Each participant chooses for himself or at the prompting of the instructor a certain task on which he will focus during the exercise. He must demonstrate the same high degree of concentration as in the “Super Attention” exercise game. The group is then escorted out of the practice room. Participants are placed one at a time and each is given the command “Start!” Having arranged all the participants, the presenter goes around the “posts” and tries to interfere, involving strangers in this, asking them to find out from the trainees what time it is, invite them to leave, and so on. The work lasts 5-15 minutes. Then the leader approaches everyone, stops the work with the command “Stop!”, gathers the group and returns it to the training room. Discussion follows.

Since the participants will be completely absorbed in concentration and unable to adequately navigate the environment, all responsibility for their life and health rests with the leader. The leader should have two or three assistants who know the room well: they ensure the safety of the athletes during classes. Each trainee must be constantly visible. The fact is that after successfully completing the game "Super Attention", the participant will probably continue to concentrate even if those around him are busy evacuating a fire.

In addition, outsiders may interpret participants' behavior as offensive and impose sanctions. Therefore, maximum effort should be given to ensuring the safety of classes.

Athletes should be placed in such areas of the base, hotel or gym where other people usually pass. For those who have successfully completed the previous exercises, you can provoke an unexpected meeting with someone you know. For example, the following dialogue is possible: “Hello!” - Silence. “Are you offended?” - Silence. "Guys, what's wrong with him?" (He comes up and slightly shakes his shoulder.) - Silence. And so on. In other cases, the facilitator himself organizes such interactions, asking one of the outsiders to come into contact with the student. It is interesting to note that often such attempts at communication make a greater impression on outsiders than on the participants in the game, due to the fact that the behavior of the participant clearly contradicts the norms of communication.

This exercise is of great value because it blurs the line between conventional reality group classes and the reality of everyday life. It is a bold introduction of psychotechnical skills developed in a greenhouse environment into the harsh conditions of everyday relationships. The next step could be to send the commands "Start!" and "Stop!" to the athlete himself. Thus, he himself becomes the master of his attention. In the future, you can use these commands while processing tasks on sports training. Such a transfer will have an undoubted benefit for improving sportsmanship. However, one should beware of the abuse of frequent and prolonged use of this technique. We think that in most cases the total concentration time should not exceed 30-40 minutes per day.

4. IMAGINATION AND SELF-REGULATION

The hard everyday life of sports... Training three, four, five times a week. Training in the morning and evening. Every day the athlete faces the same thing. Move a heavy barbell until exhaustion. Distill water in a rowing pool. Or, like a broken record, run endless laps on the stadium treadmill. The monotony of training is one of the most acute psychological problems modern sport. Where to look for a solution?

The best cure for monotony and boredom is fantasy. The most boring thing can become interesting if you color it with the magical colors of your imagination. Remember Marktwain's Tom Sawyer, who turned painting an ordinary fence into an exciting attraction, for the sake of participating in which the neighbor's children were ready to part with their most expensive treasures. A little artistry, a little invention - and now there is a long line of people wishing to join this important and honorable cause.

The same is true when organizing training sessions. Endless ingenuity and the ability to conduct each training session in a new, festive, bright, excitingly interesting way distinguish the work style of a talented trainer. Army hockey player Veniamin Alexandrov spoke about the training of A.V. Tarasova: “These were unforgettable days. We worked like hell. But psychologically our training was ensured in such a way that we felt nothing but joy and extraordinary elation” *.

Increasing tolerance to physical activity is far from the only problem facing a coach and athlete that a developed imagination can solve.

*A.S. Medvedev. Psychology of victory. - M.: FiS, 1981, p. 44.

RECOVERY RUNNING

Recently, ideomotor training has been increasingly used in sports: replaying movements and actions in the imagination. Methods of ideomotor training have become firmly established in the training arsenal of gymnasts, alpine skiers, and water divers. They have proven themselves well initial stages mastering complex technical elements, as well as restoring skills lost as a result long break in training. However, ideomotor training, as a rule, is ineffective in cases where the coach loses sight of the obvious fact: the advisability of using ideomotor exercises in preparation for competitions largely depends on the psychological individuality of the athlete. First of all, from the peculiarities of his imagination.

Based on their methods of orientation in space, people can be divided into two categories. For some, visual cues are crucial; for others, muscle sensations and a sense of the direction of gravity are crucial. The former, when performing actions mentally, rely mainly on visual representations, while the latter rely on motor memory and imaginary sensations of movements. Naturally, athletes with different types orientation in space, the features of using ideomotor training will differ significantly.

The proposed games-exercises will help the coach not only understand the peculiarities of the imagination of each of the participants, but also develop this valuable ability in his students.

Exercise 14. "Labyrinth"

The group is divided into pairs. In each pair, one of the participants, with the help of verbal instructions and commands, “leads” his partner into an imaginary labyrinth, the diagram of which in the form of a broken line with right angles he holds in front of him, but does not show to his “follower”. There are three commands in total. The first, indicating the entrance to the labyrinth, is “Straight!” Next, depending on the shape of the labyrinth, follow the commands “Right!” or “Left!”, after which the person walking through an imaginary labyrinth must turn respectively to the right or left side. Having gone through the labyrinth, the “follower” must turn 180 degrees and mentally exit it, loudly reporting all his movements (using the same three commands). At this time, the “starter”, according to his scheme, controls the partner’s path. If the “follower” completed the task successfully, then he is offered a labyrinth with a large number of turns, and so on. Then the partners change roles.

In some cases, it is better to work with the Labyrinth not in pairs, but as a whole group. In this case, some of the participants sitting in a circle (even numbers) will be led into the maze, and the remaining part will be led out of the maze. Then each of both the “initiators” and the “leaders” gets only a part of the common path.

During the discussion of the results, the coach should pay attention to Special attention on how each athlete, as a “follower,” coped with his task. Participants whose visual orientation in space predominates usually use an imaginary little man who, obediently following commands, walks through the maze. For those who have a predominant motor type, this is not enough. In order to determine where it is “to the left” and where it is “to the right,” they are forced each time to imagine themselves in the place of the “little man,” mentally climb inside the labyrinth and make imaginary turns there. Imagining various movements, people with a motor type of orientation do not so much see these movements as feel them with their bodies, feel themselves performing them. Having this feature, an athlete can productively use ideomotor training to master new movements and improve his motor coordination. For an athlete with a visual type of orientation, ideomotor training can help mainly in memorizing complex combinations of movements already familiar to him.

When assessing the work of the participants, the trainer can proceed from the following standards: completing labyrinths in 6-8 stages - “satisfactory”, 9-12 - “good”, over 12 - “excellent”. Experience shows that most people, with a certain amount of effort, achieve excellent results.

Exercise 15. "Acrobat"

Participants are seated in a row. The presenter stands in front of them and holds a small human figurine in his hands. He explains to the participants that this is an “acrobat” who can perform four commands. "Right!" — on this command the “acrobat” makes a 90-degree turn through right shoulder; "Left!" - he turns in the opposite direction; command "Forward!" performed as a forward facing rotation 90 degrees relative to the center of gravity; command "Back!" - like rotation in the opposite direction. After all participants become familiar with the principle of controlling the figure, they sit in a circle and begin to carefully monitor the somersaults of an imaginary acrobat, commands to which are given by each in turn. Those who were unable to follow the game at some point leave the circle, and so on until a winner emerges.

To avoid unnecessary disputes, the presenter, with the help of his figurine, can control the entire course of the game and act as an arbiter in controversial situations. This exercise is in many ways similar to the previous one.

Exercise 16. "Magic pencil"

To familiarize participants with the rules of this game, you will need paper and pencil. The presenter explains to the players that the pencil can be controlled from a distance by giving it one of four possible commands: “Up!”, “Down!”, “Right!” or "Left!" On command, the pencil moves in the indicated direction, leaving a line on the paper. Another command follows, and the pencil, without leaving the paper, moves again. Thus, a broken line appears on the sheet. All pencil strokes must be equal in length. At the preliminary stage of the game, the participants give their commands in turn, and the presenter “helps” the pencil to carry out its duties. Then, after making sure that all participants have understood the principle of the game, the presenter invites them to draw imaginary figures on an imaginary sheet, which everyone should imagine in front of them. Drawing begins with a simple figure, a sample of which the presenter first shows to the players, for example, a square. Commands are given in a circle. The presenter must explain to the players that they do not have the right to agree on what point to start and in what direction to draw the broken line. Everyone must carefully monitor the commands and, when it is his turn, act in accordance with the situation. If during the drawing a participant was unable to follow the line or it seemed to him that one of his comrades made a mistake, he stops the game with the command “Stop!” With this command, everything that has already been drawn on imaginary sheets is automatically erased. The one who stops the game starts it over again - makes the first move. After the figure is drawn, the presenter suggests the next, more complex one.

As a rule, the game is very lively. The presence of a common goal and everyone’s responsibility for achieving it lead to a significant mobilization of the visual imagination. Nevertheless, serious difficulties and disagreements are almost inevitable in the game.

In addition to its direct focus on developing visual and spatial imagination, this game is also interesting because it is a model of cooperation between several people in solving a common problem. This exercise can be especially useful when preparing teams in team sports, where teamwork is an essential feature of the team. wrestling and success largely depends on the coordination of the players’ actions on the field (for other gaming methods of psychological preparation of a sports team, see Chapter 5). The figures, usually offered as samples, contain one catch: even after a significant part of them has been drawn (3, 4, 5 or more moves), there are several various options completing the drawing. For some players, such ambiguity is not a problem at all. Others hold on to their own option, formed in their head after several moves, and this prevents them from seeing other possibilities. The participant's inability to switch leads to the fact that if the next move diverges from the one provided for by his own project, he is forced to interrupt the game. Sooner or later, the participants themselves discover the cause of the misunderstandings. And the coach, using this impressive example, can illustrate how important flexibility of thinking is on the playing field, the ability to abandon a planned combination if an unexpected turn in the game makes it difficult to carry out or opens up the opportunity for something more suitable.

In most cases, each participant in a collective drawing will demonstrate the same style of behavior as on the playing field, and react in the same way to failures, to their own or others’ mistakes. Perhaps one of the athletes will take it upon himself to maintain order, correct those who break the rules and stop those distracted by unnecessary arguments. Athletes of this type are focused on the result of a common cause. They are usually active, proactive and leaders in the team. If an athlete is uncritical of himself and is inclined to blame his comrades for his mistakes, then he will manifest himself in a similar way here: he will react indignantly to a stoppage of the game because of a mistake he made, but will never admit that because of his own inattention , and not through the fault of another, he himself stops the game. There will probably be those who will interfere with the speedy achievement of the common goal, proving that they are right in fruitless (after all, it is almost impossible to check the correctness of a particular move!) disputes. This line of behavior exposes increased pride and shows what worries the athlete most during the game.

Compared to a real sports game, this model has three serious advantages. The first is that it provides athletes with the opportunity to learn from mistakes without risking much of anything. The second is that the psychology of the game becomes more visual: people sit in a tight circle, do not perform any physical actions, and their experiences are visible to the coach much better than if it happened during a real game. The third advantage is that it's just a game. In a frivolous, unimportant activity, it is easier for a person to see himself from the outside, to recognize the character traits that interfere with cooperation, and to admit to himself his mistakes.

To overcome the inevitable subjectivity in assessing his players, a coach can keep a game protocol, recording all moves and remarks, so that later, during a “psychological analysis,” he can rely only on irrefutable facts.

If it is necessary to sharpen the game or to interest the participants even more in the final result, the presenter can introduce a competitive moment: limit the time allotted for completing tasks, or divide the group into two teams competing on the speed of drawing. Typically, these measures create a high level of passion even among non-athletes. The unity of the participants and the improvement of their mutual understanding is facilitated by such a complicated version of the game, in which in each of the competing teams there is a “saboteur” secretly appointed by the leader, who is trying to prevent his team from winning, but without being detected. The search for a “saboteur” during the game or after its end in itself turns into a special collective task. Thus, the “Magic Pencil” can be useful for coaches to solve a wide variety of psychological problems in a sports team.

As a rule, as participants gain experience in collective drawing, disagreements arise less and less often. The group becomes well-played and copes with more and more complex figures. The effect of deepening mutual understanding can be seen quite clearly. It can manifest itself not only within the framework of psychotechnical classes, but also on the playing field. On the other hand, the training of visual imagination itself plays a certain role in the progress of the group’s visual abilities. In case the “Magic Pencil” begins to become boring, you can use the following exercise, which is in many ways similar to this one.

Exercise 17. "Leapfrog"

To play you will need a pre-prepared linear five-cell field and four chips - two black and two white. All cells of the field are numbered from left to right. Black chips are placed on the first and second cells, white chips on the fourth and fifth, the third cell remains empty. The presenter explains to the participants that the goal of the game is to move the black chips to those cells that are occupied by white ones, and the white ones, respectively, to replace the black ones. The following types of moves are allowed in the game: moving a chip left or right to an adjacent free cell; jumping a chip to the left or right over a cell occupied by another chip to the next free one. First, all participants take turns making moves on a drawn field, and then, after the rules of the game have been learned, on an imaginary one. In this case, each move is indicated by two numbers: the number of the cell from which the chip is moved, and the number of the cell to which it moves (for example, from 3rd to 5th).

Just like in the game "Magic Pencil", each participant has the right to stop the game. If the game is too easy for the group, you can increase the length of the field and, accordingly, the number of chips.

KEYS TO THE HUMAN MECHANISM

Many functions of the human body occur automatically and are beyond volitional control. The pupil narrows in bright light, in the heat blood vessels dilate, and if we know about this, it is only from physiology textbooks. The first techniques for voluntary regulation of initially involuntary functions - muscle relaxation, self-hypnosis, autogenic training - were created by doctors. Today, self-regulation methods are used not only to combat painful phenomena, but also for the purpose of more flexible and complete use of reserves healthy body. They allow you to regulate the level of wakefulness, manage the process of recovery and mobilization of strength. It is with the introduction of self-regulation techniques into sports practice that modern coaches pin their hopes on solving such problems as increasing the psychological reliability of an athlete, bringing him to a state of highest performance at the time of a responsible start, and rehabilitation after an unsuccessful performance. Not alien modern sports and medical and preventive tasks. After all, even the healthiest people—athletes—in psychologically stressful situations quite often experience painful reactions. These include fears of a responsible performance, and blues, and loss of strength after failure in competitions. Often, the undesirable consequences of pre-launch stress manifest themselves in apathy, muscle weakness, coordination disorder and other reducing sports uniform violations. Voluntary regulation of the “human mechanism” here also makes it possible to compensate for the consequences of nervous overload.

The basis of most self-regulation techniques is the ability to relax the muscles of the body. Deep muscle relaxation reduces the level of wakefulness, rearranges the functioning of the nervous system and makes the body more plastic, more sensitive to mental self-orders. The opportunity opens up to control previously inaccessible levers of the human body and psyche. At the same time, it has been established that deep muscle relaxation (relaxation) in itself is a highly effective means of recovery. physical strength and peace of mind.

In sports, the ability to quickly and deeply relax is an invaluable gift. The art of instant rest allows the athlete to make the most of the short breaks between rounds, the seconds of respite on the playing field. He is able to relieve fatigue both while flying over the treadmill and in the intervals between sharp turns on a high-speed ski track. Classic techniques muscle relaxation are well known, and we will not dwell on them. The group exercises below can be used by a coach or sports psychologist as a game addition to a systematic course of autogenic training.

Anyone familiar with autogenic training knows that a relaxed muscle subjectively feels warmer and heavier. This feeling also corresponds to objective changes: the relaxed parts of the body actually become somewhat warmer and heavier due to increased blood supply. Here's how you can "beat" this interesting phenomenon.

Exercise 18. "Thermometer"*

Participants are divided into pairs. One of the pair closes his eyes and tries to create a feeling of warmth in his right or left (as directed by the leader) hand. After some time, the partner carefully feels both of his hands and tries to determine which one is warmer. After each such attempt, a change of roles in pairs or a change of partners occurs.

As a rule, participants who have sufficiently mastered the basics of autogenic training successfully cope with this task. Guessing occurs more confidently and easily when the right hand is heated (for right-handers).

Psychological preparation – This is the process and result of adaptation of the athlete’s psyche to the conditions and tasks of training and competitive activity.

Sports games require the athlete to have high psychological stability, composure, endurance, self-control, and the ability to compete for a long time under high stress.

Psychological preparation consists of: general and special.

1. General – aimed at educating:

a) motives for studying sports games,

b) moral and volitional qualities (perseverance, determination, discipline, courage, resourcefulness);

c) norms and rules of sports ethics, laws fair play;

d) special qualities (attention, memory, thinking, sensations, observation) that underlie technical and tactical activity and ensure its effectiveness.

The tasks of general psychological preparation during the training process are solved using the following methods:

1. conducting exercises using the competitive method,

2. method of additional difficulties - introducing restrictions (t; growth, accuracy, counteraction);

3. method of performing to failure - where long-term volitional effort is needed;

4. handicap method (lag in score, unequal strength);

5. method of independent tasks to develop initiative, perseverance, discipline;

6. method of a specific task - the goal is achieved by a certain method of action.

To develop special qualities, use: reduced targets; throws and movements after jumps, spins, turns, with eyes closed; in poorly lit halls, specific tasks (long throws, heavy balls, rackets, equipment courts and their coverings).

2. Special psychological training is aimed at direct preparation for participation in competitions, at achieving optimal (highest) psychological readiness and wrestling, i.e. it is aimed at managing the psychological state of the athlete.

The formation of qualities that ensure psychological resistance to disruptive factors and stimuli is manifested in the ability to control one’s behavior and consciously manage it in the conditions of wrestling. These qualities are very specific to each sport, therefore, adaptation requires conditions of competition only in the sport where a dynamic stereotype of behavior is created, manifested in the conditions in which it was created.

Methods and techniques

2) Setting and relieving tension – special warm-up with relaxation exercises.

3) Ideomotor exercises - (mental perception of movements, with concentration of attention on the decisive phases of movement).

4) Techniques of psychoregulatory training, mobilizing for competition.

5) Model and situational training.

6) Systematic participation in competitions is a very effective factor.

7) Massage, medications.

Direct preparation for competitions – a certain regime of training, rest and stress, modeling of upcoming competitions, a team meeting a few hours in advance, setup for the game, information about your readiness and the readiness of your opponent, his main characteristics and best players. It is not recommended to watch games 30 minutes before your game. warm-up and in 5-10 minutes re-establishing a brief tactical plan - what should be done. During the break - rest, 1-2 very specific instructions. Analysis of the game the next day.

Psychological states are:

1) Ready state

2) Pre-launch fever.

3) Pre-launch apathy.

Methodological methods of influence:

1) Attention to weak sides training of the athlete (opponent).

2) Conversation on an abstract topic.

3) Removing the error ban.

Keywords: psychotechnical games and exercises, a “universal” psychological tool in the work of a coach.

Annotation. This article presents psychotechnical games and exercises as a “universal” psychological tool in the work of a coach, and also presents positively proven author’s exercises and modified exercises for young athletes.

Keywords: psyhotechnic games and exercises, “universal” psychological technique in coach's work.

Abstract. The paper presents psychotechnic games and exercises as the “universal” psychological fear in coach"s work. There are good recommended author"s exercises and famous exercises in modification (for example, “Muxa” by N.V. Tsen and Y.V. Pakhomov) for young athletes in primary school aged children and teenage athletes in it. These psychotechnic games and exercises may be used in the training, in competitive activities of children in sports schools.

The relevance of research. Play, being a component of a child’s healthy development, helps him to relax and gradually cope with difficulties that at the moment seem insoluble to him (for example, “playing a competition”). The use of psychotechnical games and exercises, taking into account the age of athletes, on the one hand, satisfies their need for play and, on the other hand, serves to actualize and develop relevant mental functions, correct mental state, establish and maintain interpersonal relationships in the group, being also a means of realizing “ double career.

Psychotechnical games and exercises are a “universal” psychological tool for a coach in working with athletes of primary school, adolescence and youth: they can contribute to the development of indicators of basic cognitive processes, the ability to self-regulate unfavorable mental states, establish, maintain and correct interpersonal relationships in a team ( sports group) when used systematically, and can also solve the problem of reducing the subjective state of fatigue and forming and maintaining the motivation of athletes.

Purpose of the study - to test psychotechnical games and exercises in the author’s modification for their use by coaches in working with young athletes.

Organization of the study. The study was carried out within the framework of our own practical activities in the State Budgetary Educational Institution of Children's Education and Inspection SSHOR No. 2 of the Nevsky District of St. Petersburg, the children's karting school "PitStop Drive" of St. Petersburg, etc.

Subjects. 32 trainers took part in the study (18 men and 14 women - mainly trainers of the State Budgetary Educational Institution of DoD SShOR No. 2 of the Nevsky District of St. Petersburg and trainers-students of the 6th year of distance learning at NSU named after P.F. Lesgaft, St. Petersburg) and their students are athletes aged 7-17 years (complex coordination sports, tennis, swimming, wrestling, volleyball, basketball).

Research methods. The trainers assessed the appropriateness/usefulness of psychotechnical games and exercises on a 5-point scale.

Research results. Let's present several positively proven psychotechnical games and exercises in the author's modification for use by coaches when working with young athletes.

1. “Fly” modification.

The exercise is suitable for developing concentration. A field is drawn on a piece of paper as for a game of tic-tac-toe. We place a “fly” in the center (you can draw it, put a piece of plasticine, etc.). Instructions: You see a field with a “Fly” in the central square. It can move using the commands: “up”, “down”, “right” and “left”. Now I will begin to control this “fly”. You should carefully monitor it and indicate in which square it ended up after I stop commanding. Attention, let's start!

Now let's number the squares: top row - 1, 2 and 3; middle row - 4, 5 and 6; and the bottom row - 7, 8 and 9. The fly always starts moving from the center! Now you close your eyes and mentally imagine this field in front of you. After I stop, you must say the number of the square in which the “fly” ended up. The “fly” can “fly away”, for example: it is in the center and the commands “right”, “right” follow. In this case, you should say: “the fly flew away.”

Options:

1) imagine that the “fly” is the opponent (or a tennis, volleyball, basketball ball), and the field is the opponent’s side. The task is to “drive the opponent” for as long as possible;

2) the field is the enemy’s side, mentally imagine performing strikes on the squares with the obligatory return to your back line;

3) before starting the commands, we call the number of the square from which the “fly” will begin to move.

Conditions: a gradual increase in the number of commands and the speed of their submission, as well as the transition to executing other options.

2. Exercise based on the “Intellectual lability” technique.

The essence of the technique is to determine the ability to switch attention when moving from one activity to another under time pressure. The essence of the psychotechnical exercise is the development of this ability in young athletes, especially those specializing in martial arts and sports games.

Instructions: “In front of you you see a form with numbered squares. Some squares have numbers, others have lines or shapes. I tell you the number of the square and the task you should complete in it. You are given up to 5 seconds to complete one task. If you didn’t have time to do it, it’s better to move on to the next one. We begin to perform only after the task is told to me. Attention, let's begin! Conditions: prepare a method form or your own form in advance; select 20 tasks from this methodology when performing the exercise for the first time, then, by analogy, your own tasks (up to 30).

Productivity is determined by the dynamics of correctly completed tasks (by the number of errors). When working with young athletes, it is important to emphasize to them that this exercise will help them quickly move from performing one technical element to another in the process of competitive activity.

Individual option (using the example of tennis): “At competitions, all athletes are “strong.” Comparing yourself with others is of no use, because... you cannot influence their skill level. Of course, knowing how your opponent plays, how he serves, how he receives, what shots he uses most often is not bad. But it is more important to treat yourself as a strong athlete (tennis player). Give 10 (preferably 15) answers to complete the sentence: “I strong athlete(tennis player) because...” It is advisable to record these answers and recommend them to be performed (pronounced) first two to three times a week before going to bed, as well as in pre-competition situations.

Group option: generally the same, only others take turns finishing the sentence “Olya (Masha, etc.) is a strong athlete (tennis player) because.” The participation of a trainer in this option is desirable, because the assessment of a significant adult influences the athlete’s self-esteem, and the younger the athlete, the more so.

Discussion of the research results.

Coaches began to use psychotechnical games and exercises in working with athletes after performing them independently, consulting with a psychologist and assessing the degree of their “expediency/usefulness”, which indicates a generally positive attitude and experience in using this “universal” psychological technique. In turn, this can facilitate constructive interaction between the coach and the psychologist in the process of psychological support for athletes in the educational environment. sports school.

Conclusions:

The trainers rated the degree of “expediency/usefulness” of psychotechnical exercises, including those presented above: on average, the rating was 3.5 points on a 5-point scale.
87.5% of participants would recommend these games and exercises to other coaches for working with athletes in the process of educational, training and competitive activities.

The article was supported by the Russian Humanitarian Foundation grant No. 17-06-00883.

Bibliography

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Literature

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In their practice, coaches often encounter situations where athletes do not have enough training program and her professional support. People are quite often interested in slightly different things, namely psychological games. We'll talk about this in this short sketch article.

Perhaps someone here will recognize themselves. Don't be offended, there is nothing reprehensible here. Just keep in mind that the behaviors described below are well known to qualified, professional trainers and they are rarely involved in this gameplay. Although…..

Let's look at the definitions. Game (Wikipedia definition) is a type of meaningful unproductive activity, where the motive lies not in its result, but in the process of action itself. If in labor the most important thing is the final product, the result for which a person’s physical and neuropsychic energy is expended, then the main thing in the game is subjective satisfaction from the process itself. In the game you can escape from the real situation with its responsibility and many demands. Thus, an athlete, being involved in the process of a psychological game, pursues primarily procedural goals, distracting from the immediate focus of the training program.

We can highlight the following psychological games that our students sometimes try to play. So:

"I'm tired". The athlete constantly complains of fatigue, apathy, and looks for symptoms of overtraining without objective reasons. “I didn’t go to training because I felt something was wrong; in the morning my heart rate was 2 beats higher than it should be at my age. I think I'm overloaded,” is often heard from an athlete playing this game. It is assumed that the coach should urgently reduce the load and inquire about the health of the ward at least 2 times a day.
"Measure me." A game built on the athlete’s unconscious desire to try on everything that is possible and impossible. As a rule, an unlimited number of different gadgets are used. A lot is expected from a coach smart text for the purpose of analyzing the data obtained, most of which do not reflect an objective picture of what is happening. In addition, usually the analysis itself is not enough; it is also necessary to explain to the athlete, for example, how the analysis of weekly pulmonary ventilation data is reflected in the structure of the next week’s program.
"Find me". The athlete received the program and disappeared. Active searches for him at first lead to nothing, then the coach receives an SMS with the following plan: “I was on a business trip, I missed everything, I’m ready to train again.” At the same time, the coach was not aware of this business trip; in principle, such athletes do not have notes in the diary. Actions of this kind are not isolated among players, but are part of the system. In principle, nothing is expected from the coach, he just has to swear all the time. As a rule, coaches part with such athletes after 3-4 similar cases.
"Do not teach me". Partial or complete rejection of the program with frequent changes of coaches. This happens rarely, but it does happen. The athlete basically does the opposite, changes loads at his own request without warning, conceals what he has done, creating a feeling of “secret knowledge” in himself. There are secretive players and obvious ones. In the first case, the coach must “see through” the substitution; in the second, he must begin to debate about the correctness of the program. By the way, these disputes never end with the victory of the coach, otherwise the game will lose its meaning. Athletes need to abandon such a plan almost immediately.
"Teach me". Essentially a hybrid of “measure me” and an explicit form of “don’t teach me.” Non-stop demand for explanations of the meaning of each workout, despite the fact that the workout has a pronounced restorative nature, for example, an 8 km recovery cross-country. Every week a player can send a long list of questions about the program and, characteristically, many questions are repeated over and over again. The coach requires patience and monotonous answers.
"There's something wrong with me." Search for non-existent symptoms and strange conditions. The athlete regularly and often sends messages describing various dizziness, ailments, and attacks of weakness. At the same time, professional doctors cannot find anything, or everyone, not wanting to admit their own incompetence, makes different diagnoses. The coach’s task is to show concern, adjust the task in an emergency and, in general, be in touch 24/7.
"Make me". Regular refusal to complete the training program for completely different reasons. Work, fatigue, wife, I drank, I didn’t drink, I had to walk the dog, the wind is strong - there is always a reason. The coach requires threatening motivation and intimate motivational conversation.
"You won't teach me."“Vasya taught and taught me, but he didn’t teach me. And John taught, taught, or didn’t teach. And you won’t teach” is the main song of such players. The athlete finds any excuse to do a basic movement incorrectly. The trainer is required to analyze movement techniques as often as possible, look for new approaches and scientifically substantiate them. A very useful game for coaches, because it motivates them to develop competence. However, it is absolutely useless for playing athletes, because The goal of the game is the process itself, and not the achievement of final results.
"A guy told me." The athlete’s constant fascination with the advice of various “experienced”, third-party advisers and instructors. In essence, it is a soft version of the “don’t teach me” game, with the difference that it allows the coach to find out the source of the disaster. Oddly enough, perhaps the widest range of actions is expected from the coach in this game. From constant explanations to open conflict with yet another adviser.
"You do not love me". A common game in groups. A constant search for “signs” indicating that the athlete is at the very bottom of the hierarchical ladder, deprived of attention and care, and the program is not at all suitable for him. The coach is required to pay special attention to the player while simultaneously ignoring other members of the team.
"Job." Something always happens to a playing athlete. He fell, cut himself, twisted his ankle, fell out of the car - and all this one after another without stopping. This is how you recognize this athlete. The coach is expected to be sincerely surprised, combined with admiration for the resourcefulness and courage of the mentee.
"Catch me". One of the options is “don’t teach me.” Athletes who constantly rework the program. As a rule, they don’t keep a diary and disappear. However, they work according to plan and significantly exceed both volumes and intensity. The coach is expected to give praise and at the same time motivate him to reduce the load.

Perhaps you recognize yourself in one of these types of psychological behavior patterns. Then you have the opportunity to adjust your behavior. If you don’t recognize it, it means you’re on the right way and the end result of the training program is more important to you. Let's strive to maximize the effectiveness of our collaboration. After all, this is exactly why we are looking for coaches. Work and focus on the end result. Otherwise, why waste both your own and other people’s precious time.

Source of information: FSSP CyclON (2015).