You are viewing a free preview of this lesson.
Subscribe to unlock all 8 lessons in this course and every other course on LearningBro.
This lesson covers the mental preparation techniques required by the OCR GCSE PE specification (J587, Section 2.2). Mental preparation refers to the psychological strategies performers use before and during competition to optimise their performance. OCR requires you to know four techniques: imagery, mental rehearsal, selective attention, and positive thinking. You must be able to define each one, explain how it helps performance, and apply it to sporting examples.
Physical preparation alone is not enough for optimal performance. A performer who is physically fit but mentally unprepared may:
Mental preparation addresses these issues by training the mind as well as the body.
| Physical Preparation | Mental Preparation |
|---|---|
| Develops fitness, strength, skill | Develops focus, confidence, control |
| Ensures the body is ready to perform | Ensures the mind is ready to perform |
| Achieved through physical training | Achieved through psychological techniques |
Definition: Creating a vivid mental picture of a successful performance using all the senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste).
| Benefit | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Builds confidence | Visualising success creates a positive mental state and reinforces the belief that the performer can achieve their goal |
| Reduces anxiety | Imagining a calm, controlled performance helps to manage pre-competition nerves |
| Improves focus | Imagery directs attention to the task rather than distractions |
| Reinforces technique | Mentally practising the correct technique strengthens the neural pathways associated with the movement |
| Prepares for scenarios | The performer can mentally rehearse how they will respond to different situations (e.g. being behind in a match) |
| Sport | How Imagery Is Used |
|---|---|
| Gymnastics | A gymnast visualises their entire floor routine — every tumble, leap, and landing — before stepping onto the mat |
| Penalty kick (football) | The kicker imagines the run-up, the contact with the ball, the flight of the ball, and the ball hitting the back of the net |
| Diving | A diver visualises each phase of the dive — the approach, take-off, rotation, entry — including the sound of a clean entry into the water |
| Athletics (high jump) | The jumper imagines the run-up, the take-off, clearing the bar, and landing safely on the mat |
Exam Tip: When describing imagery, always mention the senses involved. A strong answer will state that the performer uses visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic (feel/touch) senses to create a detailed mental picture. This is what distinguishes imagery from simple "thinking about" the performance.
Definition: Going through the physical movements of a skill in the mind without physically performing them.
While imagery involves creating a vivid sensory picture, mental rehearsal is specifically about mentally practising the movements. In practice, the two techniques are closely related and often overlap. However:
| Imagery | Mental Rehearsal |
|---|---|
| Creates a vivid, multi-sensory picture | Focuses on mentally practising the physical movements |
| May include the environment, emotions, and outcome | Primarily concerned with the movement pattern and technique |
| Used for motivation and confidence | Used for technical preparation and muscle memory reinforcement |
| Benefit | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Strengthens neural pathways | Mentally rehearsing a movement activates the same motor areas of the brain as physical practice, reinforcing the movement pattern |
| Improves consistency | Repeatedly rehearsing the correct technique mentally helps the performer reproduce it physically |
| Useful when injured | A performer who cannot physically practise (due to injury) can still mentally rehearse skills to maintain neural pathways |
| Reduces errors | By rehearsing the correct movement, the performer is less likely to make technical mistakes under pressure |
| Sport | How Mental Rehearsal Is Used |
|---|---|
| Tennis | A player mentally rehearses the serve action — the ball toss, the backswing, the contact point, and the follow-through — before stepping up to serve |
| Cricket | A batsman mentally rehearses their footwork and shot selection while waiting to face the next delivery |
| Golf | A golfer mentally rehearses the swing before addressing the ball |
| Sprinting | A sprinter mentally rehearses the drive phase, acceleration, and top-speed mechanics before the race |
Definition: The ability to focus on the relevant information (cues) in the environment while ignoring distractions.
In any sporting situation, the performer is bombarded with information — the crowd, the opposition, team-mates, the ball, the playing surface, the scoreboard, their own thoughts. Selective attention allows the performer to filter out the irrelevant information and focus only on what matters for the current task.
graph TD
I["All Available<br>Information"] --> F["Selective<br>Attention<br>Filter"]
F --> R["Relevant Cues<br>(processed)"]
F --> D["Distractions<br>(ignored)"]
style I fill:#8e44ad,color:#fff
style F fill:#2980b9,color:#fff
style R fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
style D fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
Subscribe to continue reading
Get full access to this lesson and all 8 lessons in this course.