Representing the Psychological Demands of Sport: A Constraints-Led Approach to Mental Skills Training

Abstract

Effective use of mental skills requires application of such skills in scenarios where the skill is needed. This paper explores the utility of a constraints-led approach to representing the psychological demands of sport in an effort to enhance the application and transfer of mental skills into sport competition. A baseball-specific example is used to identify three main factors: (1) what aspects of competition need representation, (2) considerations for coupling the information and actions required in a hitting task, and (3) identifying exercises and training opportunities to elicit the performer, task, and environmental constraints. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how mental training can increase the representativeness of the demands of competition while simultaneously enhancing the acquisition and the effectiveness of the mental skills used by the performer. Additionally, assumptions that aid a successful constraints-led approach are discussed.

Keywords:

• Constraints
• mental skills
• representative design
• sport
• training