1) The document discusses stress and stress management for athletes competing in sports. It defines key terms like stress, eustress, distress, stressors, and competition. 2) Sources of stress for athletes include personal factors, organizational factors, and environmental factors related to competition, expectations, and injury. 3) The document recommends specific stress management techniques for athletes like improving confidence, breathing exercises, counseling, relaxation techniques, maintaining social support systems, proper nutrition, rest, and daily light physical activity.

1. RELEASE TENSION STRESS FOR
PREPARATION SPORT COMPETITION
Muhammad Arsyad Subu, PhD
College of Health Sciences University of Sharjah
United Arab Emirates

2. TOPICS COVERED
1. Stress and stressors in brief
2. Competition & Sport competition
3. Preparation for sport competition
4. Stress reduction/management for
sport competition.

3. INTRODUCTION
 Athletes are being placed under demanding &
pressures that requiring them to cope with
stressors to become professional sportsmen (Holt
& Dunn, 2004).
 Individuals’ cognitive appraisals of potentially
stressful situations will be influenced by an
interaction between the personal (e.g., personality,
goals) and situational (e.g., social interactions, the
environment) factors.

4. INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
 One of the most studied areas within the field of sport
psychology and sciences is competition stress.
 This is undoubtedly linked to the stressful nature of
sports & the demands associated with the competitive
environments that surround the performers.
 The reduction approach to stress management
suggests that performers react to the demands with
negative performance consequences.

5. STRESS AND STRESSOR

6. STRESS
 Stress is a stimulus resulting in a positive or negative
response to a specific situation that produces both
physiological & psychological symptoms, and there is a
chemical reaction in the body (Lazarus, 1984).
 Stress although predominantly will cause negative
effects on performance (‘distress’), it can in some
instances be facilitative, this term is known as ‘eustress’
(Pender & Parsons, 2006).

7. EUSTRESS (POSITIVE STRESS)
 This is positive and gives a feeling of fulfilment,
arousal, motivation & awareness
 Some athletes actively seek and need this stressful
situations.
 Providing the stimulation to cope with challenging
situations.
 Increasing focus, attention and skill level.

8. DISTRESS (NEGATIVE STRESS)
 This is a negative form of stress and in extreme
cases causes stress and apprehension.
 It is a contributory factor in physical and
psychological conditions.
 It tends to be detrimental to sporting performance.

9. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRESS &
SPORT PERFORMANCE
 Many evidence-based on research literature attempt to
account for the relationship between stress & sport
performance.
 Competition stress always have a detrimental effect on
performance.
 The relationship with performance should be determined
at a more individual level & that athletes possess optimal
levels/zones of stress within which their sport
performance will be maximized.

10. STRESSOR
 A stressor is a chemical/biological agent,
environmental condition, external stimulus or an
event that causes stress

11. SOURCE OF STRESS IN SPORT
1. Personal Factors
2. Organizational Factors
3. Environmental Factors

12. SOURCE OF STRESS IN SPORT…
1. Personal Factors:
• Family & economic problems
• Type of personality
• Negative thinking towards ones expected
achievement
• Individual preparation

13. SOURCE OF STRESS IN SPORT…
2. Organizational Factors:
• Over responsibility/target
• Task & role demands
• Interpersonal problems

14. SOURCE OF STRESS IN SPORT …
3. Environmental Factors:
• Spectators or fans
• Fans uncertainty and demands.
• Situation uncertainty

15. SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
 Symptoms of stress among sportsmen:
1. Behavioral symptoms: productivity, absenteeism, low
motivation
2. Physiological symptoms: headache, heart issues, high
BP
3. Psychological symptoms: anxiety, depression,
decrease in performance and satisfaction.

16. COMPETITION & SPORT
COMPETITION

17. COMPETITION
 It is the person or people over whom one is
attempting to establish one's supremacy or
superiority
 It is a situation in which two or more rivals one other
to gain a desired goal or object, generally resulting
in a victor and a loser.

18. SPORTS COMPETITION
 It is a contest held to determine the best athletes, teams
and greatest achievements in sports, and to improve
sport skills
 It is an event or contest in which people take part in
order to establish superiority or supremacy in a particular
area.
 It provides an opportunity to evaluate objectively the
sports organizations, coaches, athletes, & officials.

19. SPORTS RIVALRY
 Rivalry is a competition for the same objective or for
superiority in the same sport area.
 “There always has been intense rivalry between
players, fans, clubs or countries"

20. COMPETITION STRESSORS &
ATHLETES
 Several studies in sport psychology examined the different stressors
that athletes may have to deal with in stressful situations. Many
aspects can result in athletes having different stress responses:
 Aspects of competition (thinking about performance, the goals
that may have been set, and levels of physical & mental
preparation),
 Interpersonal relationships (expectations from coaches,
teammates, family members, organizations)
 Financial issues (funding issues, sponsors)
 Traumatic experiences (injury or loses)
 The weather & environmental conditions.

21. RESPONSES TO COMPETITION
STRESSORS
 Cognitive responses (athletes’ mental response to
stressors) are the thoughts athletes experience in stressful
situations such as worries, negative expectations, &
apprehensions about performance
 Somatic responses (athletes’ perceived physical
response to stressors) are the athletes’ perceptions of their
physiological arousal state in stressful environments These
include muscular tension, upset stomach, increased heart
rate, and perspiration.

22. STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR
PREPARATION SPORT COMPETITION

23. STRESS MANAGEMENT
 Competition in sports can be stressful but stress can be
managed.
 Knowing the signs & symptoms and employing stress
management skills can help coaches in managing their
own stress, providing support to athletes and assistant
coaches and creating a healthy sport culture.
 In addition to managing stress on a personal level,
creating sport environments characterized by hard work
balanced with support and encouragement, clear
expectations, good communication, and fun can help to
minimize perceptions of stress.

24. STRESS MANAGEMENT IN SPORTS
 Stress management in sports competition means how
someone copes, controls and reduces the occurrence
of the negative conflict of stress.
 The main sources of stress are the hopes of the
athlete; what he hopes to achieve or win in the
competition; the fear of failure, anger, frustration,
injury, discomfort which he would like to avoid.
 Other stressful situation includes crow’s demand,
muscular tension, over motivation and inability to cope
with sensory information.

25. ABC – STRESS MANAGEMENT
 A = Awareness
 B = Balance
 C = Control

26. SPECIFIC STRESS MANAGEMENT

27. SPECIFIC STRESS REDUCTIONS
 Improving confidence, self-
esteem, and body image
 Give breathing techniques a
chance
 Spend time with those close to
you
 Keep up with your hobbies
 Get to know your team
personally
 Counseling (if needed).
 Positive thinking towards ones
expected achievement
 Progressive muscular relaxation
 Imagery or self-talk
 Self-confidence
 Take breaks
 Keep a realistic schedule
 Delegate tasks

28. GENERAL DAILY ACTIVITIES THAT CAN
REDUSE STRESS

29. DAILY ACTIVITIES TO REDUSE STRESS…
 Light sport activities
 Jogging
 Yoga
 Taichi

30. DAILY ACTIVITIES TO REDUSE STRESS…
 Rest & sleep:
 Rest and sleep helps the body to
maintain homeostasis & restore
energy levels.

31. DAILY ACTIVITIES TO REDUSE STRESS…
 Nutrition:
• It plays an important role in maintaining the
body’s homeostatic mechanisms & in
increasing resistance to stress.

32. DAILY ACTIVITIES TO REDUSE STRESS…
 The use of support system:
• Support system provides emotional
support that helps to identify &
verbalize feelings associated with
stress.

33. DAILY ACTIVITIES TO REDUSE
STRESS…
 Prayer:
 Prayer can help you feel more connected
with God, leaving you with a calmer, safer,
more grounded feeling that can act as a
buffer against stress.
 It can also bring benefits similar to the
benefits of meditation, including lower blood
pressure, increased immunity, hormonal,
neurotransmitter etc.

34. THANK YOU