|
|
|
Carriage Driving
Carriage Driving: Enjoying Horses From a Different Perspective
Besides being just plain fun, carriage driving offers a way to get to know horses from a different perspective, especially if you want to learn to teach a horse how to pull a cart...
Formula One Cars - Unsurpassed Technology at Its Finest
Formula One Racing is, quite simply, the paramount of karting. It is the professional form of the sport in its entirety. Formula One is an international phenomenon, a media conglomerate that rakes in millions and millions of dollars a year from...
Get Started Exercising Now!
So you're overweight, "fat"--to be honest--and you want to start exercising. Before you take off like an overlarge airplane and start preparing for the Olympics trials, stop right there. You may have it all figured out by now, after checking with...
What is snowkiting?
As if snowboarding and kitesurfing actually meshed into one single sport it would be Snowkiting. Imagine taking a lift high atop a beautiful mountain, you set your kite in motion and get your feet firmly planted you start your run down a long white...
Why We Play Games, Part 1
There exists some ephemeral quality that separates gamers from the rest of humanity, some thing that makes us, us and them, not us. I've never been able to quite put my finger on it, but it is inescapably there. Today, in hopes of moving closer...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Athlete Burnout
This past month, as high schools and colleges kicked off their fall sports schedule, newspapers and magazines are reporting athletes calling it quits, and dropping out of sports that they perform well in. It happens every year at this time. The notable stories are the ones where an all-star quits mid-season citing that he is tired and doesn't enjoy the grind any longer (this at age 17). The stories rarely mention the guys who quit week after week who trudge on the sidelines.
So what does athlete burnout look like?
Much like burnout in the general public, athletes experience similar psychological symptoms: sleep disturbance, lack of confidence, irritability, exhaustion, anger and hostility. Physical symptoms might include: Elevated blood pressure, unexplained weight loss, and gastrointestinal disorders.
The symptoms will build until the athlete's performance deteriorates, his/her motivation has plummeted, or until he/she quits participating altogether.
There are unique qualities about competitive athletes that make them more susceptible to burnout. First, many athletes are perfectionists and demand continued improvement from themselves and their teammates, adding to their personal stress. Second, many athletes are people-pleasers; they like to be admired and like to be noticed, and will do whatever it takes to make this happen. They often do this at the expense of their own personal needs. It is exhausting to please people day in and day out.
My earlier research discovered links between burnout and intrinsic motivation. The more intrinsically motivated an individual, the less likely they
will suffer from burnout. Participating in sports for extrinsic awards and adulation rather than for the pure joy of the sport can contribute to the burnout syndrome.
Further, a key to understanding intrinsic motivation is to look at the relationship between the challenges and skills of the athlete. If the athlete's skills are greater than the challenges, boredom may arise; if the challenges are greater than the skills, anxiety may ensue. In either case, burnout is a possibility.
How do you prevent burnout in athletes? Here are several hints:
Emphasize intrinsic qualities of the sport- health and fitness, mental health, and personal satisfaction are great reasons for being involved in athletics.
Keep a balance between the challenges and skills by watching pace of instruction and improvement. Good coaching recognizes the need for skill appropriate challenges.
Vary experiences and workouts to avoid monotony.
Athletics are part of a balanced life- make sure there is a life outside of sports.
Provide for adequate rest and relaxation-it is a necessary antidote to the feelings of burnout.
About The Author:
Mike Stanton-Rich is "The Leisure Guy." Armed with a Ph.D. in Leisure Studies and years studying stress and burnout, he writes regular articles and features about enhancing work and leisure. Catch his latest at: http://www.theleisureguy.com
Copyright Mike Stanton-Rich - http://www.theleisureguy.com
|
|
|
|
|
|