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Controlled Chaos - MNHs - Coggle Diagram
Controlled Chaos - MNHs
PRESSURE AND STRESS IN AF
Common Pressure Situations
A situation where the importance of performance feels high and the outcome feels uncertain.
Pressure is not always a -ve, some pressure improves performance, too little pressure can reduce focus, too much pressure can be overwhelming.
Ask what moments create the most pressure during a game.
PERFORMANCE PRESSURE:
important games, 4th downs, red zone situations, special team moments, defensive stands, final drives.
SOCIAL PRESSURE:
letting teammates down, coach expectations, fear of criticism, playing in front of others (stage fright), fear of appearing weak or incompetent.
INTERNAL PRESSURE:
perfectionism, high self-expectations, fear of mistakes, wanting to prove yourself, comparison against teammates or opponents.
SITUATIONAL PRESSURE:
momentum swings, playing stronger teams, injury concerns, fatigue, trash talk and crowd noise, time pressure.
Cognitive Appraisal Theory:
people see situations differently so individual pressures may change, it is not necessarily the situation itself but the interpretation of it.
Depends on factors such as confidence, experience, personality, past performances, perceived coping ability.
Responses to Pressure
Emotional Responses
Anxiety and nerves:
fear of failure, worry about mistakes, fear of judgement. Can cause hesitations, overthinking, playing it safe.
Anger/Frustration:
common in AF due to aggression, high contact, emotional intensity, referees, mistakes. Can lead to penalties, emotional decisions, conflict with teammates, poor discipline.
Panic:
usually happens after consecutive mistakes, sudden momentum changes, feeling overwhelmed. Players may rush to make decisions, forget assignments, lose awareness, hyperfocus on errors (Catastrophe theory)
Loss of Confidence:
happens after mistakes, being beaten repeatedly, -ve feedback. Can lead to withdrawal, reduced communication, fear-based play.
Emotional Momentum Swings:
one big play can dramatically shift team energy, confidence, focus, communication. Emotional contagion - one player panicking or losing composure can affect others (emotions spread across teams. Calm leadership from coaches and captains can regulate teammates.
Physical Symptoms
Increased HR allows for more energy and faster reactions but excessive levels can reduce composure and increase panic sensations.
Muscle tension can reduce coordination, fluid movement and technique execution e.g. tight shoulders, stiff movement, reduced agility.
Faster breathing can become shallow and irregular which increases feelings of panic and reduces control.
Sweating or shaking is often interpreted -vely by players but is a normal arousal response.
Adrenaline can improve aggression, speed, intensity but excessive adrenaline can cause impulsivity, poor decision-making and emotional reactions.
Cognitive Responses
Overthinking - players begin consciously controlling movements or decisions that are usually automatic. E.g. thinking too much before a snap, hesitating, second guessing reads.
Narrowed attention may cause players to miss cues, ignore teammates, lose situational awareness e.g. QB locking in on 1 receiver.
-ve self-talk increases anxiety and reduces confidence e.g. don't mess up, I'm playing terribly, everyone will hate me.
Rumination (next play mentality) - players spend too much time focusing on previous mistakes rather than the present game.
Catastrophising - players begin predicting worst-case outcomes which escalates emotional intensity e.g. I've lost us the game, everyone thinks I'm useless.
Behavioural Responses
Aggressive and reckless behaviour often caused by emotional dysregulation.e.g. penalties, retaliation, overhitting, emotional reactions.
Withdrawal causes some players to shut down. They may stop communicating, avoid responsibility, become passive.
Rushing and losing composure and timing e.g. snapping too quickly, poor reads, rushed tackles.
Freezing/Hesitation causes players to become slow, indecisive and reactive rather than proactive.
Loss of communication: reduced vocal leadership, clarity, confidence in communication which -vely affects team cohesion.
Team Pressure VS Individual Pressure
INDIVIDUAL PRESSURE:
fear of personal mistakes, position-specific responsibility, performance evaluation, self-confidence concerns.
Usually linked to identity, self-worth, personal expectations.
TEAM PRESSURE:
momentum swings, emotional contagion, group panic, collective frustration
Teams can dysregulate together. One mistake can spiral, energy drops, communication declines, emotions escalate.
Re-regulate together: how will we do this? Group breathing, huddles, cue, words, team reset routines.
PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES
Inverted U Theory
Performance improves as arousal increases but only up to an optimal point. More intensity is not always better.
Too little arousal
= flat, low energy, disengaged. Slow reactions, low physicality. poor communication, sleepwalking through the game. May happen against weaker teams, early in games or after low motivation weeks.
Optimal arousal
= focused, energised, alert, confident. Aggressive but controlled, reading the game well, good communication, locked in feeling.
Too much arousal
= panicked, emotional, overthinking, loss of control. Reduced decision-making, focus, communication and composure. False starts, over-pursuing tackles, penalties, rushed decisions, emotional reactions, panic after mistakes.
Where do you perform best? What does your optimal zone feel like? What are your signs that you've gone too far or too flat?
Catastrophe Theory
Sometimes performance doesn't decline gradually under pressure, it suddenly collapses. Especially when physical arousal and cognitive anxiety are high.
Example:
QB starts overthinking after interception. Anxiety increases, confidence drops, physiological arousal rises. Then suddenly missed reads, panic throws, hesitation.
Example:
defence gives up several big plays. Team frustration rises, communication drops, panic spreads. Then blown coverages, missed assignments, emotional penalties. The whole unit spirals.
Re-regulation after catastrophe point is hit. What does a spiral look like? Map thoughts, behaviours, emotional and physical signs.
Cognitive Appraisal Theory
Pressure is not only created by the situation itself but by how the player interprets it. 2 players can experience the same situation differently. Demands exceed coping abilities.
Influenced by confidence, experience, preparation, previous performances, team culture, coaching behaviour.
Threat or challenge? Give scenarios and ask group how it's interpreted.
Grounding
Bring attention back to the present moment, body and task instead of panic, future outcomes, past mistakes.
Important to slow down mentally, regain focus and reconnect during all the noise, aggression and emotional intensity.
Interrupts the cycle where attention moves towards fear, mistakes, consequences and judgement under pressure.
Box breathing, physical anchors (e.g. pressing feet into ground, touching gloves, adjusting wrist tape), cue words (e.g. next play, calm, reset, trust), sensory grounding (focus on sounds, physical sensations, breathing rhythms)
TRIGGERS AND AWARENESS
Anything that causes a noticeable emotional, cognitive or physical reaction.
Internal Triggers
Come from within the athlete, often thoughts, emotions, expectations or interpretations.
Fear of failure:
fear of letting teammates down, embarrassment, criticism, making mistakes publicly. Often increases anxiety, hesitation and overthinking.
Perfectionism:
athletes feeling like they can't make mistakes creates constant pressure, self-criticism and panic after small errors.
Self-doubt:
can be triggered by previous mistakes, strong opponents, poor performances, comparison to teammates. It may lead to withdrawal, reduced aggression or fear-based play.
External Triggers
Come from the environment or other people, usually easier to identify.
Trash talk:
can trigger anger, ego responses, emotional reactions, reckless behaviour. Often shifts attention away from performance.
Mistakes:
missed tackles, penalty, turnover, dropped catch. Can lead to rumination, panic, loss of confidence.
Coach reactions:
players are highly sensitive to tone, body language, criticism, emotional intensity. Some athletes respond +vely to pressure but others escalate emotionally.
Crowd noise:
can increase pressure, adrenaline, distraction, anxiety especially in big games / rivalries or high-pressure moments.
Opponent behaviour:
aggression, cheap shots, intimidation, emotional manipulation can provoke anger, revenge behaviours or loss of discipline.
Fatigue:
reduces emotional control, attention, decision-making, patience.
What thought comes next? What happens in my body?
Common Thought Patterns
Catastrophising:
small mistakes become huge mentally.
Overgeneralising:
athletes turn one mistake into a global judgement,
Mind reading:
increases anxiety and embarassment.
Future-focused thinking:
attention moves away from the present moment.
Self-critical thinking:
can rapidly reduce confidence and composure.
Self-Awareness
Recognising your own thoughts, emotions, physical reactions and behaviours.
Without awareness, reactions become automatic, emotional take control, performance spirals happen faster. With awareness, athletes can interrupt escalation, regulation becomes possible and recovery becomes quicker,
It is not weakness, overthinking or being emotional. It is performance intelligence.
Know your pattern:
my biggest trigger, my first warning sign, my typical reaction, what helps me reset, what teammates can do to help.
CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES
Controllable Factors
Individual Controllables
Effort:
intensity, work rate, physical commitment.
Communication:
vocal leadership, encouragement, clarity, team connection.
Body language:
affects teammates, opponents. coaches, personal mindset.-ve body language can spread panic or frustration. +ve body language can stabilise teams.
-ve examples: head down, hands on hips, throwing arms up.
+ve examples: eye contact, upright posture, active engagement.
Preparation:
sleep, recovery, film study, warm-up routines, mental preparation. Increases perceived control and confidence.
Team Controllables
Energy:
teams can collectively influence intensity, focus and emotional tone.
Support:
encouragement after mistakes, +ve communication, leadership, helping teammates reset. Support can interrupt emotional spirals.
Reset routines:
shared regulation strategies like group breathing, huddle resets, cue phrases, physical regrouping.
Give examples and ask what can actually be controlled and how? Split into controllable, uncontrollable and influencable.
Uncontrollable Factors
Common Uncontrollables:
ref decisions, weather, crowd noise, opponent behaviour, trash talk, previous mistakes, injuries during games, coach decisions, 0utcome/final score.
Athletes often waste emotional energy fighing uncontrollables. This leads to frustration, emotional exhaustion, reduced focus and loss of composure.
Attentional Control Theory:
where attention goes to influences emotions, decisions and performance.
Create distraction heavy tasks e.g. noise, time pressure, competition. Discuss what distracted attention and what helped refocus.
AF contains huge amounts of uncertainty: ref decisions, opponent behaviour, momentum swings, injuries, crowd noise, weather, mistakes. Trying to control uncontrollable things can cause emotional reactions.
Acceptance
Acknowledging reality without fighting it emotionally. Reduces unnecessary psychological load.
Acceptance is not giving up, being passive, liking the situation. This happened, now what?
Refocusing:
redirecting attention back to the present task after distraction or emotional disruption.
REGULATION STRATEGIES
Physiological Regulation
Under pressure, HR increases, breathhing changes, muscles tense and adrenaline rises. The body prepares for threat. Regulation strategies help athletes reduce overload, regain composure and improve clarity and control.
Breathing:
influences nervous system activation and emotional intensity - fast, shallow breathing often increases panic.
Box breathing:
4 secs inhale, 4 secs hold, 4 secs exhale, 4 secs hold. Useful on the sidelines, before big plays and during emotional escalation.
Longer exhale breathing
: 4 inhale, 6-8 exhale. Helps reduce physiological arousal quickly.
Relaxation:
does not mean pasaive, low energy, emotionless. It means reducing unncessary tension.
Muscle relaxation:
releasing jaw tension, shoulder tension, clenched fists
Cognitive Regulation
Cue words:
short words or phrases that direct attention toward useful actions or mindsets. They simplify focus, interrupt -ve thoughts, refocus attention and increase clarity under pressure.
Cue words should be short, meaningful, personal and easy to remember under stress e.g. attack, reset, breathe, read, focus.
Reframing:
viewing situations in a more helpful or productive way. Not fake +ves, it's functional thinking.
Self-talk:
-ve slef-talk increases anxiety, fear and hesitation. Helpful self-talk promotes focus, confidence and task orientation.
Effective self-talk is realistic, instructional, calming and performance-focused.
Behavioural Regulation
Reset routines:
consistent actions used to mentally and physically reset after pressure or mistakes.
They increase predictability, restore focus and reduce emotional chaos.
Design your reset routine - breath, cue word, physical reset, refocus on assignment.
Physical anchors:
adjusting gloves, tapping helmet, tightening chinstrap, pressing feet into ground. They signal reset, trigger focus, interrupt spiralling thoughts.
Sideline behaviours: i
nfluences team emotion, momentum, communication, confidence. Dysregulating behaviours = complaining, isolating, -ve body language and blaming teammates.
Regulating sideline behaviours = communication, encouragement, leadership, controlled energy.
Team Regulation
Group breathing:
powerful during momentum swings, defensive stands, timeouts. Synchronised breathing slows collective panic, restores composure and creates connection.
Huddles:
provide reconnection, clarity and emotional regulation. Includes calm communication, clear leadership, refocus on controllables.
Shared cue words:
collective language (e.g. reset, nextt play, locked in) creates identity, consistency, collective focus and emotional stability.
COACHES' ROLE
Communication Style
Communication influences confidence, attention, emotional intensity, perceived pressure and team stability.
Helpful or harmful communication - give examples of coach statements, what increases pressure, improves regulation and refocuses attention?
Helpful Characteristics
Calm:
can reduce panic, emotional escalation, cognitive overload. Calm communication helps athletes see clearly.
Clear:
under pressure, athletes process less information effectively. Clear communication should be short, direct and specific.
Task focused:
helpful coaches redirect attention towards assignments, effort, communication and next actions rather than emotion, blame and outcome panic.
Solution focused:
reset and communicate, focus on your assignment. Encourages refocusing rather than rumination.
Unhelpful Characteristics
Emotional reactivity:
shouting emotionally, panic communication, aggressive criticism. Can increase anxiety, fear, overtthinking.
Overloading information:
too much instruction under pressure can overwhelm athletes cognitively. Players may freeze, hesitate or lose clarity.
Public criticism:
can trigger embarassment, fear of mistake, withdrawal, reduced confidence especially in emotionally charged moments.
Emotional Contagion
Emotions spread between people, teams absorb emotional energy from coaches, leaders, teammates.
If coaches panic, become frustrated or lose composure, that emotional state often spreads to players. Similarly, calmness, confidence and composure can also spread.
Leadership behaviours are amplified under pressure. Players look to leaders most during uncertainty.
Escalating coach behaviour:
coach shouting meotionally, arguing with officials and showing panic. Possible team effects - emotional reactions, loss of discipline, increased anxiety.
Sideline Behaviour
The sideline becomes part of the emotional environment. Players not actively competing stilll influence energy, focus, confidence, emotional tone.
Dysregulating behaviours:
complaining constantly, blaming teammates, -ve body language, emotional outbursts, isolating after mistakes. These behaviours increase tension, panic and emotional instability.
Regulating behaviours:
encouragement, clear communication, accountability without blame, calm leadership, +ve body language. These behaviours help stabilise teams.
Team Culture
Culture influences how teams respond to mistakes, communication under pressure, emotional reactions, leadership behaviours and recovery after setbacks.
The emotional and behavioural environment created consistently within the team.
High pressure cultures can become fear based (fear of mistakes, blame culture, emotional overreaction). This often increases anxiety, hesitation and runimation.
Growth / response based cultures include accountability without panic, fast resetting, supportive communication and emotional control. This improves recovery speed, confidence and team stability.
Factors that escalate pressure:
coach panic, emotional shouting, -ve body language, blame culture, fear of mistakes, poor communication, emotional overreaction, lack of leadership, constant criticism, confusion or unclear messaging.
Factors that reduce panic:
calm communication, clear leadership, breathing and reset routines, shared cue words, supportive teammates, task focused attention, emotional composure, acceptance of mistakes, next play mentality.
PERFORMANCE APPLICATION AND ACTION PLANS
Decision-Making
AF requires constant rapid decisions, processing information and adjusting under pressure.
Impulsive decisions:
over-arousal can create rushed decisions, emotional reactions and reckless aggression.
Narrowed attention - players stop processing wider information. Overthinking - players hesitate or second guess themselves.
Composure
AF requires focus for switching attention, rapid refocusing and present moment awareness. Elite performers refocus quickly after distractions, stay task focus and return attention to controllables.
Composure is the ability to remain controlled and effective under pressure. It affects decision-making, communication, aggression control, leadership and team stability. Composure does not mean emotionless, passive or low intensity.
Loss of composure often looks like panic, frustration, emotional penalties, withdrawal and rushing.
Confidence
Pressure often damages confidence when athletes overfocus on mistakes, catastrophise and fear judgement.
Confidence is not feeling perfect or never feeling nervous. Real confidence is trusting your ability to respond under pressure.
Athletes become more confident when they know how to reset, recover and regulate emotions. This creates performance trust rather than relying on purely outcomes.
Team Cohesion and Consistency
Cohesive teams under pressure: communicate well, support teammates, regulate collectively, maintain energy and recover quickly.
Low cohesion teams under pressure: blame each other, panic, withdraw, lose communication, emotionally fragment.
Shared regulation strategies improve cohesion e.g. group breathing, shared cue words, reset routines, leadership communication.
Pressure consistency
= maintain effective functioning despite pressure
Pressure consistency includes stable focus, controlled emotions, clear communication, fast recovery, effective decision-making.
Action Plan
Personal trigger
- what situation affects me most under pressure? Mistakes, trash ralk, coach reactions, fear of failure, fatigue.
Cue word
- a word or phrase that helps regulate them. It should be personal, short and meaningful.
Reset strategies
- what helps me recover fastest? Could include breathing, grounding, self-talk, physical anchor, communication. What helps our team stay composed? Could include huddles, shared cue words, +ve communication and leadership behaviours.
Matchday regulation plan:
before game (breathing, cue word, focus strategy), during game (reset routine, refocusing strategy, communication goals), after mistakes (acceptance, breath, refocus). What's one thing I'm taking into competition? What am I going to actively practice this week?