Stress inoculation training: a case study in gymnastics

The Effects of Stress Inoculation Training on Gymnastics Performance on the Pommelled Horse. A Case Study

A male gymnast who had represented his country in Olympic gymnastics and had developed a maladaptive mental approach to performing on the pommelled horse in competition was given stress inoculation training in order to help him overcome his difficulties. Preliminary interviews revealed that immediately before competing he became very tense, his arms started to shake and he had doubts about being able to complete his routine. In addition, he was unable to use visualization, a technique which he used for mental preparation on the other five pieces of apparatus in Olympic gymnastics competitions. Further interviews also strongly suggested that the subject had developed an unconscious set of negative self-statements. An intervention programme comprising 12 sessions of training in relaxation, visualization and making positive self-statements was implemented. Recorded interviews and comments made by the subject on completion of the training indicated that the programme had been successful. For many years the subject had experienced problems performing on the pommelled horse and he had frequently suffered falls in competition. Towards the end of the stress management training programme his performance began to improve. He also became more confident and he used his stress coping skills in competition. In the National Championships he was able to relax, visualize his routine and make positive self-statements. Shortly after this competition he successfully completed his routine to a high standard without any falls to win the individual title in the Midlands Regional Championships. In a subsequent international match he again successfully performed his routine to a high standard.

Injury prevention in women's gymnastics

The most serious problem faced by contemporary gymnasts is injury. Given that prevention is superior to treatment, can the gymnastics community and the scientific and medical community do a better job at injury prevention? Most research in gymnastics has been descriptive in nature. Injury prevention ultimately requires that one can predict the outcome of certain activities and their injurious nature. Making such predictions requires a knowledge of the scientific and medical aspects of injury, but more than that, one must have an intimate knowledge of the sport. Injury prevention efforts must be firmly grounded in science and medicine while making pragmatic linkages to gymnastics as it exists and is practiced. This article attempts to bridge the gap between the scientific and medical community and what actually happens in gymnastics.

Effects of stress inoculation training on self-report, behavioural and psychophysiological reactions to abseiling

The study examined the effect of stress inoculation training on the level of self-reported stress and anxiety, overt signs of distress and the physiological impact of the stress of abseiling. Twenty volunteer subjects were randomly assigned to either a 'no training' control group or a stress inoculation training group, following which both groups of subjects had to complete a test abseil from the roof of a 21.2 m building. Prior to descent, two self-report measures were taken: an intensity score derived from the word or phrase chosen by subjects from the Perceived Stress Index to best describe their feelings and a state anxiety score from Spielberger's State Trait Anxiety Inventory. Overt distress was also evaluated by a 'blind' observer also using the Perceived Stress Index. In addition, heart rate was monitored just prior to and throughout the abseil using a telemetry system. The stress inoculation group showed significantly less self-reported anxiety and stress and less behavioural signs of distress as judged by the observer. However, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of heart rate. In addition, while self-report and the assessment of the observer were highly inter-correlated, these measures were poorly correlated with heart rate.