Hi all, You see alot of people in badminton pump themselves up, fully focused on the game in hand. This is because of arousal. Arousal is defined as: ''A physiological state of alertness and anticipation, which prepares the body for action'' There are two theories to this, one is the 'Drive Theory' and one is the 'Inverted U Theory'. Both are key when it comes to knowing the ins and outs of arousal. Drive Theory This theory states: '' As arousal level increases, as in a competitive situation, there is a greater likelihood of our dominant response occuring'' The dominant response is the behaviour most likely to occur. For example, a professional who has learnt all the strokes inside out and is in the 'autonomous' stage of learning (does shots automatically without thinking), as arousal level increases the dominant response is more likely to be the correct one, and therefore the performance will be enhanced However, it is quite the reverse for amatures. If they have not learnt the skills well or the skills are complex, then as the arousal levels increases, the dominant response is likely to be incorrect, and therefore performance will deteriorate. Inverted U Theory This theory proposes that: ''As arousal level increases so does the quality of performance.'' However, best possible performance is obtained at the mid-point of arousal level . A higher level of arousal is required for optimal performance in gross, sinple skills, and lower levels are needed for fine, complex skills. In badminton's case, having a higher level of arousal will be beneficial to performance, but over doing it could see the performance deteriorate. Matt
Wow! I never knew how arousal could affect you in badminton. I kinda like the drive theory though, that is when I over-focus, I tend to do the shots the wrong way or without timing.
WOW!! I dunno if what ur saying is what Im thinking... but... WOW... what Im thinking is that... if Im very aroused, then I'm more likely to respond to A shot with a B reply. Which means, my game will be more unique if I'm not fully aroused... which is better...
ya...arousal does affect performance, as i have been taught in Psychology 1. It is like a bell curve where too much or too little arousal makes performance worse, while the medium arousal level causes the optimal performance level.
maybe that is why people who get angry at themselves and shout at themselves rarely get better performance. Of course, there are always exceptions, John McEnroe is the most obvious. Camilla shouts at herself sometimes but there doesn't seem to be a great increase in level of play.
