Mindfulness and Performance (Current Perspectives in Social and Behavioral Sciences) by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2016-01-30T14:00:00+00:00

Engagement

Time is one of the biggest challenges faced in engaging AFL players with mindfulness and other well-being practices. Until the AFL clubs and players prioritize the mental side of the sport as much as the physical and support the notion that well-being contributes to the players’ on- and off-field performance, then there will be an ongoing struggle to get adequate time to work with the players. Delivery of AFL Players wellbeing programs in clubs starts with building good relationships with players and club staff while, concurrently, emphasizing the value of well-being interventions. Word of mouth of players who have found such interventions useful to engage new athletes is invaluable.

The second challenge to engaging players is attention. While the content of the well-being workshops may be technically correct and based on the best evidence-based science, attention is quickly lost if players view the program as boring or irrelevant. And even if they do participate, the acquisition of well-being knowledge typically depends on giving full attention to the sport psychologists. One of the biggest complaints of AFL players is the number of club and industry meetings that they have to sit through. So the irony is that in order to teach mindfulness, we first have to create a learning environment that engages their attention.

Since 2013, AFL Players has captured engagement data from players (N = 165) at the end of every workshop by anonymously responding to a questionnaire that asks, “Did you find this workshop engaging or interesting?” and, “Did you find this workshop helpful?” Players responded on a five-point Likert-type scale with the anchors, “Not at all,” to, “Very.” They also had the option to comment on what they liked or disliked and suggest ways to improve the workshop. This information is used to improve the workshop content and delivery. In 2014, the average response score across all workshops has been 4 out of 5, indicating a high level of engagement and helpful content.

AFL Player engagement strategies include using adult learning principles, and taking what we know about how male adult athletes learn best. We use active learning with short bursts of information or concepts followed by an activity to bring the concept to life in a practical way. For example, some of the mindfulness science is presented on the impact of mindfulness on relationships, followed by a conversation drawing on relevant player experiences, then an activity where players engage in an unmindful and mindful conversation. We contextualize the content and use examples from sport and peers whom they respect. Audio-visual tools, varying content and delivery, and encouraging peer learning and conversation all help maintain engagement. We keep the group size small, with four to ten participants and one facilitator per session. We end the workshop with one or two key messages and a specific task to practice in their everyday lives in order to reinforce and deepen learning.

One additional engagement technique is the use of technology to deliver content and encourage ongoing practice of the skills introduced in the workshops.

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