EIS preparing British athletes for pressures of home Olympics

[divingbrit]

Home advantage at London 2012 is expected to guarantee British success - the combination of home crowds and familiarity with conditions is supposed to ensure a bulging medal haul.

The English Institute of Sport is not so sure however.

The Sheffield-based centre has already set about making detailed preparations to minimise the potential problems brought about by the burden of expectation.

Indeed, EIS head of psychology Mark Bawden is convinced that Great Britain's finest need to develop greater mental toughness to ensure they maximise the benefits a home Games in 2012 will bring.

“The London Games pose unique challenges and opportunities for British athletes,” said Bawden.

“The combination of home crowds, familiarity with conditions and home based officiating and staffing can all be seen as both advantages and disadvantages.

“A home Games presents a different environment which athletes need to be ready for and have the mental endurance to cope with, no matter what sport they're in or what their medal prospects are.

“We have already been working with a number of sports to help equip athletes, coaches and support teams with the necessary psychological tools to take advantages of a home Games.”

The EIS are not the only ones to think the hype surrounding a home Olympics can be detrimental.

UKA head coach Charles van Commenee is planning on taking Britain's athletes abroad in the build up to London 2012, while British Swimming is also expected to shun the British Olympic Association's pre-Games training camp in Aldershot, opting for mainland Europe instead.

And as far as the EIS is concerned, pressure is the operative word.

“One key tool we have developed is Pressure Training, behind which is the concept of allowing athletes to train in a series of performance situations, targeting psychological demands which athletes would experience at a home Games,” added Bawden.

“Ensuring practice of dealing with expectations, judgement, consequences and outcomes are all part and parcel of the training process.

“A key goal is for athletes to understand their responses to pressure and to coach them to use pressure positively.

“We're working with sports on making the London a success for their athletes, equipping coaches and support staff with the necessary tools to get the most out of the training and key milestone events leading up to the London Games.

“While you can't recreate thousands of people watching you at an Olympic final, we can recreate the same sensations athletes will go through which in turn will create similar responses in the brain which equips athletes with the tools to deliver their skills when they are most expected to do so.”


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