Stress Management

What Stress Management covers

Stress Management is examined in Paper 2, Factors affecting optimal performance in physical activity and sport. It covers stress, stressors and the warm-up, mental rehearsal, visualisation and imagery, attentional control, thought stopping and self-talk and somatic relaxation techniques.

The 4 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Stress, stressors and the warm-upStress and stressors, eustress and distress, the warm-up as stress management, and cognitive and somatic techniques.Open →
• Mental rehearsal, visualisation and imageryMental rehearsal, visualisation and imagery, kinaesthetic, internal and external imagery, imagery for relaxation, and use by injured and anxious performers.Open →
• Attentional control, thought stopping and self-talkAttentional control and Easterbrook's cue utilisation hypothesis, broad and narrow attention, thought stopping and positive self-talk.Open →
• Somatic relaxation techniquesBiofeedback, centering, breathing control and progressive muscle relaxation, with their uses and limitations.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Stress Management further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Stress vs Stressor

  Stress: a response to a perceived imbalance between demands and coping ability. Stressor: a factor or situation that triggers a response to pressure.

• Eustress vs Distress

  Eustress: positive pressure that feels challenging and enjoyable. Distress: negative pressure that causes anxiety and harms performance.

• Mental rehearsal vs Visualisation

  Mental rehearsal: going over a skill in the mind without moving. Visualisation: forming a clear inner picture of a successful outcome.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Define stress in sport.

   Model answer

   Stress is a response to a perceived imbalance between the demands of a situation and the ability to meet them. The response is both physical and mental.

2. 2

   What is a stressor?

   Model answer

   A stressor is any factor or situation that causes a stress response. An important final or a hostile crowd are examples.

3. 3

   Give four common stressors in sport.

   Model answer

   Four common stressors are competition, frustration, a hostile crowd and injury.

4. 4

   What is eustress?

   Model answer

   Eustress is positive stress that a performer finds challenging and enjoyable. Eustress can sharpen focus and improve performance.

5. 5

   What is distress?

   Model answer

   Distress is negative stress that causes anxiety and harms performance.

6. 6

   Why does the same stressor affect performers differently?

   Model answer

   Stress depends on how a performer judges the demand against their ability to cope. A confident performer may see a big crowd as a challenge rather than a threat.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Stress Management revision questions

What does Stress Management cover in AQA A-Level Physical Education?

4 subtopics: stress, stressors and the warm-up, mental rehearsal, visualisation and imagery, attentional control, thought stopping and self-talk and somatic relaxation techniques. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Stress Management organised?

By the AQA 7582 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.