The inverted-U relationship between stress and performance in elite shooting

Area of Science:

• Sports Psychology
• Performance Psychology

Background:

• Understanding the psychological factors influencing athletic performance is crucial for optimizing training and competition strategies.
• Stress, arousal, and somatic anxiety are key psychological variables that can impact an athlete's ability to perform under pressure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between psychological variables (stress, arousal, somatic anxiety) and shooting performance across different stages of a competition.
• To examine the impact of game progression on performance decline and identify optimal psychological states for peak performance.

Main Methods:

• Analyzing 60 consecutive shooting results divided into six sets of 10 shots each.
• Comparing performance differences between consecutive sets to identify patterns related to game stage.
• Applying the inverted-U hypothesis to explain the nonmonotonic relationship between psychological variables and performance.

Main Results:

• An inverted U-shaped relationship was observed between game stages and shooting performance, with peak performance in the middle stage.
• Performance declines were noted at the beginning (set 2 vs. 3) and end (set 6 vs. 5) of the competition.
• The study supports the inverted-U hypothesis, suggesting optimal performance occurs at intermediate levels of stress, arousal, and somatic anxiety.

Conclusions:

• The inverted-U hypothesis provides a valuable framework for understanding the complex interplay between psychological states and athletic performance in shooting.
• Managing stress, arousal, and anxiety levels is critical for athletes to achieve and maintain optimal performance throughout a competition.
• These findings have significant implications for sports psychology interventions aimed at enhancing athlete resilience and performance consistency.