Forrester PE Dept

Mental factors

 

Problem Solving (closely related to decision making)

 

Definition

The ability to identify that a difficult/troubled or pressurised situation in an activity is happening or is about to happen.

 

Impact on Performance

Players must be able to identify that there is a problem and know why it is happening.

For example a sweeper in hockey may be chasing a ball played in behind the defence by the opposition midfield. Running after the ball at speed with his back to the fast, chasing opposition and having no other defender there to offer support, plus a goal keeper who has stayed on their goal line- a clear pressured situation for the sweeper.

In tennis a player may be losing a large percentage of points when playing a forehand cross court shot. The ability to first identify this pattern of errors and to identify the cause is key to problem solving. Is the problem because of: their position on the court, the placement and power of the shot, the position of the opposition, the amount of top spin on the shot?

The process of starting to devise an outcome for the problem is decision making.