2.2.2 Activation Level

LEVEL OF ACTIVATION – STRESS

Examples in which the Activation Level variable intervenes:

• It’s not common for me to be so tense that it negatively affects my performance (Good level of activation/ good nerves).
• I am often “scared to death” in the moments before starting the match (High level of arousal/nerves that can be harmful).
• Sometimes I feel great anxiety while participating in a game.
• I spend a lot of energy trying to be calm before starting the game.
• When I make a mistake I get nervous or anxious.
• When I make a mistake in a game, I worry about what the coach, my teammates or the public will think.
• The day before a game I usually find myself nervous or worried.

➡The level of activation is what makes our body have energy to carry out activities. It is an indicator of your physical and mental energy. You have a physical and a mental activation level. It ranges from deep sleep (0) to intense excitement (10).

➡If you are very activated, you will be able to mobilize a lot of energy, and if you are not very activated, your ability to mobilize energy will be low.

Source: own elaboration

🧠 Activation is necessary to perform well. We can label it as NERVES.

NERVES are not bad.

How does the level of activation or stress affect the athlete’s ability/performance during practice?

Research has linked the level of activation of the body (physical and mental) with the quality of performance.

When there is little or a lot of activation, performance tends to decrease:

• • A very low activation would correspond to a state of great relaxation
  • A very high activation would correspond to a state of great excitement

Source: own elaboration

The optimal level of Activation (OLA):

We have defined the level of activation as the nervousness you feel when facing an activity or situation. Nerves are necessary, but in the right measure. Every player has an optimal level of Activation (OLA) in which you perform very well. Above or below those points, the player tends to play and decide worse. Your task is to figure out what that optimal trigger point is and learn tools to raise or lower it depending on what you need.

Finding your OLA is unique, every person must find their own solution and its dictated depending on the task.

Example, the activation required when there are 30 minutes remaining in the match is NOT the same as when there are only 5 minutes remaining in the match. Another example, it is not the same when you are going to challenge a 50/50 ball or a defensive action compared to when you are going to execute an action that requires precision.

⚡️Challenge: Find the ideal level of activation in which you perform best. The goal is to achieve balance for each of these situations. The optimal level of activation helps us avoid frustration.

EXAMPLE 1: To better understand the concept of Activation Level and where your OLA (optimal level of Activation) is, we are going to use the example seen above. Let’s imagine that the OLA that we want to find to perform better is the ideal amount of salt that we have to add to a pasta dish so that it tastes perfect. To begin with, each person will have a different taste. Some will like it with more salt and others with less. Just as mentioned earlier, it is something unique to everyone. Everyone has their own unique OLA level.

Source: https://www.flaticon.es/icono-gratis/salero_736923

Without salt, the food will probably be bland, but if you add too much salt the food will be too salty. Everyone has their ideal amount of salt so the food tastes good to you. Each player has an Optimal Level of Activation (OLA) in which he can perform to the best of his abilities.

Source: https://www.flaticon.es/icono-gratis/spaguetti_3480618

It is also important to know how to act once the nerves kick in. If there is:

An excess of relaxation ➡️ Utilize activation techniques

An excess of activation ➡️ Utilize relaxation techniques

Research tells us that we perform better with moderate levels of activation. Stress tends to increase gradually in athletes/coaches as competition approaches.

🏆 Normally, stress problems in competition tend to occur due to excess activation or nervousness. Therefore, as an athlete you must learn to apply activation control techniques to properly manage that stress.

🛠 Below are some of the tools we use to manage high levels of stress. You will find these options in the tools section.

* 🌬Breathing techniques

* ✅Positive self-talk

*🎖Routines for the competition

* ⚡️Optimal Level of Activation (OLA)

*🧘🏻‍♀️Jacobson’s progressive relaxation