“Never underestimate the value of momentum.”
Clive Woodward, former English International Rugby player and coach, believed England had a “head of steam” heading into the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-finals, where they were set to challenge the New Zealand All-Blacks [1]. During what would become the infamous Haka standoff, it appeared that England had captured the momentum before the game had even begun. They went on to defeat arguably the best sports team in history…
Athletes feel it, coaches plan for it, spectators see it. Whether we are competing ourselves or immersed in a performance from the side-lines, psychological momentum is a crucial force which has powerful effects on athletic performance.
So, what is this euphoric feeling of invincibility, or effortlessness, as every shot finds the back of the net? On the flip side, what is this sense that you are losing control over your performance, that mistakes and errors continue to compound? Experienced by many, but scarcely understood, psychological momentum (PM) is an elusive and widely recognized phenomenon significantly impacting sport and performance. The mystique is in large part, due to the conflicting conceptualizations across the field of sport and performance psychology. Is it an effect of performance, or a cause of performance? How does it start, how long does it last? Is it real, or simply illusory? [2, 3]. Whether you compete individually or as part of a team, this blog will strive to demystify the experience of PM by outlining how psychological momentum is experienced, how it manifests in sport, and how YOU can use it to your advantage to optimize performance.
After reading this blog, you should have an understanding of:
How PM relates to performance
How PM is triggered
How your opponent impacts PM
Strategies that can be employed to control PM
| What is Psychological Momentum?
“Psychological momentum is the positive or negative change in cognition, affect, physiology, and behaviour caused by an event, or series of events that will result in a commensurate shift in performance and competitive outcome” [4]. In competition, changes in an athlete’s state of mind, and factors in the performance environment converge in a synergistic way to enable performance at a level that is “not ordinarily possible” [5].
Positive psychological momentum (+PM) is the experience of added or gained psychological power which gives athletes the edge over their opponent as they progress towards a performance goal (i.e. scoring a goal) [6, 7]. Athletes may experience this as “periods of competition” where everything seems to “go right” [8].
When momentum is for you, it feels like you’ve got the advantage…you’re on top of your game plan against your opponent, and you know you’ve got the upper hand. It feels like the game’s there for the taking and it’s only a matter of time before you score.”
- Glyn Hodges, former professional soccer player
Conversely, negative psychological momentum (-PM) denotes the experience of lost psychological power, and regression from a performance goal (i.e. committing unforced errors). Athletes may associate this with periods when everything seems to "go wrong" [8].
You reach a stage where you don’t know how it happened and there’s a lack of reality to the whole situation. Things can quickly go from bad to worse. You feel there is only going to be one side that is going to score and it’s not us!
- Nigel Pearson, former professional soccer player
| The Elusive Momentum-Performance Relationship...
One of several competing conceptualizations of PM, the Multidimensional Model of Momentum in Sports has been applied within several sports, including: soccer, tennis, rowing, basketball and cycling, to explain how momentum develops during competition [9, 10, 4, 7, 2, 11]. Here, PM can be understood as a “chain” – where each link represents an event in the performance environment, or an intrapersonal change, which culminate to alter performance. Most importantly, it is the athlete’s perceptions of these changes, that truly dictate the effect of PM on performance [9].
PM is gained through the experiences of six changes or “links” in the chain. Athletes must be aware of these elements and how they contribute to momentum, in order to understand how to manipulate them to optimize performance.
“People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed.”
- Tony Robbins, world leading life & business strategist
So…how does momentum start?
(1) Precipitating Event(s)…what has changed?
A precipitating event is a turning point or series of events that occurs before, or during performance. They can be intrapersonal changes – such as intense pre-game anxiety; within the competitive environment – such as an error from your opposition; or social context– such as an unfavourable call by the official [12, 9, 4]. Precipitating events can be a single intense moment or a series of moments that culminate overtime. Events “trigger” positive or negative perceptions in a team or performer, much like a catalyst in a chemical reaction.
For example: A Rugby Sevens player intercepts a ball 10m out from her try line. She accelerates on a clean break to the opposition’s try zone.
While triggers are the kick-starters, it is your perceptions of these experiences that dictate if momentum will build, or if the game or performance will carry on with no noticeable shift in favour of one team, or performer. [4, 12]. It is not what goes right or wrong, but how you respond that will allow the turning point to translate to psychological momentum!
(2) Perceptual Changes…how do you react?
Psychological momentum has been called a “perceptual phenomenon,” as athletes must first perceive this trigger as having the ability to significantly impact their performance [13, 4]. A change in state of mind occurs, where a performer sees this event as a facilitator of success or, a trigger for failure [14]. Changes in the 3 components of performance occurs next:
Cognition: how you think Affect: how you feel Physiology: your arousal
(3) Behaviour…how do you respond?
“When you are on top, players are more willing to express themselves…they seemingly play with a greater freedom. The shackles appear to have been removed because they feel it is all going their way…there seems to be greater expression, and a greater confidence.”
- Dick Bate, former professional soccer player & coach
After being blatantly fouled, a soccer player rises and realizes he has not been awarded a penalty shot. He may feel dejected, frustrated – his energy drops and he feels he has lost control over the game. How will he respond? An athlete’s perceptions of a turning point now manifest as a visible behaviour change.
How many of the above behaviours resonate with you? Your behaviour will directly impact performance and the type of momentum you may experience!
(4) Performance…how is it impacted?
Finally, these behaviours cause a shift in performance – exceedingly better or worse than what is typical for you. Optimal performance is often characterized by internal dialogues, such as:
I’m on a roll, I am untouchable, I can’t miss, I’m on fire!
On the flip side, you may feel:
I can’t get anything going, nothing is going my way, I can’t get in this game.
(5) What about the Opponent…?
During head-to-head competition, your experiences of PM are significantly impacted by your competitors: the cyclists flanking you as you crest a hill, or the team standing across from you in the adrenaline-packed moments before kickoff. PM is the force driving the “ebb and flow” of a game, the alternating dominance, who controls the play. You can envision a balance and scale to understand how PM alternates between competitors, or teams, over the course of competition [12].
As one competitor gains positive PM, the opposition must be experiencing negative PM. Alternatively, neither team, or performer may be experiencing PM. In this case, momentum is in the balance, until a turning point elicits the momentum chain [12].
(6) Outcome…What is the end result?
If positive performance (scoring goals, maintaining possession, completing faster lap times) persists…would it not be logical to believe that +PM validates the adage:
Success breeds success...?
…conversely, when negative events continuously trigger negative perceptions, and negative behaviours…does -PM confirm that:
Failure breeds failure... ?
If you’re thinking “great, as soon as I’m negatively triggered, I’m doomed for a downward spiral of negative momentum…” fortunately, this is not always the case!
Continuous success is not necessarily the outcome of +PM, and likewise, a cycle of never-ending -PM is not the fate of the opposing player. Importantly, it is how you as a competitor interpret turning points, manage your thoughts, emotions and arousal, and alter your behaviour that will dictate your performance and the impetus of competition!
For example: A tennis player returns a shot into the net to close out a disappointing set. When she returns to the baseline, she is even more focused and motivated – this translates to +PM.
This is called Negative Facilitation: positive momentum is initiated by a previous failure [4]. Here, the disappointing loss triggered increased motivation in the athlete, translating to elevated performance in the next game!
Conversely: A netball player has no challenge defending against her opponents, and as a result, becomes too comfortable, and begins to “coast.” This complacency translates into a performance decline, as her opponents start attacking with greater force, and she begins to experience negative momentum!
This is called Positive Inhibition: Complacency or lack of focus following success produces a loss of momentum. Essentially, failing to capitalize on positive momentum leaves you vulnerable to surrendering it to the opposition [4].
The adapted Momentum Chain has been applied in soccer to explain how PM is developed over the course of competition [4, 9].
| Strategies to Develop, Maintain & Overcome Psychological Momentum
So, how can PM be manipulated to ensure successful performance, instead of leaving it to chance? Achieving +PM is dependent on you or your teams’ ability to:
1) Recognize the momentum potential in competition:
What opportunities are likely to occur where +PM can be triggered?
How can I capitalize on these moments?
2) Manage “the heat of the battle” [12]. In a moment of intense action and emotion… how do you respond?
How can we recover when something goes wrong?
How can we hold onto a lead?
…So how do you create +PM for yourself?
The biggest challenge for performers is how this optimal, success-facilitating state can be achieved. Turning points in a game or performance such as a poor officiating call, injury, or an outstanding save, can make momentum appear unpredictable, uncontrollable, and even random…but as performers, you can develop mental skills to control your perceptions and behaviours, to harness positive momentum, maintain momentum, and kill the opposition’s [12].
Psychological momentum is ultimately the state of play reflected by a team’s, or performer’s ability to manage their perceptions and responses to events that unfold throughout competition [12]. Every athlete holds momentum potential – a capacity to develop PM for themselves or their team.
| Strategies to Trigger Positive Psychological Momentum
Despite the numerous ‘uncontrollables’ in sport, there are many controllable factors that can be targeted to ensure +PM is triggered. Athletes can follow these guidelines to effectively intervene in the momentum chain to capitalize on opportunities for +PM, while minimizing the impact of -PM!
Before the game or performance…athletes, coaches and sport psychologists can work together to:
Build confidence
Maintain concentration
During competition…athletes can:
Maximize effort
Control the pace/speed of play
Retain possession
Focus attention (forget past plays)
Encourage (self & teammates)
Enhance Confidence to Develop Momentum
Confidence is an integral component of psychological momentum [9, 10, 12]. Athletes who exude confidence through performance, and have a “strong belief in their abilities,” hold the greatest momentum potential [12]. Confidence also acts as a shield protecting performers from poor performance when momentum fluctuates. Confident athletes maintain composure as they understand that momentum will naturally shift during competition.
Sport psychologists can work with athletes to maximize confidence pre-game in order to facilitate perceptions of +PM:
1) Imagery Scripts
Personalized dialogues can trigger memories of previous successful performances to increase athletes’ self-efficacy for upcoming competition [9]. Scripts can include salient thoughts, emotions, and feelings to draw out mastery experiences to remind athletes of their capabilities: what you’ve previously done well and what you can do again! Athletes can rehearse these scripts before competition, to evoke feelings of confidence, control and excitement. This self-generated confidence boost increases the likelihood of a positive trigger in performance [9]. Athletes can also use imagery to visualize themselves overcoming difficult periods of the game, or successfully executing their game plan.
2) Goal Set
“One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.”
- Michael Korda, English novelist
Setting performance goals which are achievable, within your control and measurable, can help to create an intent for performance to keep you focused, and increase the likelihood of +PM. Additionally, accomplishing goals can bolster confidence, which can translate into +PM [9].
3) Personal Highlight Reel
Often, the hardest person to convince of our talents, skills and abilities, is ourselves. Compiling video clips of your standout performances in past competition can serve as a source of confidence by reaffirming what you are capable of! Reviewing individual or team highlight reels before performance can help trigger a positive mindset, increasing your chances of capitalizing on momentum opportunities in the game [9].
| Strategies to Overcome Negative Psychological Momentum
“Momentum is whatever your attitude determines it to be.”
- Lou Holtz, former American football player, coach & analyst
It is crucial for performers to equip themselves with the mental skills to extinguish a bout of -PM. Do you ever struggle to “get in the rhythm?” Become increasingly frustrated as you make repeated unforced errors? Do you lose confidence after sizing up the competition, feeling like you’ve lost the game before it has even started? Hey, that’s sport.
As long as you are aware of these events, and how they have changed your mindset or impacted performance, you can employ various mental skills to put yourself back on track. Your challenge is to overcome both your own -PM, and your opponent’s +PM. It is not enough to simply wait for, or to hope that your opponent’s performance will drop, there must be a conscious effort to tip the scale back in your favour. Manipulating factors within your control can help break the opponent’s rhythm, disrupt their focus, and cultivate +PM for yourself [15].
Before the game or performance…athletes, coaches and sport psychologists can work together to:
Manage pressure
Manage anxiety
Prepare (i.e. game plan)
During competition…athletes can:
Control pace
Use self-/team-encouragement
Frustrate opponents
Go “back to basics”
Watch for cues from the opponents (negative body language or communication)
Change tactics
Manage Arousal to Overcome Momentum
Feelings of pressure and anxiety typically peak before performance, however, when they fail to settle and hijack your thoughts, they can have a debilitating impact on performance, making you vulnerable to -PM. To overcome this state, athletes can work with sport psychologists to develop strategies to use before and during performance to better manage their thoughts and emotions, to ensure negative behaviours do not follow.
If you find yourself over-aroused before performance (i.e. high anxiety, racing heart) you may benefit from relaxation techniques [9]. You can manage arousal using:
1) Breathing Techniques
During a stoppage in play, set piece, or between races, you can employ purposeful techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing. This can help to centre yourself and regain composure to achieve the optimal level of arousal, and overcome a bout of -PM.
Conversely, if you feel that you struggle to “get into the game,” and suffer -PM as a consequence, you may need to increase your arousal before competition. You can work with a sport psychologist to increase arousal using several activation techniques to increase energy, alertness and intensity:
2) Energizing Imagery
3) Self-talk/Trigger words
You can evoke images, repeat words or phrases that energize you and put you in the right frame of mind for performance [9].
| Take Home Messages:
Psychological momentum is a widely experienced sports phenomenon which can elevate or inhibit your performance
Your perceptions dictate if a turning point will translate into PM
You can trigger +PM for yourself by bolstering your confidence & capitalizing on positive events
You can maintain +PM by staying engaged and avoiding complacency
You can overcome negative momentum by recognizing an opportunity for negative facilitation, using techniques to manage your arousal, and capitalizing on cues from your opposition
References
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