There are a variety of things that can distract your attention. These fall into two broad categories, internal distractors and external distractors. Internal distractors are divided into three sections, thoughts, feelings and psychophysiological sensations. The thoughts remind you of previous mistakes you have made in sporting events. Feelings are worrying about consequences or previous failures. Psychophysiological sensations are things like tiredness. External distractors include the environment you are in and can depend on the nature of the sport. Examples of this are playing skill, changes in noise levels, bad weather conditions and the creation of a hostile environment by fans. However, distractions in one sport may not be so in another. For example, in golf, a sneeze distracts the player while he is about to throw, while in a football game a sneeze does not distract the player. Overall, it is important that athletes do not get distracted and stay focused on their attention cues. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Choking is extreme nervousness that leads athletes to fail to perform or make mistakes at a crucial moment. It depends on the importance of the event. For example, in a cup final, a choke is more likely to occur than in a normal regular match, where there is less chance of a choke as there is no pressure to win. Choking may be more noticeable in the presence of significant others/large audiences. This can occur as a result of changes in the focus of attention. Overall, choking may play an important role in explaining an athlete's performance deterioration and should be taken into consideration when examining an athlete's performance. Stress is a non-specific response of the body to any demands placed on it. Anxiety is the negative form of stress that can lead to increased arousal and potentially decreased performance levels. In this paragraph I will talk about the different types of stress. There are two types of stress, eustress and distress. Eustress is the feeling of contentment. Athletes with eustress seek out stressful situations to push themselves. This increases the skill level and focuses attention. This increases intrinsic motivational flow. A sporting example of this is in basketball, a free throw in the last seconds, scoring it will win them the game, so they would like this situation to be able to push themselves further. Another example of this is in football, players who volunteer to take a penalty suffer from eustress as they need stressful situations to push themselves. Distress is an extreme form of anxiety, nervousness, apprehension and worry. This stems from the perceived inability to meet demands. This leads to an excessive increase in arousal and a decrease in performance. A sporting example of this is golf; They could easily be a few shots ahead but they collapse under the pressure and start missing easy shots. Another example of distress is in cricket, some bad balls may be bowled but the batsman is in distress so he cannot punish the bowler due to pressure and stress. In this paragraph I will talk about the different types of anxiety. There are two types of anxiety. Trait anxiety is the likelihood of worrying in a variety of situations, even if it is not a threatening situation. Athletes with high levels of trait anxiety are usually more anxious in high-pressure competitive situations. Temporary state of anxiety, mood orever-evolving response to any situation deemed threatening. A sporting example of this is a 400 meter runner as they may have state anxiety at the start of the event which may then decrease throughout the event but then increase again at the final turn. Overall, I think anxiety and its different types can have a significant impact on performance. In this paragraph I will talk about the stress process which is divided into 4 phases. The first phase is the question. A sporting example of this can be the last penalty in the penalty shootout. The second phase is the athlete's perception of the question. This is divided into two parts, the left part is the positive perception when athletes want a challenge and the right part is the negative perception when they are threatened by the opportunity. If the penalty taker takes the left side, this can have a positive impact on the performance as he would be willing to take the penalty because he wants to challenge himself. However, if the penalty taker was on the right side, he is more likely to miss the penalty because he is scared of the opportunity. The third phase is an increase in the level of arousal which is divided into two parts, the left part is eustress, i.e. when there is an increase in energy and motivation, and the right part is distress, i.e. when there is an increase in worry. If the penalty taker takes the left side of the third phase, he is more likely to score as he has an increase in motivation and energy, which means he is prepared for the occasion, which means there is an increase in performance as he is more likely to score. However, if the penalty taker positions himself on the right side of the third phase, it means that he is worrying too much about the opportunity, which leads to a decline in performance as he is more likely to miss the penalty. The fourth stage is the result which is divided into two parts, the left part is an increase in performance and the right part is a decrease in performance. In this paragraph I will talk about the signs and symptoms of stress. Signs and symptoms can be classified into biological, cognitive, somatic and behavioral considerations. Biological is when there is an increase in cortisol and adrenaline, which are the hormones involved in the fight or flight response. Cortisol reduces the rate of tissue repair and impacts athletes who may be injured. It is a natural response to stress, however it can have a big impact on performance. Cognitive is an increased feeling of worry and inability to concentrate. This can cause a decline in performance due to arousal levels and reduces the athlete's state of well-being. Somatic is an increase in heart rate and blood pressure and also increases muscle tension. If this is left unchecked, increased muscle tension can increase the risk of injury. It can also cause frostbite or suffocation. Behavioral considerations may include rushing, speaking quickly, and restlessness. This reduces communication between athletes and can also reduce performance. Overall, stress, its signs and symptoms must be considered when analyzing an athlete's performance. This paragraph is about the consequences of stress and anxiety. Anxiety suggests that it is a negative mental state characterized by worry and apprehension. It is believed that if you worry too much your performance will suffer. Worrying about an event can make you believe that you are not good enough, which has to do with self-confidence. This makes you feel less likely to win as your expectations of success decrease. Increased cognitive anxiety means there is an increase in nervousness, apprehension, or worry. One of the things athletes worry about is.