“Organizing for Excellence” : Stress-Recovery States in the Danish National Orienteering Team during a Training Camp and the 2015 World Championship

• Elite athletes push themselves physically and psychologically to their limits in order to develop as athletes and to deliver top performances. To succeed, the athletes must manage their energy. This is particularly important in the periods of high demand on the athletes’ resources (Kellmann, Altenburg, Lormes, & Steinacker, 2001). These include training camps and competitions, because such events are generally intense and likely to induce increased stress, and their schedules often do not allow sufficient time for recovery (Elbe & Kellmann, 2007; Foster, Snyder, & Welsh, 1999). In 2015, the Danish national orienteering coach decided, as a new initiative, to include a three-week training camp in their preparation for the World Championship. The coach was aware that such a long period of intense focus on orienteering would require efficient energy management in the athletes. Therefore, the coach supported the research team in this study aimed at monitoring the athletes’ stress-recovery states during the preparatory camp and the World Championship, with further exploration of the athletes’ perceived sources of stress and recovery during the same period. From a research perspective, the present study is exclusive because of monitoring world-class athlete-participants during their preparation and participation in their most important event. From an applied perspective, searching for efficient processes for energy management during long-term training camps and competitions might become a frontier for improvement of athletes’ preparation and performance.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi -- Tillämpad psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology -- Applied Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

elite sport

sport psychology

organizational psychology in sport

sources of stress

sources of recovery

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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