Ever since I started participating in sports, I've found ways to psyche myself up before games. Up until recently, I never questioned the feeling of empowerment and excitement I got before a big event. During my sophomore year, I began to diversify the music I listened to before frisbee games, increasing the confidence I felt and the hype I imagined. I wondered if I could (someday) apply the change in mindset I undergo before games to my everyday life.

This study explores the complex nature of psychological momentum (PM), and its applications in athletic competition and beyond. The first phase of the study will begin with phenomenological-based interviews with athletes, solidifying its foundations by finding effective steps to cultivate PM in competition. This paper will discuss strategies for obtaining and recovering PM in sports, and tested by observing overall performance in competition during the spring season.

Forward/Background

Contacted Advisors/Consultants! (so far...)

Jon Malloy

Dave Dickerson

Villen Ultimate Coach, Malloy Scholarship founder

SHS Track and Field coach

Nathan Wicks

Boston Glory coach

Potential Advisors! (Unconnected or Waiting for Response)

Steve Buckley

Doug Eng

PhD, Tennis Coach, MIT, Harvard, BU

Sports Writer, The Athletic

Bella Rozenkrants

Xoogler, Stanford PhD, Building products to drive positive behavior change.

(I had COVID)

Potential Advisors! (Unconnected or Waiting for Response)

(I had COVID)

Association for Applied Sport Pschology

Guinea Pigs!

SHS Track & Field Team

Sam Buckley

Mixed athletes

Bates University

Villen Ultimate

Mixed athletes

Methodology

Greg Young's Model: 6 Key Attributes

Competitive Performance

• Competitive performance is the baseline for which athletes compare their performance against. This is the simplest factor to consider for PM.

Instantaneous Momentum

• Instantaneous momentum is the ‘inciting incident’, and has the potential to shift the momentum of the game in a single moment. The two subfactors attributed to IM are The Big Play and Recognising and Taking Advantage of the Opportunity

Created Momentum

• Created Momentum is similar to Instantaneous Momentum in generating PM, but is over a longer timeframe. CM is the most complex factor of PM, with the subthemes Finding a Way, Going Back to Basics, Do What We Usually Do, Balancing Effort & Playing Within Limits, Controlling Rhythm & Tempo, Early Successes, and Trusting Preparation.

Internal Indicators

• Individual awareness of PM within the athlete, regardless of external awareness. II includes the sub themes Feeling Momentum and Thinking Momentum.

External Indicators

• External factors that cannot be controlled by the athlete during the match, usually related to PM going into the match. EI contains the sub themes Winning & Losing, Executing Skills, and Seeing it in Others.

Resistance

• The level of opposition that the team is facing. If the team faces too much or too little, the creation of a PM becomes difficult. Resistance encompasses the subthemes Expected Performance and Individual Factors

Methodology

Phenomenological Interview Overview

Procedure for conducting a phenomenological study. Reprinted from The Phenomenology of Everyday Life, 1997, by H. R. Pollio, T. B. Henley, and C. J. Thompson, p. 60, New York, Cambridge University Press. Copyright 1997 by Cambridge University Press.

Concrete steps in Giorgi's phenomenological method.

A micro-phenomenological interview involves six steps (Figure 1).

Methodology

Greg Young's Model: Team Vs Individual

Methodology

Brief Timeline

Phase 1: Contextual framing and research

• Define Psychological Momentum, show steps to cultivate & grow it
• Find interviewing techniques for athletes (phenomenological)
• Find areas to improve in PM development
• Find effective transcribing methods for interviews (ai?)
• Explore potential end goals for interviewed teams

Phase 2: Implementation

• Begin to implement proposed changes in team/athlete routines
• [risk] Potential conflict of interest if my methods differ from team norms
• Observe results; shift strategy if necessary
• [Optional] explore negative PM ethics
• [risk] General ethics complications
• Write research paper on overall results
• Explore bridges between sports & personal life (academics, job, ect.)

Methodology

Brief Timeline

Phase 2.5: Bridging the Gap

• Find testing pool for most prominent related field
• Find & implement changes to increase PM
• Write research paper on overall results

Phase 3: Final Paper

• Write a paper with overall results!

Proof of Concept

Notable Games: Red Sox V Yankees, 2004

When the Red Sox played the Yankees in 2004, they had yet to win the world series since 1918. They were down 3 out of 7 games, and one loss would bar them from a world series appearance. They beat the yankees 6-4 in game 4, and continued the momentum for a 3 game winning streak. This series of matches highlights Resistance and Created Momentum, while each individual game shows Instantaneous momentum, as well as Internal and External Indicators.

Proof of Concept

Notable Games: Atlanta V Patriots, 2017

In 2017 the Patriots created the largest comeback in superbowl history to beat the falcons 34-28. By halftime Atlanta had a 21-3 lead, which was increased 28 in the opening drives of the second half. Amazingly, the patriots scored 25 consecutive points to put the game into overtime. Then, with overwhelming momentum, they scored the winning touchdown on the opening drive of overtime.

The patriots experienced extreme momentum change in the second half, even when faced with the complete loss of Early Success.

Outcomes & Competencies

Minimum Deliverables

Ideal Output

• Develop concrete and applicable strategies for creating PM within sports
• Theoretical strategies for non-athletic contexts (Education, Workforce, Etc.)
• Provide athletes with strategies to improve their PM

• Improved performance during spring season
• Imput PM strategies into non-athletic context with positive result

Competencies

• Psychology
• Research
• Writing
• Self-Reflection
• Data Analysis/Data Vis

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.