Identifying and targeting sources of negative Psychological Momentum within players will increase their performance. Teams with more resistance to negative Psychological Momentum will perform better in comparison to teams with low tolerance.

Project Goals | Background

Psychological Momentum is usually described as having a ‘hot hand’, or being ‘in the zone’. Typically, the athlete or team with a positive PM will experience a significant increase in feelings of control, confidence, optimism, and energy.

Under a sports psychology lens, momentum is a battle of attrition. There is little evidence that shows quantitative, positive effects after increasing momentum, but its loss can be devastating.

Justification

• 70% of young athletes left sports by their teens, often because of a toxic or negative experience*. How to we compete in a sportsmanlike manner, building up team and sport culture?
• SHS Ultimate is a young program, how can I grow it?
• Preserve Ultimate Frisbee Culture while enhancing my team's ability to compete

*National Alliance for Youth Sports

End Goals | Effect on Team

Media Generated:

• 1-2 posters per game, ~22 total
• 1 recap video per week, 4 total (in capstone)
• Order high quality flag/flagpole for team use

Outlooks Shifted:

• Measure 1 player's outlook over the rest of capstone via interview, 8 games/interviews total

Plays created:

• Create 3 plays to generate momentum, observe in games

Ideally:

• Increase in interest in frisbee at SHS
• Increase Somerville's "spirit score" at tournaments
• Increase performance at games

Project Goals | Methodology

Coaches & Athletes | Psychologists | Media

Improve in-game strategy

Improve out-of-game hype

Improve player responsiveness/psychology

Coaches/Athletes

Psychologists/Athletes

Media Generation

Precedents | In-Game Strategy

Most plays that shift the momentum in a game were created with scoring in mind. The plays that I create will be based on generating tactical momentum.

Trick Plays - Shift Momentum

"Flex" Plays - Maintain Momentum

3 Man Weave - Tactically sound, good looks

"Old Reliable" - Risky, but if successful lots of momentum

Tactical Momentum | In-Game Strategy

“Tactical Momentum” - A plan for subverting or maintaining momentum/morale/energy/PM during a perticular moment during a match or tourney

Current Directions

• Traditional plays, shifting the momentum by creating tactical success on field via ‘big plays’ or moments of mastery
• Sideline plays, shifting the momentum via sideline engagement off field. Cheering plays/active sideline
• Reward players who do the ‘dirty jobs’ on the field. Good defense, stuff that won’t make the highlight reel but is crucial to overall advantage, ect.

Traditional and sideline plays should be blended for maximum effect

Example Play | In-Game Strategy

Split Stack | Flex Play

Malloy's Play | Big Play

This was the initial idea for the project. I want to create material that draws fans in, creating a strong base for our players to get excited from.

STILL HERE: Patriots Super Bowl 53 Hype Video

Precedents | Media Generation

Red Sox Instagram account

Team Unity | Media Generation

Outcome: Success! Flag generated significant spirit, with many players attributing positive momentum shifts to it.

• Create pride within athletes through symbolic unity

Initial Posters | Media Generation

• Working with potential lines, working to see what fits
• Who are we?
• Used Track & Field photos because none were available yet

WE ARE VILLEN | Media Generation

• Tagline "we are villen", highlight teammates
• Initial poster, worked on formatting, highlighting team & flag, distinguishing from background

WE ARE VILLEN | Media Generation

• Tagline "we are villen", highlight teammates
• Initial poster, worked on formatting, highlighting team & flag, distinguishing from background

• Create anticipation for the coming season by capitalizing on the "Edit" trend.
• Clips from first tournament
• Mostly Big Plays

• Posted to social media, positive response.

He's Back! | Media Generation

• Convey a sense of how the tournament went to JV and outside world, build interest.
• Congratulate players who had a great tourney!

• Posted to social media, positive response.

Danvers Recap | Media Generation

• Increase team connectivity through humor
• Vent negative experiences/celebrate successes through media

Memes and Inside Jokes | Media Generation

Player Interview | Player Psychology

Objectives - primary

• Find areas to improve PM and negative resistance
• Identify team weaknesses/strengths, interview others accordingly
• Flex goal, user specific

Objectives - secondary

• Form a closer friendship 
• Create a supportive network for venting within team

Quantitative Questions | Player Psychology

y/n questions

Did you get 8+ hours of sleep prior?

Did you get enough to eat?

Were you slightly injured?

Scale of 1-10:

How much energy did you have?

How did you feel at the beginning of the game?

How did you feel at the end?

Phenomenalogical Questions | Player Psychology

How did the game go? Give me an overview from your perspective.

Why do you think it went that way?

How did you contribute to that outcome? How did you contrast that outcome?

What were you feeling at that moment?

How do you think others could have done better?

How do you think you could have done better?

Do you need other’s help with that?

Can you help others with their own struggles?

When were you most excited?

When were you most lethargic?

Weekly

• Create recap vid using game footage
• Create 1-2 posters using images from practaces/games

Questions? Feedback?

Identifying and targeting sources of negative Psychological Momentum within players will increase their performance. Teams with more resistance to negative Psychological Momentum will perform better in comparison to teams with low tolerance.

Project Goals | Background

Psychological Momentum is usually described as having a ‘hot hand’, or being ‘in the zone’. Typically, the athlete or team with a positive PM will experience a significant increase in feelings of control, confidence, optimism, and energy.

Under a sports psychology lens, momentum is a battle of attrition. There is little evidence that shows quantitative, positive effects after increasing momentum, but its loss can be devastating.

Justification

• 70% of young athletes left sports by their teens, often because of a toxic or negative experience*. How to we compete in a sportsmanlike manner, building up team and sport culture?
• SHS Ultimate is a young program, how can I grow it?
• Preserve Ultimate Frisbee Culture while enhancing my team's ability to compete

*National Alliance for Youth Sports

End Goals | Effect on Team

Media Generated:

• 1-2 posters per game, ~22 total
• 1 recap video per week, 4 total (in capstone)
• Order high quality flag/flagpole for team use

Outlooks Shifted:

• Measure 1 player's outlook over the rest of capstone via interview, 8 games/interviews total

Plays created:

• Create 3 plays to generate momentum, observe in games

Ideally:

• Increase in interest in frisbee at SHS
• Increase Somerville's "spirit score" at tournaments
• Increase performance at games

Project Goals | Methodology

Coaches & Athletes | Psychologists | Media

Improve in-game strategy

Improve out-of-game hype

Improve player responsiveness/psychology

Coaches/Athletes

Psychologists/Athletes

Media Generation

Precedents | In-Game Strategy

Most plays that shift the momentum in a game were created with scoring in mind. The plays that I create will be based on generating tactical momentum.

Trick Plays - Shift Momentum

"Flex" Plays - Maintain Momentum

3 Man Weave - Tactically sound, good looks

"Old Reliable" - Risky, but if successful lots of momentum

Tactical Momentum | In-Game Strategy

“Tactical Momentum” - A plan for subverting or maintaining momentum/morale/energy/PM during a perticular moment during a match or tourney

Current Applications

Traditional plays, shifting the momentum by creating tactical success on field via ‘big plays’ or moments of mastery

Sideline plays, shifting the momentum via sideline engagement off field. Cheering plays/active sideline

Reward players who do the ‘dirty jobs’ on the field. Good defense, stuff that won’t make the highlight reel but is crucial to overall advantage, ect.

Traditional and sideline plays should be blended for maximum effect

Example Play | In-Game Strategy

Split Stack | Flex Play

Malloy's Play | Big Play

This was the initial idea for the project. I want to create material that draws fans in, creating a strong base for our players to get excited from.

STILL HERE: Patriots Super Bowl 53 Hype Video

Precedents | Media Generation

Red Sox Instagram account

Team Unity | Media Generation

Outcome: Success! Flag generated significant spirit, with many players attributing positive momentum shifts to it.

• Create pride within athletes through symbolic unity

• Generate anticipation for the season
• Provide material for Villen social media accounts
• Generate ancipatoon for future matches

WE ARE VILLEN | Media Generation

Initial Posters | Media Generation

• Working with

• Create anticipation for the coming season by capitalizing on the "Edit" trend.
• Clips from first tournament
• Mostly Big Plays

• Posted to social media, positive response.

He's Back! | Media Generation

• Convey a sense of how the tournament went to JV and outside world, build interest.
• Congratulate players who had a great tourney!

• Posted to social media, positive response.

Danvers Recap | Media Generation

• Increase team connectivity through humor
• Vent negative experiences/celebrate successes through media

Memes and Inside Jokes | Media Generation

Player Interview | Player Psychology

Objectives - primary

• Find areas to improve PM and negative resistance
• Identify team weaknesses/strengths, interview others accordingly
• Flex goal, user specific

Objectives - secondary

• Form a closer friendship 
• Create a supportive network for venting within team

Quantitative Questions | Player Psychology

y/n questions

Did you get 8+ hours of sleep prior?

Did you get enough to eat?

Were you slightly injured?

Scale of 1-10:

How much energy did you have?

How did you feel at the beginning of the game?

How did you feel at the end?

Phenomenalogical Questions | Player Psychology

How did the game go? Give me an overview from your perspective.

Why do you think it went that way?

How did you contribute to that outcome? How did you contrast that outcome?

What were you feeling at that moment?

How do you think others could have done better?

How do you think you could have done better?

Do you need other’s help with that?

Can you help others with their own struggles?

When were you most excited?

When were you most lethargic?

Weekly

• Create recap vid using game footage
• Create 1-2 posters using images from practaces/games

Questions? Feedback?

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.

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

PM can, in theory, be applied to anything that is competitive, scored, or otherwise relates to one one of its 6 factors. Therefore, PM has the potential to have outsize impact on education, mental health, productivity and more. In the second phase of the study, the prior research will be applied to find if PM can be created and utilized in non-athletic contexts. Any methods found will be tested to see if there is a significant increase in performance when applied. In a classroom setting, a significant amount of students lack motivation (Snyder & Hoffman, 2002). In the workforce, productivity and motivation are closely linked (Kailash Chandra, 2011). If PM were to be utilized in these fields, the benefits could be immense.

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!

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.