ABSTRACT
Given the potential and perceived 'dangers' of sporting competition it is no surprise that athletes regularly report such feelings prior to competition. The manner in which athletes deal with the increased arousal will inevitably affect the way they perform. Dan Gould and Eileen Udry have posed three pertinent questions relating to arousal control as a means of assisting athletes to improve their performance. A certain level of arousal is beneficial to performance. Thus warming up and psyching up strategies are regularly employed to raise the level of arousal. Relaxation is best construed as a skill which, like any other skill, may be acquired, developed and mastered through practice. It is a means of achieving control by letting go. However relaxation is about letting go of tension and focusing on the accompanying feelings in the various muscle groups. A quick and easy way of controlling arousal through relaxation is ten-point relaxation.
