Einleitung

A review of the sport psychology literature reveals that a wide variety of mental training approaches or techniques has been used with athletes. One of the most powerful techniques for facilitating learning of arousal self-regulation is biofeedback. Essentially, the Wingate 5-step approach has been proposed within this framework. To gain scientific credibility for this approach, Blumenstein, Bar-Eli and Tenenbaum (1995) investigated the effects of autogenic training, imagery and music training on physiological indices and athletic performance, using the biofeedback (BFB) device. The results of this study indicated that BFB had a substantial augmenting effect on phyisological components and athletic performance when accompanied mainly by autogenic training and imagery. Simultaneously, Blumenstein, Tenenbaum, Bar-Eli and Pie (1995) presented the fundmentals of a two-stage procedure that was aimed to mentally prepare athletes for competitions. This procedure consisted of using BFB apparatur and videocassette recorder (VCR) equipment, combined with relaxation and excitation techniques, to simulate the sensations of competitive situations. In order to enable practitioners to successfully use the proposed method, a more detailed description of its various states was required. To meet this requirement, the Wingate 5-step approach was developed. Einfuehrung