Psychological Skills Training
What exactly is Psychological Skills Training and for a coach or instructor, what advantage is gained by its implementation? In other words, why bother?
Psychological Skills Training (PST) is typically more comprehensive than a few short sessions with a few simple interventions that a coach or instructor might suggest. PST usually integrates cognitive and relaxation techniques in a more encompassing approach to mental training and as a complement to physical training. Individualism is a hallmark of most PST programs. (Gill, 2000)
The Importance of Mental Skills
Why are mental skills so important to performance and why are they often neglected by coaches and athletes? Yogi Berra has been quoted as saying, "sport is 90% mental and 50% physical." You can question his mathematical savvy, but if you're an athlete, coach or fan, you can't question his wisdom. (Hacker, 2000) Many athletes understand that while developing oneself to their physical potential is a critical element in performance potential, it is often a deficit in our psychological game rather than errors in our physical performance that keep us from performing at optimum levels in practice, games or matches. Spud McKenzie, the Budweiser poster puppy, suggested that it is important to say when, but also emphasized the critical element of knowing “when to say when”. It is often the successful athlete has recognized what needed to be done and the unsuccessful athlete was unable to do so. As a consequence, it is not the physical talents or abilities that separate athletes and teams, or successful versus less successful performance, rather, the psychological dimension that most frequently explains a given sport outcome or individual performance. For this reason games are played. Prior to each contest, judgment could be made with regard to which team or individual is the “more highly skilled”. If games were decided on who is the most physically gifted and/or talented individuals or teams, it would prove to be an exercise in futility to compete. As a result, whether you are an athlete or a coach, mastering the mental game of sport will allow you to achieve a level of success as a competitor than you could otherwise not achieve by focusing exclusively on the physical side of sport.
PST - The Initial Learning Phase
The four commonly used PST techniques are: arou...
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...file becomes increasingly significant in terms of achieving desired performance levels.
The margins for success and failure as a world-class athlete can be miniscule. Skiers go wide on the third gate of a downhill race to find they have not only lost the gold medal, but any medal. Members of the PGA, after playing 72 holes, find themselves losing the tournament by one stroke, as a result of the missed three-foot putt on the second day of competition.
Works Cited
Gill, D. L., (2000), Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise, Champaign, IL, 2nd Ed., p197, Human Kinetics.
Hacker, C., (February 2000), Introduction to Psychological Skills, Eteamz, http://www.eteamz.com/baseball/instruction/psych/index.cfm?m=1,2,3,4,5
Rushall, B. S., (1995). Mental Skills Training for Sports, Sports Science Associates, Spring Valley, CA., 8.1- 8.3,
White, S. A., Psychological Skills: Differences between Volleyball Players on the Youth National Team and Those Involved in the 14’s High-Performance Camp, Unpublished Thesis, Illinois State University, Normal, IL.
Weinberg, R.S. & Gould, D. {1995} Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Ch.15
Ratey, John J. (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company.
Jeffers, N. (n.d.). Training youths for a sound future in athletics. Intensity Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2004, from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/inmag51.htm
Research has shown that the level of our physical activity can have a direct and very influential impact on our state of mind and how the body goes through many physical changes. The qualification to deal with life events such as stress, change or sickness is also an explicit objective of the mental strength. Accepting a positive opinion of the body which allows the body to interact with others in a firm ways and form relationships of a positive and confident way.
Practicing meditation daily or before a game builds mental strength. Scientists have proven that meditation improves many cognitive functions not only in athletes, but in everyday life, “Emerging scientific literature further suggests that mindfulness meditation is a productive method for improving self awareness” (David and Hayes 198) Another way that athletes can mentally prepare themselves is by visualizing the outcome that they would like before an event. This makes that outcome seem more realistic to them and closer in reach. This is called imagery. “Imagery has been described as a mental event that recreates actual experience and is frequently adopted by athletes as a covert rehearsal technique to aid both motoric and psychological performance.” (Parker et al. 22) . If you go into a game or match with the mindset that you are going to lose, you will not play to the best of your
Wiese-Bjornstal, D. M., Smith, A. M., Shaffer, S. M., & Morrey, M. A. (1998). An intergrated model of resonse to athletic injury and rehabilitation. Journal of Applied Sports Psychology, 10, 46-69.
It was neat to see that, at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, there were approximately 20 Sport Psychology Consultants there working with athletes. It has also been noted that 1/3 of the golfers on the major tours work with a Sports Psychologist or Consultant. Slowly but surely athletes, teams, coaches and managers are not only saying that they feel sports is mental, but also they are doing something about it. They are hiring Sports Psychologists, reading books, and devoting time to team building and mental training.
I am a young ambitious student who strives to excel in everything I do. I want to study Sport Psychology as I know I possess the right skills to further and develop myself in the career of sports. I have the ability to understand others in sports as I also play sports myself. I have been in high pressured sporting situations which I have used my psychological skills to help increase my performance. What interests me in Sport Psychology is that I can make a big difference to not just my life but the lives of people in sport such as rehabilitating athletes or boosting athlete performance. I am fascinated by how different athletes perform in the same environment and getting practical with the mind, body and brain. Improving performance, consistency and stability in an athlete’s
Vickers, E. (2014, February 11). Mental Health in the Student-Athlete. - The Sport In Mind – Sport Psychology. Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.thesportinmind.com/articles/mental-health-in-the-student-athlete/
The mind is very complex and the slightest thing can dramatically change a person. At the same time, the mind can be molded how it is told to. This infers that one with the correct knowledge can change another however they please which is very beneficial to coaches in athletics.
Sports psychology is an essential field of psychological study, which emphasizes the importance of performance enhancement through training your psychological and mental abilities. Sports psychology is a specialization within brain psychology and kinesiology and it seeks to understand psychological/mental factors that affect performance in sports, physical activity, and apply this knowledge in order to enhance individual and team performance. As we make advancements in science we grasp the increasing importance of the human mind, thus exponentially increasing the value and power of thought. As contrary to popular belief, every thought we think, and every word we say before a race/event can trigger a major effect upon your ending results, whether it may be positive or negative. It is thoughts that are conjured before an event that can make or break a race, thus putting the utmost of importance on self-affirmation and motivational thinking in the pre event stages of a race (or an event). The main aspects that play a considerable role in a successful athletic performance are motivation and self-efficacy.
Negative, irrelevant thoughts cause the individual to doubt him or herself. The chain reaction of these events cause anxiety, and either affect or halt the action that was meant to take place (Lenac). Psychological skill training is used to enhance performance by a systematic practice of skills, and in this case, can be used to help the choking response (Weinberg, 248.) A sport psychologist will have the client recognize what happened when the choking first ensued. The client can now receive help with managing thoughts, emotions, and awareness so that she will not choke again. It is important for the client to only think about now, while managing breathing, so the negative thoughts can be released.
physical advantage to compete at the highest level. This is where the psychology of sports
Sports psychology continues to evolve in order to ensure that comprehensive and evidence-based psychological services are available for athletes and teams. Giving athletes an understanding of their psychological functioning, and building the ability to implement a range of psychological strategies in competition enables athletes to both execute their skills and thrive under pressure as they strive to reach their performance potential.
Clough, P., K. Earle, and D. Sewell. "Mental toughness: The concept and its measurement." Solutions in sport psychology (2002): 32-43.
Millions of children worldwide participate in a multitude of sports, either in school or outside of school. As they grow older, they get better, but some of them stop playing. We have discussed that the best and sometimes oldest of the kids (in their age groups) are given more chances and more opportunities, as well as better coaching. This results in them gaining more experience and practice. Ultimately, some of them end up being national or world-class athletes competing and representing their country. In order for that to happen, they have to be recognized as talented and be presented with a chance to become great.