Sports Psychology

The Mind, The Body, And The Ritual

Psychology is the study of the human mental process and behaviour used to understand the general rules that guide our thinking. In other words, psychology investigates an individual’s mind, emotions and personality. Similarly, in this research project, I have collected and analyzed primary data in order to gain a superior understanding of the study of sports psychology. Specifically, the nature of pre-game rituals and how it is processed by several professional athletes; I have conducted a research questionnaire to determine whether or not these superstitions actually affect one’s performance.

FINDINGS AND THOUGHTS:

Through my primary data, I have discovered that even after fulfilling pre-game rituals, a clear majority of my student-athlete surveyors still

I expected to come across more athletes who were more laid back and neutral for their sport. I assumed this because most surveyors are in grade eleven, meaning, it’s common for athletes to quit in order to focus on school as senior year is approaching or they’ve lost their passion for their sport. That being said, it was eye-opening to see just how passionate and serious these athletes are in Oakville. Most are also confident in their game, conduct visualizations, have experienced success and most importantly enjoy playing their sport(s). Next, I’ve recognized that more than half of the surveyors (63%) have a pre-game ritual, but only 56% sincerely believe pre-game rituals affect one’s performance. These two results correlate to justify that a few selected athletes with pre-game rituals still satisfy their tedious superstitions whilst knowing that these regimes won’t necessarily bring them more success. Furthermore, this improved my understanding of psychology as I could relate it to the age-old question as to why some people crack under pressure whilst