Ever since I was little, I have always had a love-hate relationship with sports, and I find my anxiety around athletics to be my cave. Some of my best and worst memories have come from being on a team, and a lot of the good memories from past events like winning the championship with my school baseball team or scoring the game-winning three in the playoffs have been blocked out by my ugly past by my former teammates and peers. In athletics, I have had some poor experiences with teammates and various athletes who I encountered on opposing teams or in tryout positions throughout my athletic career. Many told me that I suck and others would laugh and talk poorly about me when I made a mistake. I am a nervous person by nature, and these experiences have chained me to stay away from any sporting event where the eyes were on me, so I could avoid the nerves and the pain that I have gone through in my past. I …show more content…
Even though I go back to the safety of my cave, I know the feeling of excelling beyond my safe place and doing well in sports, but that all gets clouded over by my anxiety. In the offseason, I think of my anxiety as one small piece of sports and my accomplishments as far greater, but when the season approaches, my fear of being judged starts to grow, like a paint bucket full of white with a single black dot that turns the whole bucket to gray. It's hard for me to comprehend the fact that one small aspect of sports, such as nerves, can dilute all other accomplishments. I know what outside the cave feels like because I've been there, but I still find myself crawling back into my shell where I'm unable to fully find my way out of the dark to overcome anxiety to be able to take the risk of shooting the game winning three no matter what the outcome may
The sport I once loved, was not fun anymore. I hated practice because I felt targeted and was always worrying about being embarrassed by my coach. In games or practice I worried about what she would say or do if I made a mistake. When I thought I did something right she
Athletes are often viewed specially because of their intense determination. They often beat themselves up in order to overcome what they think they can do. Breaking this threshold nearly always requires the overcoming of adversity. In sports psychology, when an athlete “not only makes it through [his] adversity, but acquires additional protective factors in the process”, he has undergone what is known as “resilient reintegration” (Galli, Nick, and Robin S. Vealey 318). This is especially the case when “an athlete returns with a greater appreciation of sport or a stronger work ethic than before” (319). According to exercise and sport scientist Galli’s study, athletes who overcame adversity were ninety percent more capable to cope with future adversities and perform “well in both sport and in life” (320). It is no surprise that people who have overcome adversities in their past are better suited to overcome them again. What is a surprise is how far this truly goes. In fact, this study shows that athletes who have returned from an
The goal of every coach is to create an environment in which his athletes can flourish. Performance anxiety is a coach’s worst enemy simply because it can have a negative impact both mentally and physically on athletes. The mastery approach to coaching is a cognitive-behavioral intervention designed to promote a mastery-involving motivational climate (Smith, Smoll, Cumming, 2007). How a coach handles his athletes is essential for their confidence and ability to overcome any level of performance anxiety. Critical or punitive feedback from coaches can evoke high levels of negative affect in children who fear failure and disapproval, thereby contributing to a threatening athletic environment (Smith, Smoll, Cumming, 2007).
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
Arousal in sport can be defined as the degree of activation (both physiological and psychological) that an individual experiences when faced with a sporting situation or task. It can be viewed as a continuum ranging from drowsiness/sleep to a psyched-up, hyperactive state. Moderating arousal levels can help to control stress and anxiety (Study.com, 2017). Arousal levels affect performance negatively and positively. The Inverted U model shows the relationship between performance and arousal. This model is specific to the individual, and specific to the task (The Arousal Theory of Motivation, 2017) Ideal performance state or ‘the zone’. Arousal affects performance due to, muscle tension and coordination difficulties with excessive arousal.
Emotion is a big part of the psychological affect on society. We want to give the reader a framework depicting how the mental training improve their performance. After the testing, the author found (Chris, 2014)There are a number of psychological factors that have the potential to negatively affect an athlete’s ability to perform optimally, for example,anxiety, nerves, poor concentration,and self-doubt (Chris, 2014). And the detrimental thoughts, attitudes also will affect the athlete’s ability. In here i want to talk more about the somatic anxiety. We know anxiety will cause many different physical condition and mental disease. This is very dangerous if we do not use correct methods to treat. One of
When I first started playing baseball, I didn't have many friends at all. I was fairly introverted, spending most of my time indoors. I read a lot and didn't bother talking to people because I had literature to keep me company. Then, I started playing baseball at age 8. I was in a completely new environment with people I didn't know, and I was terrified. However, everyone who was on the team(as well as my future teams) treated me with the same camaraderie that old friends would have. Needless to say, I integrated instantly. I was thankful for my choice in playing because I ended up making new friends for the first time in my life. I ended my first season of baseball with a whopping 9 new friends. As I stated before, baseball boosted my self-esteem. It allowed me to break out of my shell and have fun for once. I remember an old game from back in my third season of playing. I had the time of my life, better than anything I did. I had fun, I got my first official home run. The feeling was phenomenal, and I got cheered by my entire team as I ran to home base. I was 10 years old at the time. It helped boost my self-esteem, having helped win the game. Very few things bring me that feeling of glee I felt when I hit that first home run. When I quit at age 16, I felt a sort of loss. However, I was still able to continue on with my life as my friends were still there. My attitude towards life didn't change
And because of the obvious problems with anxiety, there are a few key ways that show how treatment helps athletes out. So finally, after years of research on the effects of anxiety and treatment, it is imperative that athletes get help from a professional in order to obtain maximum performance. Bibliography Bird, Anne Marie and Horn, Melanie. “Cognitive Anxiety and Mental Errors in Sport”.
Playing a sport whether its basketball, soccer, football or any other of your interest can be thrilling, and accelerating. Not only can it be fun yet physical exercise is good for the mind, body, and spirit. Therefore, as an athlete one must keep in mind that playing any sport, injury is part of life and inevitable. Research has proven from time to time that severe injuries in sports can trigger psychological mental health issues, affecting them in their athletic performance.
...ompetition environment. There is increasing recognition by the sports community that supporting athlete mental health is a vital aspect of competitive performance, and is as integral to success as the athlete’s physical abilities. The profession of sports psychology provides a very meaningful contribution to help facilitate athlete wellbeing and maximize the psychological skills required to compete at the highest level of competition.
I started playing volleyball in seventh grade, and I had completely fallen in love with the sport. Growing up in a small town, our school always struggled to find coaches that were not related to players. In middle school, I would always be so angry that the important named kids got to play in the A team, while I was stuck in the corner with the B team. Eventually, eighth grade year I decided to join a club team, and increase my skill for freshman year. I enjoyed club, I had actually made the one team, and I had virtually no problems with anyone or anything that season. But, just as soon as freshman year rolled around my attitude changes a lot. I’ve gained the perfectionist trait from my mother, and with this mindset in a sport, you’re almost guaranteed to struggle. Freshman year I had just come off of club, so I knew so much more about the sport and its movements. Naturally I wanted to be perfect, I personally believe that I had done really well as a freshman, but when I messed up I became silent.
When athletes perceive high levels of social support from friends and family members, it can relieve stress. This is because the athlete is provided with emotional support, such as listening and being challenged, which in turn helps them with their coping abilities of anxiety and may even be able to prevent it (Malinauskas. 2010. 742). If the athlete feels like they are not cared for and are unconnected with those closest to them, it can leave them feeling helpless and alone. One athlete stated that because of her injury, her family no longer had a reason to visit her university and in turn, made communication hard with her father because her athletic career had connected them (Heird & Steinfeldt. 2011. 148).
Anxiety continues to a focus of research in sports psychology. The issue in this study involving anxiety is the physical and physiological affects it can have on an individual’s performance ability. In order to understand anxiety people must understand the factors that can lead to or increase an individual’s anxiety. For this study researchers used a methodological approach system, which purposed research focused on examining the mediating role of coping strategies. They evaluated coping strategies by comparing participant’s achievement goals and their outcome results.
Successful athletes believe that training the mental side is just as important as training the physical. They know the process of using the mind to gain the most from their abilities. They understand fear, as well, and how to execute by reframing the fear or using a compartmentalization technique (Crust & Clough, 2011)(Kuehl, Kuehl, & Tefertiller,
Life is full of troubles, demands, pressures and hassles—these are all factors related to stress. Stress is a state of mental or emotional tension resulting from adverse or difficult situations (Merriam-Webster). When you are in potential danger, your body responds with a “fight-or-flight” response to protect you from any harm. Situations like being robbed at gunpoint or studying last minute the night before the test can activate stress in your body. Although situations in life can increase stress, there are plenty of methods to diminish it. Methods like meditating, talking to family/friends, drinking tea, or even taking a quick nap--all of these methods are proven effective (The Franklin Institute). One method that is prominent to many is physical exercise. Exercise is considered to improve physical conditions and strength, but maintains mental fitness in the process. Although many assume that exercising is healthy, some may not be familiar of how it relieves stress in detail. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise, the pros and cons must be considered. Some pros are: managing the levels of stress in your body, boosting your self-esteem, and improving learning and memory. The cons are: being time consuming and tedious, being costly and expensive, and risking injury while exercising. Let’s look at the pros of physical activity.