Psychology in Sports
Darin L. James
National University
Abstract
This paper showcases examples of some NCAA colleges that utilize sports psychologists and how athletes use sports psychology to overcome adversity within their chosen sport. This paper also explores some of the more popular psychology techniques utilized in the world of sports that are designed to teach athletes to become stronger mentally and in turn enhance the athlete’s performance. This paper will explore mental strength building techniques such as goal setting, visualization, focus and flow. Stress also plays a factor in the mindset of the athlete. Techniques that help athletes deal with stress will also be discussed in this paper. This paper will also
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Ultimately these short-term goals by default led to Ohio State achieving the long-term goal of national champions. Visualizing positive outcomes increases the chance of successfully achieving goals. On the opposite side of that spectrum, visualizing negative outcomes increase the chance of failure. Mindtools.com (2015) states, “Most top athletes are trained to visualize their goals right before a competition. They see themselves winning the game, running the fastest race, or scoring the winning point.” Tiger Woods often visualized the best shot that would set himself up for best follow on shot. Wayne Gretzky often visualized where his teammates were most likely going to be at the time the puck arrived that was passed by him. By visualizing their goals athletes are able to manage the stressors of the game and are more likely to have better performance during the …show more content…
Athletes seeking the help of a sports psychologist should ensure they possess the proper credentials. Many of these credentialed psychologists obtain specific certifications within the field of sports psychology professionals. According to appliedsportpsych.org (2007), “A growing number of applied sport psychology professionals are certified by the AASP. These professionals—who earn the designation Certified Consultant, AASP (or CC, AASP)—have met a minimum standard of education and training in the sport sciences and in psychology.” Certified Consultants must pass a very extensive review process prior to achieving certification. They are required to maintain the highest standards of conduct while in the performance of their profession. However, obtaining certification does not guarantee that the consultant is not always mean the consultant will be
Interview with Mr. Scott William in the Field of Sport Science My interviewee was Mr. Scott William, a well-known professor in the field of sport psychology. My discipline is sport science, and although William does not teach at the university, he has a sport psychology degree. He is a close friend of my father’s and my mentor. He has been working in sport and recreation industry for the last ten years before I even knew him; so it seemed like he had a good understanding of sport science and the use of drugs in sports.
The age of overwhelming strength and stamina governing sports is over, and the age of the mentally tough athlete has arrived. Athletes are no longer the superficial jocks and robots programmed to accomplish one goal, victory. Modern athletes ranging from the high school to professional levels are faced with many pressures and temptations, normally outside the realm of their sport. These pressures can inhibit an athlete’s performance substantially; therefore, the pressures need to be dealt with by psychologists. The effectiveness of sports psychology is demonstrated through the fields many theories, applications, and variety of techniques and procedures.
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
Sports Psychology Today. Mental Edge Athletics, 4 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. Forde, Pat.
Abstract This paper examines the movie McFarland, USA (Caro 2015) and the sport psychology themes identified in this movie, produced in 2015. This movie depicts a cross country team going through the trials and tribulations of starting as a new team among other established teams. The sports psychology themes identified in this movie include motivation, mental toughness, and cultural consideration. Keywords: movie, sport psychology, themes, motivation, mental toughness, cultural consideration. In the movie, McFarland, USA, Coach White gets fired from his football coaching and teaching position at his preppy school.
As the captain of their sports team walks by, an outsider may admire them and their athletic appearance, without even knowing the hidden battles beneath the surface. Athletes may appear to be living a physically healthy life, yet that’s not considering the mental aspect. These athletes are constantly competing not just against their opponents but also against coaches' expectations, teammates, and even mental health disorders. Day in and day out, athletes give up their normal lives and become absorbed in excelling at their sport. Pressure to succeed for not just themselves, but everyone around them begins to weigh them down.
A. A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Anxiety in Athletes. April 2002. Athletics Insight: Online Journal of Sports Psychology. 29 May 2002 http://www.athleticsight.com.vol1iss2/Psychoanalytic_Anxiety.htm Stress Management: Behavioral Psychotherapy for Performance Enhancement.
Through an exploration of recent research and scholarly articles, we endeavor to deepen our understanding of athlete mental health and advocate for proactive measures to support their holistic development. Stress and anxiety represent significant hurdles for athletes striving for peak performance. The article "Stress, Sport Anxiety, Neuroticism, and Coping in Student-Athletes: Implications for Patient Mental Health" underscores the pervasive nature of stressors such as performance expectations, competition pressure, and academic responsibilities among student-athletes. These stressors not only induce anxiety but also exacerbate neurotic tendencies, posing formidable challenges to athletes' mental well-being and performance consistency. Moreover, the relentless pursuit of excellence in the athletic arena can take a toll on athletes' mental health.
A lot of times, sports seem like a contest of physical skill― a test to see who is the fastest or strongest, who has the best eye or the most endurance, who can jump the highest or can handle the ball the best. What a lot of people don’t know is that there is so much more to a sport than just the muscle and coordination. In order to excel in a sport, an athlete requires a lot of self-discipline, concentration, and self-confidence. It’s the mental factor that makes a difference. Former Olympic gold medal-winning decathlon runner Bruce Jenner once said, “You have to train your mind like you train your body” (Gregoire 1). Success or failure depends on the mental factors just as much as the physical ones. The training of the mind of an athlete is called sports psychology. The use of sports psychology has a huge impact upon an athlete’s performance. The mental skills of a sport are just as important as the physical skills. All professional athletes use sports psychology. “If they aren’t currently using it, it’s almost guaranteed they’ve used it in the past, even if they are unaware they have” (Davis, Stephens, The Exploratorium 129). It’s hard to find an experienced athlete who hasn’t used sports psychology, because without it, they probably wouldn’t be where they are. The use of sports psychology is a crucial step to becoming a successful athlete.
Psychological Skills Training Athletes' mental resilience and psychological well-being significantly influence their performance and long-term development (Congsheng et al., 2022). Psychological skills training (PST) aims to equip athletes with strategies to manage stress, enhance focus, and maintain confidence during
Sports psychology is the study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise and physical activity. Some sports psychologists work with professional athletes and coaches to improve performance and increase motivation. Other professionals use exercise and sports to enhance people’s lives and well-being. While finding ways to help athletes is certainly an important part of sports psychology, the application of exercise and physical activity for improving the lives of non-athletes is also a major focus.
An athlete can seek therapy or do many different exercises that do not require much of their time to do. Those exercises can include getting more sleep during the night, eating healthier, yoga, and getting a healthy amount of movement everyday. These simple tasks that can be easily implemented into a schedule can significantly benefit an athlete’s mental health (The Jed Foundation, 2024). Effective psychology practitioners should be used when helping a student-athlete with their mental health by using skills such as emphasizing motivation, feelings, attitudes, and leadership (Oramas, J.,
What is Sports psychology and how do psychologist help athletes? Sports psychology? What is it? Well, the complex definition of sports psychology is that it is an interdisciplinary science that draws on knowledge from many related fields including biomechanics, physiology, kinesiology and psychology. In addition it involves the study of how psychological factors affect performance and how participation in sport and exercise affect psychological and physical factors.
Introduction In analyzing and exploring the work of early women sociologists, this essay will address their theoretical work and compare it to Karl Marx and his theoretical contributions. The key women who will be mentioned among this paper are Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Jane Adamms, Marianne Schnitger Weber, and Harriet Martineau. The primary contributions of this paper include explaining the historical context and emergence of early women sociologists, explaining their main theoretical contributions to sociology, comparing their main contributions to Karl Marx’s theories, and evaluating ideas of early women sociologists in comparison to today’s society. This essay compares the work of early women sociologists to Karl Marx because although they are
Sport and exercise psychology is a mandatory aspect of the sport science discipline. This discipline contributes to the various professional practices associated with physical activities such as - teaching of physical education, recreation and health promotion, and kinesiology related professions - because it plays a mental role for the participants. Sport and exercise psychologists view physical activity in several different ways: physical activity as a tool for health, physical activity as a tool for human potential, and physical activity as a tool for social change. This aspect of psychology may be the most important aspect of physical activity, because of the contributions of exercise and sport psychology to health, human potential, and social change.