Review of Journal Article: Using Psychological Skills Training to Develop Soccer Performance Richard C. Thelwell , Iain A. Greenlees & Neil J. V. Weston (2006) Using Psychological Skills Training to Develop Soccer Performance, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology,18:3, 254-270 Improving the performances of athletes has always been of utmost importance to many stakeholders of the sporting industry, such as the athletes’ coaches, sport psychologists, sports scientists. Many factors during a competition can affect athletes physically and mentally and these can negatively affect their performance abilities. Among these factors involved in affecting athletic performances, psychological factors have long been of interest. Many studies have since …show more content…
In the article, it elaborated on three studies which utilised multiple-baseline-across-individuals designs. The first study by Swain and Jones (1995) employed goal-setting interventions on basketball subcomponents like offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, steals and turnovers. Positive results were observed for targeted subcomponents whereas no changes were seen in others. The second study illustrated was a study by Johnson et al. (2004) which employed self-talk strategies to help improve soccer low-drive shooting of elite female youth soccer players. Two out of the three players assessed showed improvements in their shooting performances. The third study by Rogerson and Hrycaiko (2002) examined the utilisation of two psychological interventions (centering and self-talk) on the subcomponent performances of junior ice hockey goaltenders. Results showed an improvement in the save percentages and social validation data reflected players’ satisfaction with the strategies. Thus, these three studies demonstrated the potential in looking into performance subcomponents instead of just outcomes …show more content…
Evaluation of athlete’s strengths and weaknesses can enhance the understanding of the players and facilitate the planning process. Profiling of players could be conducted before grouping similar characteristic of players together. Identification of suitable interventions could then be carried out. As in performance profiling process, the athletes are self-determining and their perspectives become a central rather than peripheral focus. This will aid in the maximising of athletes’ motivation to partake and adhere to the interventions during that specific period. Thus effectiveness of the interventions could then be more accurately assessed. In addition, for future studies, if three variables were selected, baseline data could be established for all three dependent variables. The researcher could implement one intervention first while maintaining baseline conditions for the other two. Once stabilised and criterion is gathered for the first intervention, analysis can be done before progressing to the second intervention. This could be repeated till all three interventions are completed. This would then allow for a more effective test of the
Conroy, D. E., Elliot, A. J., & Hofer, S. M. (2003). A 2 x 2 Achievement Goals Questionnaire for Sport: Evidence for Factorial Invariance, Temporal Stability, and External Validity. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 37(1), 42-56.
Educational sport psychology focuses on improving elite athletic performance through psychological skills training. Improving cognitive behavior and development by increasing cognitive awareness and addressing and correcting negative cognitive behaviors through and assortment of training methods, psychological skills training (PST) is best defined. The compass of psychology skills training includes the development of five basic psychological skills: arousal recognition, goal setting, imagery, attention control and self-talk. Sport psychologists have determined th...
The test subject, an 18-year-old male hockey defenseman, participated in a psychological skills training program designed to help improve confidence and performance. Education was provided for four psychological skill areas, including goal mapping, relaxation, imagery, and performance accomplishments.
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.
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
Creative new training methods, developed by coaches, athletes and sport scientists, are aimed to help improve the quality and quantity of athletic training ( Kellmann, 2010, p.1). However, these methods have encountered a consistent set of barriers including overtraining ( Kellmann, 2010, p.1). Due to these barriers, the need for physical and mental recovery in athletics brought an increasing attention in practice and in research ( Kellmann, 2010, p.1).
The reasons that previous research on this subject has been hard to synthesize is because of numerous reasons, those including ‘methodological flaws’ such as lack of clear definitions and also lack of clear ‘theoretical construct.’ In the following section terms will be established for words that will be throughout this paper. Also, this section will provide an overview of theories that have been used to clarify the relationship between anxiety and performance in athletes.
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.
Wiese-Bjornstal, D. M., Smith, A. M., & LaMott, E. E. (1995). A model of psychological response to athletic injury and rehabilitation. Athletic training: Sport health care perspectives, 17-30.
Children who participate in sports are developing rapidly in sports skills, sportsmanship, and psychologically, but does this come from organized sports are just nature’s process. Children develop emotional and social benefits from participating in sports. Children experience character and leadership development through peer relations leading to an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety levels. Children will get opportunities to experience positive and negative emotions throughout their practice and games trials. It is important for the coach to understand the “psychology of youth sports and physical activity participation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2011 p.516).
Rushall, B. S., (1995). Mental Skills Training for Sports, Sports Science Associates, Spring Valley, CA., 8.1- 8.3,
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.
Firstly, it is vital to note that anxiety, motivation, and concentration tremendously influence people's self-confidence and their performance at the long-run (Damon & Raedeke, P 188). Higher self-confidence reduces anxiety. The vice versa is also true. This is based on the fact that optimally confident sports people experience fewer doubts on self. Their worries reduce and give room for concentration in their activities. Additionally, motivated athletes are in a better position to strive towards achieving their goal. Motivation enables sports people to combat negativity and low self-esteem as they focus more on their goals other than obstacles. Therefore, it is fundamental to note that coaches and sports people must collaborate in finding any mechanisms that could stimulate and uphold self-esteem since it is, directly and indirectly, impactful to their
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.