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Describe the role of sport psychology
Describe the role of sport psychology
Sports psychology is the science of behaviour
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Sports Psychology
Now a days there are a wide variety of athletic games, whether it be
the most common of all, football, or the not so common, high jump.
Sports is considered as one of many favorite pastime, and overtime it has
become very competitive. Not only do people enjoy watching sports, but
many people also love to play sports. Over the years these games have
grown world wide, and now these great athletes are not only good at what
they do, they also play to win. How do these athletes get so good at what
they do? Could it be genetics or maybe the environment they grow up in,
or can it be just self determination?
Sports Psychology is a growing psychological process. These days
you may see more Sport Psychologists coaching your favorite golf or tennis
player. Even if these athletes are at their best, there is always room to
improve mentally and physically. The mind and the body work together as
one. In fact many have said that " sports is more of a mental process
than a physical one." If an athlete lacks concentration, has no motivation,
and has a poor mental attitude, that person is unlikely to succeed. He
cannot work well as one nor can he work well as a team player because he
needs to have self confidence.
Self confidence is very essential. Many sports psychologists help
athletes to realize that if you are less confident about yourself, the
tendency is for that someone not to take the challenge and the risks. On
the other hand, if one has over-confidence, you could end up losing a
game for taking things for granted and not trying hard enough. With
having self confidence, anything seems possible, and without it, you will
conquer nothing. Therefore psychologists help to build that confidence
up, where you can perform at a professional level.
On a different level, sports involves many emotions, a lot of
competition, cooperation, decision making and achievements. People
involved in sports attempt to master very difficult skills, often subjecting
themselves to intense physical stress as well as social pressure. Athletes
aim to succeed so much that they are pressured to handle the stress from
managers, fans, and owners, not to mention the immense competition.
Athletes also have to integrate their social lives with work. For one, they
have to worry about being traded to a different team in another state, and
According to Weinberg and Gould (1995), mental practice is related with mental training to competition. Based on Murphy and Martin (2002), mental practice can be divide into two which is imagery techniques and verbal techniques. Imagery techniques can be visual rehearsal, kinesthetic rehearsal or emotional rehearsal. While verbal techniques are self talk and performance cues. Based on Suinn (1993), mental imagery can be defined as mental creation or re-creation of sensory experiences that appear to the person imagining them to be similar to the real event. Imagery is one of the techniques that can be used to improve sport performance among athletes. According to Morris, T., Spittle, M. and Watt, A. P (2005), the most important thing to know
Sport and exercise science is a multidisciplinary field that draws on knowledge from the broader parent disciplines, the subareas that make up sport and exercise science also draw on measures, constructs and concepts from each other. In fact, it is suggested that sport psychology should include knowledge from other sub-disciplines within sport and exercise science in order to gain better understanding of situations specific to
The “placebo effect” is defined as an effect of beliefs rather than a drug. In research athletes have been made to believe that they received anabolic steroids, carbohydrates, or caffeine and they performed better than baseline or control groups. The focus in placebo research in sport is one the role of beliefs as a psychological factor in performance. Sport psychologists have argued that many technologies, products, or substances that seem to have an effect on athletes performance have no clear biological basis but may simply be the result of the placebo effect.
Baseball Hall of Famer and great Yogi Berra once said, “baseball is 90% mental and the other half physical. The psychology of baseball has always gone beyond the believed capabilities of all human beings and continues to stun scientists throughout the world. With the increase in physical abilities, athletes look towards professionals to find strength in their cognitive abilities to enhance their overall performance. Sports psychologists are also being used in order to aid athletes who have been struggling in either Minor or Major League Baseball. Sports psychology can help players from both the aspects of hitting and pitching by the use of techniques such as personal motivation, stress management, and visualization.
Sports psychology can be defined as the study and application of the attitudes and behaviors of athletes (including team athletes) that impact (either positively or negatively) performance in sports or competitive settings. The goal of sports psychology is to help athletes and teams identify unhealthy attitudes and beliefs, apply mental toughness skills and peak performance strategies to perform at optimal levels (Cohn). Sports psychology is not recognized as a traditional field of practice offered by graduate programs; although, it is a recognized field of specific study under Kinesiology and Physical Education Programs. Sports psychology was first founded in 1920 by Carl Diem in Berlin, Germany. Later on, in 1925, sport psychology was brought to the U.S by Cloman Griffith. These early psychologists aimed to observe the effects of mental state on different factors of performance such as reaction time, tension, relaxation, and awareness (Haney). In the 1960’s Griffith’s research interest in sports psychology reemerged after having faded away for a while; however, the field had a...
Athletics are not about winning and losing, it is about getting the most out of
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
gather data on the risks of participating in various sports. Almost all of these attempts
they begin to achieve that goal, and many athletes are having a hard time controlling that
What is the thought pattern of an athlete? Is there anything special or unique that goes on in the mind of an athlete, that doesn’t happen in the average person’s mind? These are questions that are very difficult to answer. Every athlete thinks differently, learns differently, and is motivated in different ways. But maybe there is something dealing with the mind of an athlete that separates them from the rest of civilization.
College athletes do just as much as professional athletes plus the pressure of school work. Everyone has their own opinion on the
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.
be able to keep up with your team and you will keep going rather than
When athletes go “beyond the game,” they think outside the box and decide what it takes to win a game and be successful. The qualities topping the list, were becoming a good teammate, good opponent and good person.
Jeff Kemp, a retired professional NFL quarterback, once stated, “Sports teach positive lessons that enrich America even while revealing its flaws” (Kemp). Athletics offer so much more than the joy of game day and the thrill of a win. Being involved in sports holds the key to a world filled with passion, excitement, and once in a lifetime opportunities. There is nothing better than seeing the student section arrive in full force or hearing the school fight song chanted before kickoff. However, when life moves on and leaves sports behind, the lessons it has instilled in athletes never disappears. The play calls may be foggy and the jersey will be too tight, but what was innocently learned in the jersey shines out at an older age. Although life lessons can be learned through everyday activities, lessons such as teamwork, self-confidence, and dealing with failure are only truly learned through sports by young athletes.