Psychology in sport held a very active role in preparation and during the Commonwealth games in Manchester 2002. When it comes to athletes who compete in such a prestigious and competitive event, sport psychology in all its facets becomes a huge burden to face. If the athlete can stay calm composed and remain competitive in such an event then this can be of profound help.
Concentrating on the individual, psychology asks many questions, such as why do people continue to participate despite pain? Why do people continue to be successful? Why do people try to improve there skills, in other words, what motivates people? Such areas as the personality, self-confidence and the attitude of an athlete may help answer these questions.
Motivation is seen to have two aspects, firstly it drives us to achieve something (it stimulates our behaviour) and secondly it makes us do particular things (it directs our behaviour). In a study motivation, Maslow (1954) argues that we are all faced with a hierarchy of needs. This works around the idea of once you satisfy one need the next need becomes the focus of the person in question. Participation in the Commonwealth Games gives each athlete an opportunity to fulfil these needs; in other words it offers a direction for the fulfilment of needs. The graph below should help explain.
Progression
E.g. Long Distance Runner
Self Actualisation 1. Participation in CWG
Esteem Needs 2. Successful Performance
Social Needs 3. Ma...
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...ht be and how we might be successful in changing the attitude. In doing this we can clearly see how the role of sport psychology in preparation of the Commonwealth Games may be of clear relevance.
As we can see from the above information and examples it is clear to see that if a competitor wants to be successful, he/she must prepare both physically and perhaps more importantly psychologically if he or she wants to flourish at the highest level. Through the use of sport psychologists it can perhaps help an athletes aims and aspirations within the sporting world, become a reality.
The Reference List
* Cox, R. H. (2002). Sport Psychology: Concepts and Applications. (5th Ed.). McGraw-Hill
Sharkly, B.J. (1979) Physiology of Fitness: Champaigne, IL: Human Kinetics
Whitehead, N. (1988) Conditioning for Sport. Yorkshire: Dodd & Gordon.
Hours before a match, athletes in all corners of the world tend to freak out due to all the psychological factors that accompany performance in sports. Stop for a quick second and imagine becoming a Manchester United Striker or a Denver Broncos Wide-Receiver. For those who did not know already, these two positions are among the hardest in the sports world to play. Not only must the person assigned to these positions stay up until the early hours of the morning studying plays and formations so they might better assist their team come match day, but they also act as the main way the teams they play for get any points. If the expectation of being the team’s top scorers isn’t enough, they must also act as an inspiration to every other teammate that plays alongside them. Even though most people say psychological factors have no effect on an athlete’s performance in sport, athletes are negatively affected by the psychological aspects because of pre-game jitters they may experience, the relationship each athlete has with the stadium crowd, and the toll each match has on the athletes’ bodies.
...ntial stressors when competing. According to Nicholls & Polman (2007), the capability to cope with stress plays a significant part in how well an athlete performs during and out of competition. In line with this research, the self-efficacy construct has been found to impact how an individual appraises a situation and the corresponding way in which they cope. Self-efficacy can be defined as an individual’s beliefs about their ability to attain a certain outcome which is further expressed in their views about their capacity to execute a specific behavior or task. Since stress is a consistent and defining variable in sports and life outside of sports, it is crucial that athletes develop ways to successfully cope with stress and effectively implement these methods in order to avoid negative effects in competition and in life (Nicholls, Polman, Levy, & Borkoles, 2010).
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.
Psychology is the scientific study of how people behave, think and feel. Psychologists study a broad ranging discipline which incorporates both the scientific study of human behaviour as well as its biological, cognitive, and social bases, along with the systematic application of this knowledge applied to specific problems (McLeod, 2011). However, as for sports psychology, this can be defined as an interdisciplinary science that draws on knowledge from many related fields such as biomechanics, physiology, kinesiology and psychology. Furthermore, it involves the study of how psychological factors can affect an individual’s performance, alongside how participation in both exercise and sport can affect psychological and physical factors (Amezdroz, 2010).
Existing psychological literature on the aspects of resistance training provides some insight into areas of mental health and sport psychology (Stone, 2009). This includes psychological well-being, self-concept, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-worth. Additionally, the well-being of the players includes the mental and physical preparation for a season. Psychological skills that may serve athletes and others participating in resistance training includes: goal setting, relaxation, concentration, imagery, and ritualization (Ogilvie, 1995). The research in the areas of sports science has evolved over the past few years with the emergence of new techniques that help players train to improve performance. Upcoming studies in this area of sports science advocate the necessity of implementation of a sports program that focus on resistance training based on the sports program three metabolic pathways to improve anxiety and
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
Viewers or fans do not want to wait the following morning to get the latest news from sports groups, advisors or players. They would like to see the athletes give their comments instantly when interviewed by anchors during local or international events. Psychologies can contribute their knowledge to develop national athlete’s self-confidence. According to Shawn Byle (2004), low self- confidence follows you everywhere and will undoubtedly predict your behaviour and effect your communication negatively. Thus, a psychology session would be able to understand and improve an athlete’s self-confidence in communicating
Athletes today need to be able to cope with the anxiety and pressure that is placed on them in the competitive world of sports. A large deal of research has been done on examining the relationship between anxiety and performance within the field of athletics. This paper is going to show that the mind in an athlete has a lot to do with the result of the particular event. In order to show that anxiety in athletes is a significant problem this paper is going to be set up in three different areas in order to explain exactly how anxiety affects the athlete. The first section of the paper is going to explain the history and terminology on the study of anxiety in athletes. Next, this paper will show the results of numerous testing that has gone on in order to see the effects of anxiety in athletes. And the third and final section of this paper is going to explain what treatments that can help the athlete cope with the anxiety issues.
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.
Walker, N., Thatcher, J., & Lavallee, D. (2007). Psychological responses to injury in competitive sport: a critical review. The Journal of The Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, 174-180.
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).
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
Motivate the motivation, simple words that can mean some much to an athlete, but what is motivation really? In the games and sports, psychological and physiological factors play an important role in determining the performance level (Grange & Kerr, 2010; Schilling & Hyashi, 2001). Motivation also plays an important role in determining the performance level an athlete, but plays a role in the psychological and physiological factors as well. Motivation is more than a behavior or idea, it is an impact on how we interact with others, how we process defeat, feel, and how we play. Motivation will not only help an athlete get the starting position or gain an award but more importantly, help an athlete reach their potential. Motivation like most things
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.