What is Sport Psychology
In a world where medals are won and lost by hundredths of a second and championships decided on goal difference or marginal decisions, every aspect of sports performance has to count.
Sport Psychology is on one hand the scientific study of mental and interpersonal aspects of sports performance and, on the other, an applied discipline that uses the evidence gained from that study to enhance sports performance.
The breadth of topics covered by sport psychology is vast, but some of the areas of study or focus that are covered by sport psychologists include:
- Confidence
- Concentration/focus
- Motivation
- Emotional experience, e.g. anxiety or anger
- Thought processes
- Mood
- Career development
- Coach-athlete relationships
- Team cohesion
Applied sport psychologists can work in many different ways. Indeed it is fair to say that no two sport psychologists are the same.
Some of the approaches to sport psychology include the humanistic, cognitive and behavioural (even cognitive-behavioural), but there are more – and each of those may be divided further.
However, an imperfect and inexhaustive list of the more common techniques and interventions that are used by sport psychologists include:
- Counselling
- Goal setting
- Self-talk
- Imagery/Visusalisation/Mental Rehearsal
- Relaxation
- Reframing
- Planning & preparation
- Competition review
If you are looking for a sport psychologist, you should ask whether they are certified (or working towards it). In the UK, generally that means Accreditation with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, or Chartership with with British Psychological Society. There may also be other associated professionals, such as psychotherapists, who will call themselves sport psychologists – but again they should be able to provide details of their professional status.
By working with a certified professional you know that you have someone who has demonstrated a degree of competency and knowledge, has some structured training and, importantly, has signed up to a code of ethics.
However, the quality of relationship that you develop with your sport psychologist will have a large bearing on the success of any intervention. It is worth looking around and talking to a few to get a good ‘feel’ for how they might work with you and whether you are comfortable with them.
of the situation*.
Many things have an impact, such as focus, emotions such as anxiety and anger, and confidence. These can be altered by changes in your environment, thoughts, or motivation. I can help you to gain greater control over these things.
If you want to create a high performing team, you need to create a team climate for the team to perform based on clear shared goals, roles and mutual trust.
Organisational Performance Development
Systematically creating high performance isn’t just about having the structures and experts in place. The culture and climate in which an athlete performs is affected by management, coaches, parents and even the media. In other words, you need to develop the organisation that can develop the athlete.
Contact me now for an informal, confidential and no-strings conversation.
