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The psychology of sports is the power of the mind to achieve athletic results

Homepage Articles The psychology of sports is the power of the mind to achieve athletic results

The psychology of sports is the power of the mind to achieve athletic results

It's the ability to stay focused at key moments, to focus on a goal despite difficulties, and to get back on track after failures. Petrie, J. Harmison 2014).

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1. This is a list of the official languages of the European Union

Sports psychology provides tools and strategies to strengthen mental resilience, allowing for more effective coping with stress, failure, and difficulties. Weinberg, D. Sports Psychology is concerned with the study of the interaction between mental processes and activities related to physical activity, mainly practiced professionally or semi-trained, but of course not only.

2. From strengthening psychology to therapy, there are different areas of sports psychology

Its main area of activity is supporting athletes who have faced mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, or eating disorders. They use therapeutic techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or relaxation techniques to help athletes achieve balance and performance in clinical psychology. Weinberg, D. Amateur and semi-trained athletes most often benefit from the help of a psychologist who has struggled with mental health issues like depression, fear, or nutritional disorder. They utilize therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy and relaxation technologies to assist athletes in achieving balance and athletic performance.

3. Effective tools and methods for sports psychology

Brick, T. Campbell 2014). Techniques to achieve this include learning to breathe properly, mindfulness training, or paying attention to body signals and sensations (N. McIntyre, M. In the case of professional athletes, the priority task for a psychologist is to focus on the attention and concentration of the athlete, which helps to ignore distractors (e.g. Screaming crowds) and to concentrate on the task.

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It is designed not only to prepare an athlete to improve performance, but also to develop self-confidence, improve concentration, reduce stress, and increase motivation. There are several types of visualization: visualization of the inner perspective, outer perspective, filmed, emotional and sensory. In addition to images, it also envisions the emotions that an athletes feel, sounds, smells, touch, and other senses associated with a given sporting situation (R. Very often the technique used is also visualization.

5. Self-help and positive thinking

It focuses on building emotional and cognitive self-regulation skills that allow athletes to maintain mental balance even in difficult moments. Dubuc Charbonneau, N. Positive thinking, in turn, consists of focusing on the positive aspects and prospects associated with training or competitions. Self-help is a process in which athletes use strategies and techniques to eliminate themselves (repeating positive statements), recognize negative thoughts and replace them with more favorable ones, practice selective thinking, and perceive difficulties as challenging rather than hindering (J. Winsler 2022). Self-healing is the key to determining whether or not athletes are using negative thinking strategies or techniques to remove themselves from their psychological or cognitive pathways.

6. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to do it again

This allows athletes to focus on the task without distracting thoughts and emotions. It involves tensing a specific muscle group for a few seconds, then relaxing it. Parnabas et al. 2014). A deep state of relaxation also promotes increased self-confidence, reduced levels of stress and anxiety, as well as improved concentration. One of the techniques most commonly used by sports psychologists is progressive muscle relaxation.

7. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to do that again

Athletes are put into a state of deep concentration. Hypnosis can be used as a tool to form positive thinking and emotional habits that translate into better performance during competition (L. Randazzo 2016). It is not used too often, but seems to be a very effective tool for improving athletic performance. They can then be more open to suggestions for improvement in technique, focus, or relaxation, which can help reduce anxiety and increase self-confidence.

8. Translate this page to Switch Polish: Switch

CBT focuses on learning more conducive ways of thinking and managing emotions properly, which translates to positive changes in behavior. Gustafsson, C. Tod 2017). It is based on the assumption that thoughts, feelings, and emotions are closely related and interact with each other.

9. Who can become a sports psychologist?

Unfortunately, very often you can meet so-called sports coaches, who do not always have the appropriate education, but nevertheless offer the same services as a sports psychologist. To become a sport psychologist in Poland, you must first complete a bachelor's or master's degree in psychology, and then postgraduate studies in this field. Before choosing a specialist, you should read opinions about it and consider the cooperation most tailored to your own needs.

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Brick N., McIntyre T., Campbell M., Attentional focus in endurance activity: New paradigms and future directions, „International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology” 2014, 7, 106–134.
Dubuc-Charbonneau N., Durand Bush N., Moving to action: The effects of a self-regulation intervention on the stress, burnout, well-being, and self-regulation capacity levels of university student-athletes, „Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology” 2015, 9(2), 173–192.
Dziembowska I. et al., Effects of heart rate variability biofeedback on EEG alpha asymmetry and anxiety symptoms in male athletes: A pilot study, „Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback” 2015, 41, 141–150.
Gustafsson H., Lundqvist C., Tod D., Cognitive behavioral intervention in sport psychology: A case illustration of the exposure method with an elite athlete, „Journal of Sport Psychology in Action” 2017, 8(3), 152–162.
Milling L., Randazzo E., Enhancing sports performance with hypnosis: An ode for Tiger Woods, „Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice” 2016, 3(1), 45–60.
Parnabas V. et al., The relationship between relaxation techniques and sport performance, „Universal Journal of Psychology” 2014, 2(3), 108-112.
Petrie T.A., Deiters J., Harmison, R.J., Mental toughness, social support, and athletic identity: Moderators of the life stress–injury relationship in collegiate football players, „Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology” 2014, 3(1), 13.
Predoiu R. et al., Visualisation techniques in sport - the mental road map for success, „Physical Education, Sport and Kinetotherapy Journal” 2020, 59(3), 245–256.
Thibodeaux J., Winsler A., Stay Positive: Self-Talk in Relation to Motivational Climate, Goal Orientation, and Self-Talk Encouragement in Tennis, „Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport” 2022, 93(4), 769–780.
Psychology of Exercise: Improvements in Mental Health, online.maryville.edu/blog/psychology-of-exercise/ (14.08.2023).
Weinberg R., Gould D., Foundations of sport and exercise psychology, Champaign 2018, 18–22.