Sport Psychology

Mental Side of Human Performance

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Sport PsychologySport Psychology is the study of how people think, feel and behave in sporting situations (training & competition). If connections between brain activity and performance success can be made and applied it can lead to further successes. Prior to athletic events it is important to be mentally prepared.

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Performance StatesPerformance States

Ideal performance state – “In The Zone!”

Key Terms in Sport PsychologyKey Terms in Sport Psychology• Arousal

Anxiety

Each sport has an optimal arousal zone where if too low an athlete can be bored or lack concentration or too high where stress and anxiety can cause muscle tension and choking.

Choking –

Personality Of An Athlete

Key Terms in Sport PsychologyKey Terms in Sport Psychology • Relaxation

• Concentration

Motivation

Audience and FatigueAudience and Fatigue• Role of the audience

• Fatigue

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Sport Psychology ToolsSport Psychology ToolsAthletes can use many tools to motivate themselves, relax

and concentrate on the task at hand.

Motivation

Positive Self-Talk -

Self Efficacy

Tools For MotivationTools For Motivation

• Improving Motivation– Four basic principles

that relate to athletes:• Personal traits vs.

environment• Multiple Motives• Staying Motivated• Leadership

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Sport Psychology Tools – Sport Psychology Tools – Relaxation & Concentration Relaxation & Concentration

Sport Psychology Tools – Sport Psychology Tools – Concentration & RelaxationConcentration & Relaxation

Imagery –

Visualization

Sport Psychology ToolsSport Psychology Tools• Goal Setting

– Objective goals• Empirically quantifiable

– Subjective goals• Outcomes harder to quantify

S.M.A.R.T. Principle• Specific - Able to be precisely defined• Measurable - Able to be quantified• Attainable - Within an athlete’s limitations• Realistic - Attainable within constraints• Timely - Achievable within a set time frame

Sport Psychology and ChildrenSport Psychology and Children

• Can have significant impact on approach to sports from a physical, social, and mental perspective

• Children respond well to praise and encouragement

• Enjoyment of activities will help them build skills and confidence

• Children benefit from participation during both games and practices

Sport Psychology and High School Sport Psychology and High School AthleticsAthletics

High school sport is designed to be educational. The goal should be to develop the self worth of athletes and build team unity. A seasons goals should revolve around achieving and working hard toward personal excellence and team excellence – a championship may be the result of strong team unity. Professional athletics is entertainment, high school sport is educational; the key is to not confuse the two. If the only reason a team is competing is to win a championship then for most teams the season would be considered a failure at the end. A coach who continually praises his athletes will build the self esteem of the athlete and they will be more confident, productive, resilient and willing to take risks for the rest of their lives. If goals were set around personal measures like playing time, starting positions, personal stats and winning instead of values high school sports have missed their calling.

Building Self Worth

Building Team Unity