In one of our previous articles, we discussed what a sports psychologist is and what some of the benefits are of hiring such a professional. With this article, we’d like to get into the nitty-gritty of what a sports psychologist does and what you can expect during your sessions with him or her.
If you are recovering from an injury and want to get back on top, dealing with performance fears or simply want to improve your performance, a sports psychologist can help. Here are some techniques that they use to help you improve how you play on the sports field.
Sport Psychologist techniques and duties
Goal-setting and motivation
There’s a saying that goes, “Aim at nothing and you will hit it every time.” Sports psychologists help athletes of all levels to set goals and encourage them to reach them every time. They advise their athletes to make their goals S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Sensitive):
- The athlete’s goals have to be well defined. It’s not enough to have a goal which says “I want to be in the Olympics”. You have to have a step-by-step plan of how to get there.
- The athlete must be able to measure his or her progress towards achieving these goals.
- The goals set must not be so out of reach that the athlete cannot accomplish them. (This applies to the “A” and the “R”.)
- There needs to be a time limit set in which to achieve the goals. If there isn’t one, there is no motivation for the athlete to conquer these.
Setting goals also play an important role in mental preparation. If you can think it, you can do it.
Ways to handle stress and anxiety
Sports psychologists can help athletes overcome their fears such as fear of failure, embarrassment or performance anxiety. Performance fears are especially common among athletes who are perfectionists. Unfortunately, their fears can sometimes immobilise them. But with the help of a sports psychologist, athletes can overcome your fear and go to greater heights.
A technique used by many psychology professionals to assist with getting rid of performance anxiety is visualisation. So if, for example, a high jumper is anxious about clearing a hurdle, he or she will be encouraged to visualise making the jump successfully. They will need to do this a couple of times so that they believe that they can do it. Golfer, Tiger Woods, is known for regularly using this technique in golfing tournaments.
Sports psychologists can teach athletes self-talk, relaxation and visualisation techniques to prepare for enhanced mental performance. These techniques help athletes to have improved confidence, focus, composure, intensity and trust in themselves.
Sports psychology is an interesting field that combines the dynamic fields of sports and psychology. Trifocus Fitness Academy’s Sports Psychology Course is your perfect entry into this dynamic field. Course modules include:
- Learn How To Apply Social and Psychological Aspects in Sport
- Discuss what role mental skills development plays in sport performance
- What is mental skills training?
- How does motivation in sport apply to coaching behaviours?
- How would you teach an athlete to set short-term and long-term goals?
- Develop Social and Psychological Aspects
- Develop games to promote team cohesion and cooperation
- How do people deal with conflict?
- Psychological Impact of Participation
- How does personal motivation relate to involvement in leisure and recreation activities?
- What are the psychological effects of leisure and recreation on the individual’s state of mind?
- What are the benefits of participating in recreation programmes?