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Sports psychology

is the study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise and physical activity.

PURPOSE:

• Enhance performance- Various mental strategies, such as visualization, self-talk and relaxation techniques, can help athletes overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential.
• Cope with the pressures of competition- Sport psychologists can help athletes at all levels deal with pressure from parents, coaches or even their own expectations.
• Recover from injuries- After an injury, athletes may need help tolerating pain, adhering to their physical therapy regimens or adjusting to being sidelined.
• Keep up an exercise program- Even those who want to exercise regularly may find themselves unable to fulfill their goal. Sport psychologists can help these individuals increase their motivation and tackle any related concerns.
• Enjoy sports- Sports organizations for young people may hire a sport psychologist to educate coaches about how to help kids enjoy sports and how to promote healthy self-esteem in participants.

History

• Dates back to late 19th early 20th century
• Didn't get recognize as a psychology until 1925 with Coleman R Griffith (consider the founder of Sports Psychology)
• Wasn't much development in the field until the 1960's and 70's
• In 1983 the USOC established an official Sport Psychology Committee and registry of qualified sport psychologists
• From 1980 to 1990 the number of sports psychologist doubled (well over 3,000) same period of time the number of countries it could be found in rose from 39 to 61

Early on the research in this field was experimental the first recorded was in 1898 by Norman Triplett, in which he proved that cyclist would get better riding times when competing against another cyclist then when riding alone. Also in the 1920's Walter Mills did some research for hall of fame coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, in which he wanted to figure out the quickest way for offensive linemen to move in harmony after the ball is hiked.

Research shows that sports are played with more then just psychical ability but mental. Actually 90% of your sports performance is mental. The problem is that most players and coaches spend majority of the time training in practicing in the psychical and neglecting the mental aspect of the game. Most research in the field today is to generate knowledge and understanding about how sport participants can reach their potential by effectively dealing with the intense demands of sport and by being psychologically ready for competition. The research revolves around these three categories Psychosocial- and organizational-related research, Mental Health & Well-being- related research, Performance- related research. There has also been some recent research in the field of sports psychology conducted by the members of the Laboratory for Sport Psychology & Performance Excellence
(LSPPE) on research topics included the symbiotic relationship between talent identification and talent development in elite athletes, assessment of psychosocial constructs in athlete populations, the use of psychosocial strategies in sport injury rehabilitation, and numerous other topics.

Three Main Fields within Sports Psychology

• Applied Sport Psychologist
• Experimental Sport Psychologist
• Educational Sport Psychologist

Some Major Techniques

Imagery:
Involves visualizing performing a task, such as participating in an athletic event or successfully performing a particular skill.

Motivation: A major subject within sports psychology, the study of motivation looks at both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators. Extrinsic motivators are external rewards, such as trophies, money, medals or social recognition. Intrinsic motivators arise from within, such as a personal desire to win or the sense of pride that comes from performing a skill.

Attentional Focus: Involves the ability to tune out distractions, such as a crowd of screaming fans, and focus attention on the task at hand.

Treatments early on were more experimental like hypnosis. Treatments these days are provided through those four techniques in the prior slide.

A COUPLE OF ATHLETES WITH MENTAL ILLNESS...

Meta World Peace- Free agent (Last played with the Knicks) Small forward of the NBA suffers from
Depression

Brandon Marshall- Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Chicago Bears suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder.

Royce White- Small forwad drafted by the Houston Rockets went to college at Iowa State University suffers from Anxiety disorder.

Ricky Williams- Retired running back played for multiple teams suffers for Social Anxiety disorder.

Inconclusion sports psychology (although relatively young in its domain within psychology) is greatly appreciated worldwide. I learned a lot through my research on sports psychology, like the various techniques within this field mainly imagery, motivation, and attentional focus. Some very interesting facts about sports psychology are thats its relevant to performance and well-being, is applied both in and out of sports, both theoretical and practical, and it is an international discipline about one understanding ones self. From my research I feel like I have come to understand the true benefits of the profession, it actually has me considering looking more into maybe practicing it. I learned the actual diagnosis on some specific athletes new they was mentally ill just thru media but wasn't exactly sure what diagnosis were. All in all I enjoyed these topic with psychology I'm an athlete and sports fan myself and it gave me a lot insight. Thank you for time I'm not going t hold you up any longer .

References:
https://services.online.missouri.edu/exec/data/courses/2450/public/lesson01...
Copyright © 2012 University of Missouri, an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Course keycode: 2450.
Written and developed by Drs. Richard McGuire and Jennifer Shannon with Mizzou Online (see credits and attributions).
Questions/Comments? Contact Mizzou Online.

http://psychology.about.com/od/branchesofpsycholog1/f/what-is-sports-psycho...