Sport Psychology? Are you nuts?
Jul 25, 2020
There's nothing wrong with me
When I tell people what I do for a living, I get the following comment a lot. "You must get some pretty whacky athletes who come see you. They must have some serious baggage to deal with."
Uh, no. Not really.
What I do see are athletes who want to get a competitive edge, or who want to improve their focus, or who just want to cover all the bases when it comes to being the best they can be. Sport Psychology is mainstream, now more than ever, and athletes - professional and amateur - of all sport backgrounds rely on the assistance of sport psychology consultants to achieve peak performance.
Together, athletes and I work on developing key areas of preparation and focus that have a significant impact on performance. For example, summer is an important time for hockey players to get ready for the upcoming season, and it's a great time to develop some fundamental mental skills that will enhance performance once training camp gets under way. Some of the best hockey players in the world put aside training time to develop and train their mental habits.
Together, we do things like develop an imagery routine to use before games (imagery is visualization with the inclusion of other senses such as hearing, kinesthetic awareness, touch, smell and taste). Learning how to use imagery properly and effectively can enhance game awareness, reaction time, anticipation, and just make you sharper on the ice. We also work on things like refocusing techniques so that, if you make a mistake (because mistakes do happen), you can refocus quickly without missing a beat or changing the flow of your game.
So athletes who work with a sport psychology consultant aren't crazy - they're the ones who will be putting up the great numbers on the score board!
Is sport psychology for you? Still not convinced?
Let's look at a sport that thousands upon thousands of people play around the globe. Golf. Yes, golf. Many people spend more money on golf clubs, shoes, putters, clothes, etc., than they do on any other "hobby". They spend all this money because it will "make my game better," they say. Many of these same people don't shoot under 100 whether they have that new putter or not. So why not spend some time developing the mental game?
Virtually every college, national, professional and Olympic sports team has a sports psychologist on staff, and countless individual college, Olympic and professional athletes work closely with sports psychology consultants. Look at a few of the big names in pro golf who have used sports psychology consultants. It’s estimated that well over 300 of the pro game’s players regularly use sports psychologists:
Steve Elkington, Denis Watson, Kirk Triplett, Dave Stockton, Lee Janzen, Cameron Beckman, Brandie Burton, Stephen Ames, Chip Beck, Davis Love III, Nick Price, Brad Faxon, John Daly, Brian Barnes, Christian Cevaer, Hollis Stacy, Beth Daniel, Woody Austin, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Michael Campbell, Frank Lickliter II, Fred Funk, E.J. Pfister, Stewart Cink, Scott McCarron, Payne Stewart, Corey Pavin, Ben Crenshaw, Bob Estes, Donna Andrews, Justin Leonard, Hank Kuehne, Michelle McCann, Mark McCumber, Rachael Teske, Ju-Yun Kim, Nancy Scranton, Bill Glasson, Brian Gay, Charles Howell III, Ty Tryon, Luke Donald, Jim Carter, Frank Nobilo, David Morland IV, John Cook, David Frost, Mike Grob, David Ogrin, Matt Weibring, Gary Nicklaus, Billy Andrade
Do these 55 golf professionals convince you that sport psychology is a must to get the mental edge? They play golf for a living and want every edge possible. They are already strong mentally, but want to continue to improve and so seek the services of a sport psychologist. You can benefit too.
Here's what The American Psychological Association has to say about the use of sport psychology. Check it out.
How sport psychology helps athletes
Sport psychologists help professional and amateur athletes overcome problems, enhance their performance and achieve their goals.
When basketball player Ron Artest of the Los Angeles Lakers credited psychological help for some of his success on the court, some commentators took that as evidence that he was crazy.
To the contrary: Professional athletes like Artest would be crazy not to seek help from professionals like sport psychologists.
While coaches typically focus on the physical side of sport, sport psychologists focus on athletes' minds. Sport psychologists can help athletes — professionals and amateurs alike — achieve their goals.
What sport psychologists do
Some athletes seek help from a sport psychologist or a sport psychology professional when they have a problem. They might become anxious or lose focus during competition, for example. They might have trouble communicating with teammates, controlling their temper or even just motivating themselves to exercise. Or they might choke at key moments during a game.
But athletes don't just consult sports psychologists when they're having difficulties. Sport psychologists can also help athletes:
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Enhance performance. Various mental strategies, such as visualization, self-talk and relaxation techniques, can help athletes overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential.
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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.
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Recover from injuries. After an injury, athletes may need help tolerating pain, adhering to their physical therapy regimens or adjusting to being sidelined.
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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.
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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.
Sports psychology can even help people off the playing field.
The same strategies that sport psychologists teach athletes — relaxation techniques, mental rehearsals and cognitive restructuring, for example — are also useful in the workplace and other settings.