It’s not all couches and statistical data analysis in the world of psychology. Sports psychologists have been able to gain ground until consolidating a branch of the discipline that is making headlines.
The figure of the sports psychologist
Although the role of sports psychologist It is unknown to many people, few doubt the importance of psychological factors in sports performance. More and more teams and athletes are hiring the services of a sports psychologist who are aware of the benefits that he brings in different areas. aspects of competition, training or interpersonal relationships
The specialized knowledge of human behavior that Psychology provides and its specific methodology to evaluate it, study it, understand it and be able to modify it, can be very useful for both athletes and coaches.
The contribution of the sports psychologist
The contribution of the sports psychologist is not limited to the use of standardized questionnaires (which in many cases are ineffective and, on occasion, harmful) and training so that athletes master relaxation or imagination techniques, but rather Your contribution is essential in sports performance as is, for example, the contribution of the physical trainer in the facet of physical conditioning.
In other words, the psychological functioning of athletes is just as important for athletes as the physical, technical and tactical/strategic functioning Furthermore, with respect to the latter, the psychological functioning can influence positively or negatively in its functioning, so it is very important to control the mental aspect in the right direction. Therefore, it is necessary that psychological preparation is integrated into the overall preparation of the athlete, as one more element, which will interact correctly with the physical, technical and tactical/strategic aspects.
Athletes can benefit from the work of a sports psychologist, and each sports specialty will require some specific psychological skills, which will allow the athlete to compete more efficiently. For example, a soccer player who has correct control of his attention is likely to make better decisions and finish plays in a more productive way. On the other hand, a marathon runner who controls his thoughts and feelings of fatigue will be able to continue performing at an optimal level during critical moments of the race.
The work of the sports psychologist: benefits for athletes and coaches
In addition to these examples, the work of the sports psychologist will focus on the manipulation of psychological variables that are also relevant in the sports context, such as motivation, psychosocial stress, self-confidence, self-esteem, moods, level activation, attention, decision making, aggressiveness, perseverance or persistence, interpersonal relationships and team cohesion, taking into account the environmental and personal conditions that affect these variables and the strategies that can control them in management. appropriate.
But the sports psychologist will not only act directly on the athlete, but will also work with the coach so that he or she also improves both individually and for the benefit of the athlete or team he or she coaches. The role of the sports psychologist in this sense will influence certain aspects, such as sports planning adherence to athletes’ training, leadership skills, improved communication, or evaluation of their work as a coach.
10 reasons to hire a sports psychologist
The benefits of having a psychologist are many as we have already seen. Below we present the 10 reasons why a sports psychologist will positively influence sports performance:
1. Ideal mental state
It is evident that it is necessary to have great physical preparation or eat well to perform at your best, but it is also necessary be well prepared mentally for the moment of the competition In sports psychology, the ideal state to reach the highest level of each individual is known as the “Optimal Level of Functioning.”
2. The reinforcement
Reinforcing players at opportune moments is really important to improve your self-esteem and is one of the basic principles of learning psychological, technical or tactical skills.
3. The objectives
The sports psychologist will help both the player and the coach to benefit from proper planning. Realistic goals, and the smart steps to get them can reinforce the level of self-confidence of the players, keep their motivation high and avoid self-esteem problems.
We leave you here a specific article on the influence of the sports psychologist in setting effective objectives:
“The importance of setting goals in Sports Psychology”
4. Group cohesion
The psychologist’s knowledge of aspects of group psychology, can help the team work as a whole A united team is much more beneficial for good sports functioning than a team with internal problems.
5. Self-instructions
Self-instructions can be used in sport to acquire new skills, to increase motivation, to eliminate negative habits, to initiate action or to maintain effort in extreme situations or when the attention focus has to be maintained for a time. dragged on. Furthermore, positive self-instructions serve to enhance self-esteem, motivation, attention, performance and helps bear fatigue better by causing the subject to focus more on the task.
6. Imagination Training
In our article “Mental Training through Imagination: Sports Psychology” we already talked about the benefits of this type of training for athletes. It is useful, among other reasons, to reduce anxiety or to acquire new skills.
7. Stress control
Although we need a certain level of stress to exist in competition, stress can be a negative factor for performance. The sports psychologist can improve the athlete’s stress control, for example, helping to make their lifestyle as less stressful as possible, and making it easier for them to juggle all their daily obligations. In addition, it can also reduce the “pressure” of the athlete, influencing his performance expectations and focusing his attention on achievable goals.
8. Attention
Attentional techniques are very useful for good performance during sports practice. Some of the benefits are: improved emotional control, improved concentration, better learning of skills, greater ability to endure difficult moments of competition, etc.
9. Productive emotions
There are emotions that facilitate performance: the emotional state of the athlete directly determines their performance in the competition. Generating facilitating emotions is a key element in the good sporting performance of each person. In addition, the sports psychologist can help athletes use negative emotions, such as anger, fear or disappointment, to their advantage.
10. Support in injury recovery
Getting injured is one of the hardest moments in an athlete’s life. Psychological support can be useful to accept an injury and overcome bad times The psychologist can provide tools to gradually return to training and maintain motivation during rehabilitation.
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PsychologyFor. (2024). 10 Reasons to Put a Sports Psychologist in Your Life. https://psychologyfor.com/10-reasons-to-put-a-sports-psychologist-in-your-life/