Sports Psychology

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY Sports psychologists can work in a range of fields -
· Arrange programmes for teams
· Coaching professional and amateur athletes and coaches
· Sports organizations
· Youth development programmes
· Student teams and coaches
· Helping players to cope with injuries
Individuals will usually specialise in either sports or exercise. It is rare to practice in both. Sports psychologists work with sports men and women across teams and individual sports, both amateur and professional. They aim to prepare athletes psychologically for competition and enable them to deal with both competition and training. They may help athletes to deal with the stressful and demanding aspects of their professional, help coaches build team cohesiveness, help athletes deal with the emotional consequences of injuries and so on. Exercise psychologists are mainly interested with the application of psychology to exercise participation and motivating the general public. This may include encouraging people to see the benefits of exercise, encouraging individuals to set goals.
Sports psychologists (usually holding a degree or much higher qualification) may provide Clinical services, or be involved in research, or may be involved in teaching. Sports and exercise psychologists will work in a range of sports and exercise sectors and work with a range of clients. Sports psychologists will generally combine consultancy work with research or psychological consultancy in other areas, eg. Clinical psychology. Some sports psychologists may hold positions within government organizations or national governing bodies for sports. The opportunities to work full time as a sports psychologist are increasing in number.
Exercise psychologists have similar opportunities. They may work in consultancy with teaching and research careers. Much of their work may require referrals from doctors, and setting up and evaluating exercise programmes in prisons, employment and psychiatric situations. There may also be consultancy work within an office or at competition venues, clinics, recreational settings and so on. Sports and Exercise psychologists will usually require a degree and further qualifications to work in this field. Experience is also very important.
 
Duration         100 hrs   (study at your own pace, on average taking 4-6 months part time)
COURSE STRUCTURE
This subject has 8 lessons as follows:
1. Introduction:  Performance Psychology, Exercise Psychology, Environmental Influences, Aspects of Sports Psychology, Applying Sports Psychology.
2. Psychological Traits of Successful Athletes : Personality Inventory, Cognitive Techniques. State of Mind.   3. Anxiety & Arousal, Anxiety, Physiology of Anxiety, Psychology of Anxiety, Arousal, How to Maximise Psychological State, Focusing (or Centering).   4. Motivation : Motivation is the internal impulse that causes increasingly energetic action in a particular direction. Basic Principles, Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation Factors Affecting Motivation, Movitation for fun, Slimming for fun.   5. Aggression: Mental Rehearsal, Error Parking, Using Self Consciousness, Word Association, Anger, Conflict,Measuring Aggression, Simulated Practice, e-Event Procedure, Reliving Success, Positive, Conflict Handling Techniques.   6. Leadership & Coaching: A Coach's Role, Getting Attention, Questioning, Punishment.   7. Team Dynamics: Group cohesion,Forming, Storming,Norming,Performing, Traits of an Effective Team, Suitable membership,Appropriate Leadership, Commitment to the Team, Concern for Achieving, Effective Work Methods, Well Organised Team Procedures, Ability To Take Criticism, Creative Strength, Positive Relationships, Positive Environment.   8. Special Groups: Stress, Post Game/Season Evaluation, Gender Differences, Elite Female Athletes, Special Considerations with Female Athletes, Disabled Persons. Children, Readiness, Dropping out. AIMS

• Describe the nature and scope of Sports Psychology
• Identify psychological traits found in successful athletes.
• Explain effects of state of mind on athletic performance.
• Recommend ways of maintaining or increasing motivation in an athlete.
• Differentiate between positive and negative application of aggressive emotions in sport.
• Discuss the role of leadership in sports coaching.
• Explain the impact on performance of psychological interactions within a sporting team.
• Describe variations in the sports psychology of different demographic groups.

WHAT YOU MAY DO IN THIS COURSE

• Read articles (magazines, newspapers), watch interviews on TV/Radio, etc. with elite athletes/coaches/sports persons. Try to find out what techniques they use to stay motivated, to reduce stress and tension, to remain focussed, to prepare for a competition, etc.
• How do successful athletes cope with failure, error or poor performance in a major competition? Give an example of an acute stressor because of one of the above in sport, and describe the techniques you recommend for an effective coping strategy.
• Discuss the difference in coping with sports related stress for the athlete and
• the non elite sportsperson. Include examples of their ability to handle fatigue,
• pain, competitive situations, and performance failure.
• What can a coach do to reduce or eliminate learned helplessness?
• Discuss the potential harm caused by this?
• Talk to one or more athletes to find out what psyching techniques they use to help improve their performance. Have they tried other techniques? If so, why did they stop using them?
• Think about two or three different activities (sporting, or otherwise) that you undertook recently but weren't keen to do, or that you felt would be beyond your capabilities. How were you motivated to complete the activity - was the motivation intrinsic or extrinsic? Did you use different motivating techniques to accomplish each activity? How did you feel once you had accomplished each activity? Would you use the same motivating technique(s) in the future? Also speak to someone else, and ask them the same questions.
• Watch a range of altercations (such as a fight or collision between players) or aggressive behaviour in sporting events, such as in team sports like football or basketball, or in direct competition between two or more individual competitors such as in tennis, fencing, car racing, or distance running.  What events have led up to the altercation/s or fight or aggressive behaviour? What form of behaviour did the aggression take? Who was it directed at? How many people were involved? How did it stop? What penalties, if any, where applied (e.g. fines, frees, time outs, lost points, etc.)?
• Speak to a coach to find out what role they play in organising and training their athletes. Speak to a coach who trains children. Find out how their role differs to when they are training adults. What techniques do they use for gaining attention and motivating the children?
• Discuss the development of a team with someone who has been a member of a sporting team (school, amateur or professional) for more than one season. Ask about their ups and downs and the reasons they think contributed to high points and low points. Investigate those reasons to see whether any situations or patterns relate to things you have studied in this lesson

State of mind can be just as important as physical ability when playing sport. Everone from amateurs to professionals can not only perform better, but also benefit more psychologically from participation in sport if they understand the mind better. Develop your skills and understanding of psychological principles for use in sports. This is a course for athletes, coaches, personal trainers, etc; right down to amateurs wanting to improve their game.
Sports psychology is the study of the interaction between a person's psychology and their participation in sport. Singer (1978) defined it as "the science of psychology applied to sport". Whilst the field of psychology is relatively young, sports psychology is even younger. The field of sports psychology has much to offer, carrying out useful research that can be made available to athletes and coaches.
In professional or competitive sport, this study is important because:
· A person's psychology or state of mind can have a significant effect upon their sporting performance.
· The selection of competitors for elite sport is influenced by an assessment of their individual psychology, as well as other factors such as recent performance and fitness.
Sports psychologists provide two major types of services -
· Counselling - in areas that affect the athlete.
· Strategies that enhance performance.
In order to promote greater participation in sport, it is valuable to understand the psychology of the broader community; and in this way, determine those things that will motivate greater sporting participation.