Paper Topic:

Sports Psychology

How does sports psychology help you and what techniques help you in sports psychology

Sport psychology zeroes in on the use of mental skills to improve physical performance . These skills are used mainly in the rehabilitation process and in any aspect of one 's individual life where he is able to perform his best (O 'Connor . Sport Psychology . It is also involved in the positive and negative effects of sport and exercise . Sports activities then are geared towards the needs of the individual athletes and their teams . Thus , their performance is highly

improved (O 'Connor Sport Psychology

There are three areas where Sport Psychology is focused and these are

1 . Sport Performance Enhancement - includes mental skills such as confidence , focus and concentration as well as goal-setting . This is done in to reduce anxiety before a games

2 . Injury Rehabilitation - concerns the immediate rehabilitation of injured players

3 . Personal Issues - When personal matters come in the mental luggage of athletes , there needs to be monitoring and proper channeling of these energies . An experienced sports psychologist can help players sort out their own personal problems

Sports are organized interactions of children in competitive and /or cooperative team or individual enjoyable physical activities (Humphrey , 1993 ,

.3 . In the United States , sports are not only a major form of recreation , but are considered a means of achieving physical health . Sports are also regarded as a way for children to learn leadership skills , loyalty , and other desirable traits , and as valuable training in competitiveness and give-and-take relationships

The American attitude toward sports is revealed by the statistics : over twenty million U .S . children , age six and older , play on organized sports teams-over two and a half million play Little League baseball more than one million play organized football , and the other seventeen million are involved in such sports as hockey , soccer , swimming , track and gymnastics (Galton , 1980 . Children learn a lot about themselves and their capabilities , about their potential for improvement (however modest , about the value of teamwork , about the fun of sports , and about the lifelong importance of physical fitness

In some cases , the coach of a team may place more emphasis on winning than on playing . Winning can mean several things . It can mean self-improvement and a sense of accomplishment when a player 's performance improves , or it can mean beating the other team . When winning is narrowed down to beating the other team , undue pressures are put upon children (Galton , 1980 . If children are ridiculed , belittled or threatened when they fumble or if the coach gives attention only to the better players , then some children are not benefiting from participating on that team . On the other hand , if the coach gives extra support to those lacking in confidence , they will benefit in more ways than just improving their athletic skills . Thus , sports training can be of benefit in developing an attitude of positive thinking and setting goals that go beyond what one thinks one can presently do

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