Psychology of Sports

Paper Summary:

This paper deals with psychology in sports training. The author asserts that performance in sports is significantly influenced by a variety of psychological factors, such as poor associations with memories of failure or self-confidence. As a result, the paper explains, many sports trainers now employ a variety of psychological aspects of sports training, such as visualizations, relaxation techniques, motivational strategies, and substance abuse management. The paper discusses at length the idea of self-talk and visualization and how these techniques can help athletes achieve better results in their given sport.

From the Paper:

"Mental imagery has to be practiced by individuals in their own way and depends on individual preferences and the circumstances under which it is adopted. The imagery can be practiced either on or off the field. These can be for a short duration, or a long duration; while sitting up or lying down; in complete silence or with a background of music; and with the eyes closed or open. It is the choice of the individual. For games like tennis which go on for some time, this may be done by the player even while the game is on but the ball is not in play. The player can visualize where he or she wanted to hit the ball, or even practice it, without the ball. When a player is in a quiet room before an important game, he should engage himself or herself in an exercise of visualization for the game ahead. To be able to do this, the players should be relaxed and receptive as that will also help the images to penetrate deep inside their minds. It is important that visualization is repeated - about two or three times a week. (The Effects of Mental Imagery on Athletic Performance)"

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