Sport Psychology
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Sports psychology is defined as the scientific study of people and their behaviors in a sport and exercise context, and the practical application of knowledge to enhance experience and/or performance (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). Sport psychology involves the process if studying people or athletes performance in a sport or exercise environment and applying knowledge about how to increase the ability to perform mentally and physically (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). People that study this field are highly involved in the process of identifying factors that enhance all age level sport and exercise performance. The two different targets that most people take in studying sport physiology are that (a) finding the physiological variables that influence performance physically and (b) looking at the ability of physical activity to enhance psychological development, health, and happiness (Weinberg & Gould, 2011).
In baseball, the mental approach is extremely important for each at bat for hitters or for each pitch as a pitcher. Boston Red Sox All-Star Ted Williams said that “hitting is 50 percent from the neck up” (Epstein, 2007). He indicated that the mental skills of playing Major League Baseball were as important as the physical skills. Additionally through this statement Williams connected a need for a psychological approach each time that a hitter steps in the batting box (Epstein, 2007). In order to improve on these skills a player must practice them just like his physical abilities. In baseball, keeping an even keel and staying focused on obtainable goals are the keys for success. An even keel means that the player does not get overly excited during moments of success or too down during failures. Baseball is a game of failures, even the best hitters in Major League Baseball get out seven out of ten times at bat. The mental side of hitting and pitching is more important than acquiring the perfect swing, possessing tremendous bat speed, or throwing with high velocity.
“Psychological skill training (PST) refers to the systematic and consistent practice of mental or psychological skills for the purpose of enhancing performance, increasing enjoyment, or achieving greater sport and physical activity self-satisfaction (Weinberg & Gould, 2007, p. 250)”
Nothing emphasizes the importance of mental skills training (MST) or psychological skills training (PST) more than hearing coaches and athletes talk about the importance of it in their game. Why is it that most coaches and players state that very small amounts of their practice and preparation times are dedicated to this aspect of their game? Most people are aware of the basic methods for MST or PST, like imagery or goal setting; however, often the framework and model for implementing this type of program is missed. The framework can ground a MST or PST with the basic characteristics for mental excellence and focus to apply the necessary methods like self talk or relaxation (Farres, A mental training tool: Implementing an effective mental skills training program, 2000). Prior to implementing a MST or PST program, the athlete must be evaluated by the coach to determine which psychological skills are needed for improvement. Some of the psychological skills that are most important for baseball are motivation, attention, arousal management, self confidence, and mental toughness (Smith & Johnson, 1990). The tools enhancing psychological skills during a MST or PST are commitment, goal setting, mental imagery, concentration, and self talk (Farres, A mental training tool: Assessment as a learning tool, 2000). Research has supported that skills and tools are commonly targeted in training programs for various types of sports, and have been found to differentiate successful and unsuccessful athletes (Jackson, Thomas, Marsh, & Smethurst, 2001).
An example tool for psychological assessment and mental discussion can be utilized in PST questionnaire below. In addition the player perceived psychological skill assessment is utilized to aid the direction of the target skills to be addressed in each player addressed. Both tools are used to start a PST program with your baseball player.
Application:
Athletes in any sport consistently work on both the sport related skills and physical conditioning necessary for a high level of competitive performance. Athletes and coaches target weaknesses, plan specific strategies and exercises to increased abilities in weaker areas, organize schedules, map assessments to monitor physical skills, and evaluate their overall program in the end. Often times the one area that is neglected and inaccurately assessed are the mental or psychological skills that athletes need to be successful. Athletes and coaches often underestimated the need for improvement in player PST. Due to this underestimation they neglected the time commitment for improvement in their mental skills for sport performance. As a coach a primary objective is to aid athletes in the overall improvement of their performance. Successful coaches plan to train three major components in their athletes that include sport specific physical skills, physical strength and conditioning, and mental or psychological skills. There are three main phases that are used in designing a mental skills training program in an organized manner. First, is to educate and evaluate athletes for target weaknesses, next is to acquire the skills necessary for improvement, and implement these mental skills in the athletes (Burton & Raedeke, 2008).
PST program starts with an initial step of selling, educating, and assessing the individuals for the training program (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). The entire organization and design around the PST program needs to be player centered for personalized weaknesses. Examples for selling the PST program to athletes might include of stories that incorporate using mental or psychological skills training to persevere in a difficult situation. Some example stories that would sell your point include Greg Louganis’s performance in the 1983 Olympic Games or the 1976 Japanese gymnast that performed through a broken leg (Gould & Eklund, 2007). Additionally in this phase of commitment to the mental skills training program, athletes should endure detailed introduction to some of the major psychological skills or tools available (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). Often times player do not realize how frequently psychological skills are called upon or emphasized for their sport. Also included in the acquisition stage is assessing the individual weaknesses and strengths (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). Ultimately, coaches should utilize a few different types of strategies in order to enhance the accuracy of the assessment process (Farres, A mental training tool: Implementing an effective mental skills training program, 2000). The methods for assessing weaknesses and strengths can take place in the form of observations, interviews, questionnaires, sport psychologists, and mental trainers (Farres, A mental training tool: Implementing an effective mental skills training program, 2000). In this step coaches should include 5 to 6 specific psychological skills and survey them (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). Once the player centered mental skills have been surveyed, coaches should only select the top 1 to 2 weaknesses to be addressed per season (Gould & Eklund, 2007). The reason for only selecting 1 to 2 weaknesses is that there is limited time during a season to work on the skill acquisition. This survey and assessment would be conducted prior to the season so that the skills can be practiced and then implemented in a timely manner.
The next step in PST is acquiring the psychological skills to be implementing and organizing a training schedule with exercises or strategies for the weakness areas. These strategies should be researched and taught to athletes to be practiced before competition games start. Additionally in this step since the players and coaches may have different interpretations for the meanings of the selected weaknesses, specific definitions will need to be addressed. Coaches and players together define the interpretations of these weaknesses as they must be discussed and player centered. Even if the player interpretation is not exactly the same as the clinical definition for the targeted area, the player must feel like they have influence upon the mental skill addressed.
The third step after education and acquisition is implementation and monitoring the athletes to enhance their skills through the schedule and exercises. This might include player logs, questionnaires, surveys, interviews, meetings, discussion, and observations (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). The personal performance profile was designed by Burton & Raedeke (2008) and the psychological skill questionnaire was designed by me, although a majority of the question base is credited to Mental Training Exercise (MTE) 1-2 (Farres, A mental training tool: Assessment as a learning tool, 2000). This player perceived questionnaire is used for assessing the athletes self-perceived skill level coupled with the self-perceived importance. This questionnaire should be used by the coach to add intrinsic value to the athlete. If the athlete feels they have a person choice or value in the skill it may be perceived to be more important. The self-perceived psychological skill/tool assessment should be considered when the player and the coach discuss which of the 1 to 2 skills and tools should be targeted. The evaluation tool questionnaire is used by the coach to assess the skill levels of the athlete through a one on one interview. The interview should be broken up into 2-3 different session as it can be rather lengthy. The interview serves as both an education and evaluation process for the coach and athlete. As the coach explains each researched based psychological skill or tool in the interview the athlete will respond and be informed of the different types of areas for improvement.
In baseball, the mental approach is extremely important for each at bat for hitters or for each pitch as a pitcher. Boston Red Sox All-Star Ted Williams said that “hitting is 50 percent from the neck up” (Epstein, 2007). He indicated that the mental skills of playing Major League Baseball were as important as the physical skills. Additionally through this statement Williams connected a need for a psychological approach each time that a hitter steps in the batting box (Epstein, 2007). In order to improve on these skills a player must practice them just like his physical abilities. In baseball, keeping an even keel and staying focused on obtainable goals are the keys for success. An even keel means that the player does not get overly excited during moments of success or too down during failures. Baseball is a game of failures, even the best hitters in Major League Baseball get out seven out of ten times at bat. The mental side of hitting and pitching is more important than acquiring the perfect swing, possessing tremendous bat speed, or throwing with high velocity.
“Psychological skill training (PST) refers to the systematic and consistent practice of mental or psychological skills for the purpose of enhancing performance, increasing enjoyment, or achieving greater sport and physical activity self-satisfaction (Weinberg & Gould, 2007, p. 250)”
Nothing emphasizes the importance of mental skills training (MST) or psychological skills training (PST) more than hearing coaches and athletes talk about the importance of it in their game. Why is it that most coaches and players state that very small amounts of their practice and preparation times are dedicated to this aspect of their game? Most people are aware of the basic methods for MST or PST, like imagery or goal setting; however, often the framework and model for implementing this type of program is missed. The framework can ground a MST or PST with the basic characteristics for mental excellence and focus to apply the necessary methods like self talk or relaxation (Farres, A mental training tool: Implementing an effective mental skills training program, 2000). Prior to implementing a MST or PST program, the athlete must be evaluated by the coach to determine which psychological skills are needed for improvement. Some of the psychological skills that are most important for baseball are motivation, attention, arousal management, self confidence, and mental toughness (Smith & Johnson, 1990). The tools enhancing psychological skills during a MST or PST are commitment, goal setting, mental imagery, concentration, and self talk (Farres, A mental training tool: Assessment as a learning tool, 2000). Research has supported that skills and tools are commonly targeted in training programs for various types of sports, and have been found to differentiate successful and unsuccessful athletes (Jackson, Thomas, Marsh, & Smethurst, 2001).
An example tool for psychological assessment and mental discussion can be utilized in PST questionnaire below. In addition the player perceived psychological skill assessment is utilized to aid the direction of the target skills to be addressed in each player addressed. Both tools are used to start a PST program with your baseball player.
Application:
Athletes in any sport consistently work on both the sport related skills and physical conditioning necessary for a high level of competitive performance. Athletes and coaches target weaknesses, plan specific strategies and exercises to increased abilities in weaker areas, organize schedules, map assessments to monitor physical skills, and evaluate their overall program in the end. Often times the one area that is neglected and inaccurately assessed are the mental or psychological skills that athletes need to be successful. Athletes and coaches often underestimated the need for improvement in player PST. Due to this underestimation they neglected the time commitment for improvement in their mental skills for sport performance. As a coach a primary objective is to aid athletes in the overall improvement of their performance. Successful coaches plan to train three major components in their athletes that include sport specific physical skills, physical strength and conditioning, and mental or psychological skills. There are three main phases that are used in designing a mental skills training program in an organized manner. First, is to educate and evaluate athletes for target weaknesses, next is to acquire the skills necessary for improvement, and implement these mental skills in the athletes (Burton & Raedeke, 2008).
PST program starts with an initial step of selling, educating, and assessing the individuals for the training program (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). The entire organization and design around the PST program needs to be player centered for personalized weaknesses. Examples for selling the PST program to athletes might include of stories that incorporate using mental or psychological skills training to persevere in a difficult situation. Some example stories that would sell your point include Greg Louganis’s performance in the 1983 Olympic Games or the 1976 Japanese gymnast that performed through a broken leg (Gould & Eklund, 2007). Additionally in this phase of commitment to the mental skills training program, athletes should endure detailed introduction to some of the major psychological skills or tools available (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). Often times player do not realize how frequently psychological skills are called upon or emphasized for their sport. Also included in the acquisition stage is assessing the individual weaknesses and strengths (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). Ultimately, coaches should utilize a few different types of strategies in order to enhance the accuracy of the assessment process (Farres, A mental training tool: Implementing an effective mental skills training program, 2000). The methods for assessing weaknesses and strengths can take place in the form of observations, interviews, questionnaires, sport psychologists, and mental trainers (Farres, A mental training tool: Implementing an effective mental skills training program, 2000). In this step coaches should include 5 to 6 specific psychological skills and survey them (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). Once the player centered mental skills have been surveyed, coaches should only select the top 1 to 2 weaknesses to be addressed per season (Gould & Eklund, 2007). The reason for only selecting 1 to 2 weaknesses is that there is limited time during a season to work on the skill acquisition. This survey and assessment would be conducted prior to the season so that the skills can be practiced and then implemented in a timely manner.
The next step in PST is acquiring the psychological skills to be implementing and organizing a training schedule with exercises or strategies for the weakness areas. These strategies should be researched and taught to athletes to be practiced before competition games start. Additionally in this step since the players and coaches may have different interpretations for the meanings of the selected weaknesses, specific definitions will need to be addressed. Coaches and players together define the interpretations of these weaknesses as they must be discussed and player centered. Even if the player interpretation is not exactly the same as the clinical definition for the targeted area, the player must feel like they have influence upon the mental skill addressed.
The third step after education and acquisition is implementation and monitoring the athletes to enhance their skills through the schedule and exercises. This might include player logs, questionnaires, surveys, interviews, meetings, discussion, and observations (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). The personal performance profile was designed by Burton & Raedeke (2008) and the psychological skill questionnaire was designed by me, although a majority of the question base is credited to Mental Training Exercise (MTE) 1-2 (Farres, A mental training tool: Assessment as a learning tool, 2000). This player perceived questionnaire is used for assessing the athletes self-perceived skill level coupled with the self-perceived importance. This questionnaire should be used by the coach to add intrinsic value to the athlete. If the athlete feels they have a person choice or value in the skill it may be perceived to be more important. The self-perceived psychological skill/tool assessment should be considered when the player and the coach discuss which of the 1 to 2 skills and tools should be targeted. The evaluation tool questionnaire is used by the coach to assess the skill levels of the athlete through a one on one interview. The interview should be broken up into 2-3 different session as it can be rather lengthy. The interview serves as both an education and evaluation process for the coach and athlete. As the coach explains each researched based psychological skill or tool in the interview the athlete will respond and be informed of the different types of areas for improvement.
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