Posted: March 2, 2005

Sports Psychology - 'How Mental Training Can Improve Your Performance'

This article is brought to you courtesy of Training Smart Online – The Experts in Training Program Design. We specialize in coaching athletes for: triathlon, marathon, swimming, cycling, running & more! Contact us at: www.trainingsmartonline.com.

By P. Mauro, 2005.

What would you be thinking?

Imagine you have been leading the Olympic triathlon since the start of the race, only to find another athlete arriving at your shoulder 5 km from the finish. This situation could stimulate two possible lines of thought that would result in quite different outcomes in the race. Clearly, the athlete who thinks, “This year I really thought I had it. I have worked so hard and now I have blown it. I really am a loser . . .” will drop off the pace and fall back. However, there is a far greater chance of success for the athlete who thinks, “Well, here she is. The woman they call the best triathlete ever. And she has only been able to catch me with 5 km to go. I will just tuck in behind the soon to be ‘ex-number one’, let her do the work for a change, and see if I can break her later. After all, my 10 km time is as good as hers, and in a close finish I will have the crowds behind me as they always back the underdog.”

It is in situations such as this that sports psychology becomes so important. Champion athletes commonly exhibit a high degree of: motivation, commitment, positive thinking, focus, and mental toughness, among other factors (Gould, 2001).

Background

Psychology is the study of how we think and behave. Sport psychology is a science in which the principles of psychology are applied in a sport setting (Cox, 1990). Issues Sport Psychologists are interested in include, but are not limited to; what motivates an athlete, how athletes regulate their thoughts, feelings and emotions, and how they manage anxiety and arousal states in order to maximise performance (Parker, 2000). The principles involved in Sport Psychology are usually applied to enhance performance. The field embraces many concerns and concepts, such as motivation, arousal, reinforcement, psychological preparation, attitudes, attention, emotional health, and stress management (Davies, 1989). Rushall, 1995, proposed that sport psychology could assist athletes in the following ways:

a) The actual words an athlete uses in self-talk have an effect on the quality of performance,

b) It is possible to increase performance levels in elite athletes through thought processes alone,

c) Mental imagery is important for enhancing performance.

Sport Psychologists assist people by helping them to develop the skills necessary to become mentally strong, and prevent them from choking in key situations.

Motivation

Motivation is a particularly relevant issue in the field of Sport Psychology. Motivation can be defined as being aroused to action, to directed purposeful behaviour, although this may not always be either efficient or effective (Davies, 1989).

Coaches often complainthat some athletes would be great if only they were motivated. The players are seen to have all of the physiological and skill components necessary for great performance, yet lack motivation, i.e. regularly show up late, do not try very hard during training etc (Parker, 2000). The study of motivation is important because it seems fairly certain that, with the exception of the small number of sporting champions, the majority of young athletes rarely reach their potential. Given the opportunity, most young athletes could do much better. This is true for all sports, and mainly arises from motivational problems. Quite often, as athlete’s progress in their sports, the improvements become gradually smaller. It then becomes harder for athletes to make significant improvements, and often results in a loss of motivation (Davies, 1989). An appropriate level of motivation will not only improve physical performance, it will also assist in the learning of physical skills, which in turn, will affect the quality of performance (Parker, 2000). Motivation essentially comes in two forms: Intrinsic and Extrinsic. If an athlete is motivated to perform an activity for its own sake, they are said to be intrinsically motivated. These motives are said to be determined by the internal desire to achieve a high level of skill in sport. When an athlete performs an activity solely to obtain some external reward, they are extrinsically motivated (Parker, 2000). Intrinsic motivation is often seen as the preferred type, as it is generally associated with greater persistence and greater commitment (Davies, 1989).

To improve the level of motivation in athletes the following methods could be used:

d) Avoid using winning or performance outcomes, from competitive events as the measure of success. These are out of the direct control of the athlete, and so if a loss occurs, motivation will decrease. Instead use individual comparisons (based on fitness and skill tests) that are in the athlete’s control.

e) Give Praise. All athletes need positive, honest feedback about their performances. Feelings of contribution to team success by their individual efforts, improves intrinsic motivation.

f) Vary the content, venue and sequence of training sessions. Boredom will lead to staleness and/or burnout and will result in not only a reduction in motivation, but individuals may also drop out of the sport (Parker, 2000).

g) Have the athletes fill in a self-reinforcement worksheet (Rushall, 1995). This exercise will increase the effectiveness of reinforcing self-talk, an important factor in increasing motivation.

h) Set Goals based on the S.M.A.R.T.E.R principle. Goals should be specific, measurable, affirmative, realistic, time based, evaluated, and recorded. They should also be short-term, intermediate, and long term. When athletes set realistic, achievable goals, and they are reached, a feeling of success is experienced. This will improve motivation. i) Have athletes use Mental Imagery. Sport Psychologists regularly encourage athletes to use imagery to enhance motivation (Martin et al, 1999).

If a team was lacking in motivation, the following strategies could be employed:

a) Set Goals. Each training session have the team fill out a daily goal-setting sheet, and develop some team goals that are short-term, intermediate, and long term. The goals should be based on the S.M.A.R.T.E.R principle. By setting goals, the team will be motivated to achieve them, and even more motivated to achieve further once initial goals have been reached. It is important that the goals are under the athlete’s control, and the emphasis is on achieving these goals, not on winning (Rushall, 1995).

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