What exactly is Sports Psychology?
I've always done sports growing up. Trying out and competing new in sports has never phased me negatively to the point of distress or disorder. Many of my role model athletes such as Mike Tyson have fallen under psychological issues that lead to their downfalls. I am a part of a health & fitness club at my school, and I was wondering what a sport psychologist does. It seems like an exciting field that I might travel down later in life. #psychology #sports #health #mental-health
2 answers
Jenn’s Answer
Sports psychology is about using psychological techniques to improve performance. Just as you might see a therapist for issues that are disrupting your well being, you might see a sports psychologist for issues that are disrupting your sports performance. For example, if a pitcher in baseball can't throw strikes and there are no physical issues, it might be a psychological hurdle that he needs to overcome. He might seek out a psychologist to give him techniques for blocking out distractions or making himself feel more confident, for example.
There are definitely more resources online if you do some research. But I'd also recommend the book Mind Gym, written by a sports psychology consultant, to get an idea of some of what sports psychology covers:
http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Gym-Athletes-Guide-Excellence/dp/0071395970
Thank you for your response. I greatly appreciate it. I wasn't to sure about how these two things connected but now I i can understand the field better. I will definitely do more research on Sports Psychology. Thank you again.
Ignacio
