Sports Psychology In Sports

Sports psychology is still a relative new topic of research that first started out as preparation tactic for athletes before an important event to increase their chances of success. In the world today sports psychology is increasingly being turned into research for big organizational groups. Athletes are always looking for the next way to win, even if it is by the smallest of margins. Competition can be fierce and very competitive but this is the drive that athletes need to be the best. This metaphor can also be used in organizations or businesses, making sports psychology a tool to make highly tuned “athletes” in sports, but also, in business. These tactics are effective in both athletic training and in the business realm because of the way …show more content…
One being mental skill training, teaches athletes to be in control of anxiety. The other deals with the classic psychological therapy; the self-talk motivation to deal with the under-lying issues that can effect athletes. There are nine mental skills of becoming a successful athlete. Attitude, motivation, goals and commitment, people skills, self-talk, mental imagery, dealing with anxiety, dealing with emotions, and concentration. Each of these skills are put into a skill level on the performance pyramid. Level one of the pyramid incudes basic skills of attitude, motivation, goals and commitment, and people skills (lesky, 2016). These mental skills work on the long term goal setting skills, sustaining daily rituals, and learning. These skills must be worked on from a day to day basis over a long period of time to be mastered, often months to years. Level two on the pyramid is what most professional athletes like Michael Phelps, and LeBron James spend working on the most. This level includes mental imagery, and self-talk motivations. Picturing what needs to be accomplished helps the athlete get into the right state of mind but can also be used right before a specific motion like shooting a free thrown or hitting a golf ball (Lesky, 2016). Olympic athletes use visualization techniques to prepare before specific events from start until finish. This technique is very import in …show more content…
Not only is it used in sports but also in the normal business world for any individuals. Major companies are starting to use the practices that are applied to sports and bringing them into their offices to make employees work at a more efficient and enjoyable level. Employees are asked to give company-wide presentations about potential products, to be an inspirational line manager or lead meetings without giving a second to think about it. Sport psychology talks about 'deliberate practice ' how exhorting time and effort to not only practice a skill, but in an efficient effective way. Not only does doing a skill over and over again lead to experience but with time leads to expertise (Moorehouse, 2012). In business one can expect to have intense conversations with a boss, making decisions that could effect if you come to work the next day or not, or work under the pressure to make the most money or to work against other employees to receive a promotion. For example, Athletes spend 90% of their time practicing to spend 10% of their time performing in the game. In business, it is the complete opposite; about 10% of the time is to practice and the other 90% of our time is spent performing (Moorehouse, 2012). Stress can lead to many behavioral and physical symptoms that could affect how efficiently an employee can complete a task