The novel is inspired by a devastating and shocking bean ball thrown by veteran pitch Warren Tracey in the 1973 American league season at rookie superstar Joe Castle. Warren is described in the book by his son Paul, “He [Warren] was a self-absorbed, brooding man with seldom a kind word for any of us. He had never met his potential and this was always the fault of someone else-the manager, his teammates, the owners, even the umpires”. This description
Sports psychology focusses on enhancing athletic performance through mental training and also deals with problems associated with the pressure of sport. Mental toughness is a crucial prerequisite for athletic success. It can be defined as an athlete’s ability to focus, ability to rebound from …show more content…
Imagery involves the use of one or more of the senses to create or recreate a sporting skill or situation in the mind. Imagery in sport can be used for many different purposes to improve physical and psychological performance. There are 4 categories of imagery: 1) Motivational general imagery involves imaging associated with a) arousal, such as creating arousal (getting pumped up) or control arousal and reduce anxiety and develop mental toughness and b) mastery, such as building self-confidence; 2) Motivational specific imagery focuses on imaging individual goals, like winning a game or a medal; 3) Cognitive general imagery involves imaging carrying out strategies and game plans, like hockey plays, while; 4) Cognitive specific imagery focuses on imaging of specific motor skills, like throwing a baseball. Imagery can be learned by nearly everyone. Imagery is a skill itself and requires practice. The better imager an athlete is, the more effective imagery will be in enhancing skill acquisition and athletic performance. Athletes use imagery in practice and most often right before competition to prepare to perform their best. Imagery use has been positively linked with athletic performance. In a study performed by author et al 2013, participants performed a downhill running slalom task with (test) and without (control) the use of imagery prior to the task. The study found that athletes completed the course …show more content…
Coaches and sport psychologists often describe self-confidence in sport as an athlete’s belief that they can successfully perform and control desired actions. When interviewed, elite athlete often reiterate the importance of confidence. Trever Hoffman one of the top pitchers in the major leagues has stated “confidence is everything, if you start second guessing yourself you’re bound to run into more bad innings.” In a competition setting it is important for athletes to find a balanced median between appearing over and confident and unconfident. The follow graph represents the relationship between performance and confidence. As seen in the graph below, performance greatens with an increase in confidence level-up to an optimal point. The optimal point represents where the athlete will maximize their potential to perform well. However often participants fall into either of the extremes on the graph. When an athlete is under confident, they begin to doubt their abilities thus undermining performance. On the other hand when athletes appear over confident their confidence is greater than their abilities warrant which produces results that are just as disastrous as being under confident. There are a number of techniques for developing self-confidence which largely involve both a commitment from the coach and player.” On a daily basis the coaches can
Sports psychology focusses on enhancing athletic performance through mental training and also deals with problems associated with the pressure of sport. Mental toughness is a crucial prerequisite for athletic success. It can be defined as an athlete’s ability to focus, ability to rebound from …show more content…
Imagery involves the use of one or more of the senses to create or recreate a sporting skill or situation in the mind. Imagery in sport can be used for many different purposes to improve physical and psychological performance. There are 4 categories of imagery: 1) Motivational general imagery involves imaging associated with a) arousal, such as creating arousal (getting pumped up) or control arousal and reduce anxiety and develop mental toughness and b) mastery, such as building self-confidence; 2) Motivational specific imagery focuses on imaging individual goals, like winning a game or a medal; 3) Cognitive general imagery involves imaging carrying out strategies and game plans, like hockey plays, while; 4) Cognitive specific imagery focuses on imaging of specific motor skills, like throwing a baseball. Imagery can be learned by nearly everyone. Imagery is a skill itself and requires practice. The better imager an athlete is, the more effective imagery will be in enhancing skill acquisition and athletic performance. Athletes use imagery in practice and most often right before competition to prepare to perform their best. Imagery use has been positively linked with athletic performance. In a study performed by author et al 2013, participants performed a downhill running slalom task with (test) and without (control) the use of imagery prior to the task. The study found that athletes completed the course …show more content…
Coaches and sport psychologists often describe self-confidence in sport as an athlete’s belief that they can successfully perform and control desired actions. When interviewed, elite athlete often reiterate the importance of confidence. Trever Hoffman one of the top pitchers in the major leagues has stated “confidence is everything, if you start second guessing yourself you’re bound to run into more bad innings.” In a competition setting it is important for athletes to find a balanced median between appearing over and confident and unconfident. The follow graph represents the relationship between performance and confidence. As seen in the graph below, performance greatens with an increase in confidence level-up to an optimal point. The optimal point represents where the athlete will maximize their potential to perform well. However often participants fall into either of the extremes on the graph. When an athlete is under confident, they begin to doubt their abilities thus undermining performance. On the other hand when athletes appear over confident their confidence is greater than their abilities warrant which produces results that are just as disastrous as being under confident. There are a number of techniques for developing self-confidence which largely involve both a commitment from the coach and player.” On a daily basis the coaches can