A sports psychologist is a specialist who helps athletes feel more confident and motivates them to win. Such a professional identifies problems that prevent you from showing good results and supports you in crisis situations. His tasks may also include resolving conflicts in a team and career guidance for children choosing a career in sports.
How did this profession get?
In the XX century, sports have undergone several global changes. First, the Olympic Games were revived at the end of the previous century. The sport of high achievements appeared - when it is important for each athlete not only to win, but to beat the previous indicator in this form. The era of records has come. Secondly, with the advent of radio and TV, sports tournaments have become available to a mass audience. This made many sports popular at once - from football to athletics. A whole sports industry appeared, which developed according to the laws of business.
In such harsh conditions, the competition between athletes grew, and hence the psychological load on them. It turned out that in order to show stable good results, in other words, it is not enough for an athlete to constantly defeat a brilliant physical form and regular training. I needed psychological support.
Since about the middle of the 20th century, the profession of a sports psychologist has become a common practice in the United States and Europe. The founder of modern sports psychology is called the US psychologist K. Griffith, who worked at the University of Illinois. Based on his research, he wrote two important books: "The Psychology of Athletes" and "The Psychology of Coaching." And most importantly, he prepared the first recommendations for the psychological preparation of athletes before the competition.
Let's see what fields of activity modern sports psychologists have.
Help manage stress
Modern sport is a busy tournament schedule and constant pressure and competition from rivals. Athletes at international competitions often defend the honor of the country, which means that the responsibility is even higher. Psychologists support athletes by offering them various methods to combat stress: the basics of psychoregulation, bodily and breathing practices, trainings.
Inspire the team
Team sports are the most spectacular for the public and the most difficult for the participants to play. The task of the psychologist is to help the coach transform the team into a single organism, where everyone anticipates each other's actions. In this case, you still need to be able to extinguish the conflict or give a "magic kick" to those lagging behind. And most importantly, to convince the wards that the common goal in the game (and this is always only a victory) is higher than personal ambitions.
Provide individual training
The big problem for athletes is often that they cannot cope with the excitement at the time of the competition. In training, they do everything well, but when they enter the stadium arena or the hall, the performers seem to “forget everything they can” and may perform unsuccessfully. Psychologists conduct appropriate trainings with the wards, and also draw up a suitable training plan, combining stress and rest. They can also deal with the recovery (rehabilitation) of the athlete - and not only in case of defeat, but also after victory.
Investigate the behavior of athletes
Sports psychologists also study the behavior of athletes during the training process and competition, study how various factors affect their training, from climate to diet and environment. Based on data sets, experts develop and update recommendations for athletes and coaches and help build effective systems in the sports industry.
Are engaged in career guidance
Often, children who are actively involved in sports cannot choose "their" kind, their direction in it. Sports psychologists test young athletes and give advice to them and their parents on how to develop, taking into account their individual characteristics. Such specialists can also help identify the makings of sports talent and discern future champions.