What is Sport Psychology?

“Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable  will.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Imagine this: It’s the National Football Conference Championship game and your team is down by 12 points with three minutes left to play in regulation. You have already thrown FOUR interceptions and frankly, it hasn’t been your day. A comeback isn’t likely a reality… unless you have a determined quarterback with the resilience and mental toughness of no other. As Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks takes in the remaining moments, he refers to his mental training: 

“I’d turn back toward the huddle, close my eyes and think of a table in an empty room. On that table was a big red RESET button, just like in the movies. I’d imagine pressing the button. Boom. On to the next one. What’s the situation now? How can I make a play?”¹

Time and time again you may hear athletes, professional and collegiate, mention phrases like in the zone; calm, cool, and collected; or unshakeable in a time of unbearable pressure. What this all boils down to is mental toughness or the ability to be consistently strong in athletic performance despite pressure and adversity. Even though this may just be one small aspect of the mental game athletes play within the larger, physical game, mental toughness along with all other sport psychology mental skills (such as imagery, relaxation, and goal setting) necessitates important attention. For even world class and Olympic athletes like Lindsey Vonn, Michael Jordan, and Russell Wilson to recognize this and use sport psychology skills, it must mean something.

Sport psychology involves the study of motivation, leadership, confidence, and psychological well-being surrounding sport, and its application provides opportunities to enhance performance through interventions and mental skills training.  The goal of sport psychology, and in essence this blog, is to help athletes consistently create an ideal mental state that enables you to perform at your best². Within this blog, we will offer tips, exercises, and guidelines that may empower athletes, performers, and students to attack all situations with a proper mental climate to stay focused, achieve your peak performance, maintain confidence, and have a mental toughness that is unshakeable.

Matthew Jones – Bowling Green State University

¹ http://www.theplayerstribune.com/one-mission/

² Williams, J.M., & Krane, V. (2015). Sport psychology: Past, present, future. In J.M. Williams & V. Krane (Eds.), Applied sport psychology: Personal growth for peak performance (7^th ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield.