Want to gain an advantage in your sport? What’s stopping you!?

Sport psychology is the study of the interaction between the physical body and the psychology of the brain during performance. Learning various mental skills and techniques may offer a variety of advantages to assist you in improving your performance in sport. 

So why don’t athletes utilize these skills more often? The mind-body relationship is well understood in the sport world: Your mind can affect how you perform. Yet, many coaches, athletes, and administrators will not refer their athlete to sport psychologist. Why is this? Let me break down a few of the misconceptions about sport psychology.

Misconception #1: Help from a sport psychologist means that you are performing poorly.

Sport psychology has many useful tools that can be used to enhance performance. What people often overlook is that you do not need to be performing poorly to benefit from these tools. Many national teams and elite athletes use mental skills techniques, not just when they haven’t been performing up to par, but every day in training. The skills take some practice, but can be useful to anyone at any level.

Misconception #2: Mental skills training means that you are weak.

Stigma often accompanies the word “psychology.” Seeking out help from a sport psychologist does not mean that you are weak or incapable, it simply means that you want to get better. Who wouldn’t want an extra edge on their opponents?

Misconception #3: You have to be diagnosed with a psychological illness to benefit from a sport psychologist.

Sport psychologists do not necessarily work with athletes who have diagnosed mental disorders. They simply work with athletes who want to strengthen the mental aspect of their game. For example, a sport psychologist might help an athlete manage pre-performance anxiety, which is quite common. However, there are many techniques that sport psychologists can use to aid performance. These include goal setting, relaxation, and positive thinking.

Misconception #4: The relationship you have with your sport psychologist.

Many people do not fully understand the relationship that a sport psychologist has with his/her athletes. The sport psychologist uses various techniques and interactions to benefit the athlete. You can think of a sport psychologist as another member on the coaching staff. He/she may attend practices and competitions to observe athletes in action. Instead of guidance for proper technique they are coaching the way thoughts can influence an athlete’s performance.

Overall, there are many different benefits that can come from learning mental skills from a sport psychologist. Not only are these skills extremely useful on the playing field, but they can also be beneficial in other aspects of your life as well.

Kristine Walker

Bowling Green State University

Ideas adapted from:

Gee, C. J. (2010). How does sport psychology actually improve athletic performance? A framework to facilitate athletes’ and coaches’ understanding. Behavior Modification, 34, 386-402.

Sharp, L., & Hodge, K. (2014). Sport psychology consulting effectiveness: The athlete’s perspective. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12, 91-105.

Welcome BGSU athletes!

If you are a Bowling Green State University athlete and would like some tips on mental skills to help improve your performance, this blog is for you! Mental strategies include but aren’t limited to assistance with confidence, focus, injury rehabilitation, anxiety, and imagery. The following blog posts are designed to assist you in achieving your athletic goals.

For more information or to set up a team or individual meeting with one of BG’s sport psychology graduate students, please reach out to Dr. Vikki Krane (vkrane@bgsu.edu). Go Falcons!

Remaining Positive during Injury Rehabilitation

Remaining Positive during Injury Rehabilitation

Are you recovering from an injury, and perhaps you feel like you are stuck in a rut? Maybe you are just feeling down, or having trouble staying positive about your abilities. When you are healthy, it is easy to feel confident because you can practice and demonstrate your skills almost every day, but when you are sidelined with an injury, you might begin feeling self-doubt.

Athletes who are in the process of recovering from an injury will sometimes begin to lose confidence in their abilities – this is fairly common. It can, however, be a valuable experience to simply take some time to reflect on all the hard work that has gotten you this far in your sport – surely it wasn’t pure luck!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Reflection

-During your recovery from injury, if you start to feel your confidence slipping (or even if you don’t), simply take some to relax, and brainstorm. Think long and hard about what makes you good at what you do? Ask yourself: “what have I done in the past to deserve good outcomes?” or “what qualities do I possess that make me successful at my sport.” Creating a list, either in your head or on paper, can help focus your thoughts on what you are good at and can bring out confidence in you that will keep you motivated and positive throughout rehab.  This is NOT the time to be humble! This is a time to give credit where credit is due.

-Next, brainstorm your many achievements in sport. Surely you have some accomplishments that you are proud of, or can reflect on positively. These can be non-outcome based (e.g., had a stellar performance despite not winning), and remember that giving your best effort should be considered an achievement. If you can remember a time where you won a big competition, or scored a game winning goal, then these are good examples, but keep in mind that there are many others way to be ‘accomplished.’ You are a good athlete, but while injured it’s easy to forget that. Remembering past accomplishments can empower you, and can bring back your confidence, which can ultimately help you work through the trials and tribulations of rehabilitation.

Preparing for the Future

When the negative thoughts begin to creep in, it doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. In fact, negative thoughts are very common when rehabbing an injury. However, you can combat negative thoughts by being prepared with an arsenal of confident thoughts that are ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice.  Plan positive things to tell yourself. This will allow you to be ready to respond to internal negativity with a number of confident thoughts, and will ultimately get you to begin thinking more confidently all the time. Respond to every situation with confidence!  

Activity

            Directions: Draw a confidence wheel like the one you see below. Leave enough room in each bubble for you to write a complete thought. Fill in each bubble with a meaningful confident thought that will keep you positive and upbeat. This can be closely related to something from your previous reflection up above. You also can fill in a bubble with positive self-affirmations, which are positive statements that describe a desired situation or goal, and are repeated often, until they get impressed on the subconscious mind. Hang this confidence wheel in your locker or above your bed, to reinforce these positive thoughts that you can use throughout rehabilitation.

Example: “I am a hardworking basketball player” or “I will battle through this injury”

Written by:

Scott A. Graupensperger, M.A.,
Bowling Green State University