By Dirk Smith, MSc, SDL (He/Him). Over the last few years, there has been an increasing emphasis on the psychological and mental well-being of athletes and how it impacts sports performance. The topic of sports psychology is becoming increasing relevant as we are learning that performance outcomes are rooted in the mental capabilities of the athlete as much if not more than the physical. Many studies have shown a relationship with mental health and sports performance, making the field of sports psychology and the tools to coach athletes through Psychological Skills Training ever more relevant. Have you ever felt the butterflies in your stomach before stepping up to give a speech in front of a crowd? Nervous before a big game? Worried about embarrassing yourself on a date? Perhaps, feeling like your heart is about to beat out of your chest when all the pressure is on you to perform, unable to cope with the anxiety and stress. These are things we’ve all experienced and serve as the basis for Psychological Skills Training. So, what is Psychological Skills training exactly? Psychological Skills Training (PST) is a comprehensive term for a series of tools and exercises that athletes and performers can use to regulate their emotions, cope with anxiety and focus arousal to drive performance in a proactive manner. Simply put, it is “the deliberate, systematic practice of strategies and methods designed to enhance an athlete’s performance, by improve their psychological skills.” Most athletes, one time or another have used a tool of PST in their own competitive and training environments, even if they didn’t fully realize that is was PST. The basic components that constitute PST include Goal Setting, Mental Imagery, Self-Talk, and Relaxation. However, just like any sport specific skill and task, it takes time to learn and develop your psychological skills through deliberate practice and guidance. As your mental strength and skills grow, it will help you improve your performance and can help you succeed in your sport. (1, 2, 3) There are a few myths about Psychological Skills Training that are important to clear up…
Psychological Skills are rooted in three subsections, Foundational Skills, Performance Skills, and Facilitative Skills. Each of these skill sets takes time and practice to develop in order to be an effective tool for an athlete. Just like any seasonal training program, these can also be adapted to a periodized schedule to enhance the effectiveness of the training.
The four basic PST methods that Vealy (1988) identified as being the most prominent include Goal Setting, Self-Talk, Mental Imagery, and Mental Rehearsal. Each one of these skills include various techniques and exercises that are designed to build upon the Foundation, Performance and Facilitative skills that enable an athlete to be successful in their pursuits within and outside of sports. These include building self-confidence, self-esteem, commitment, motivation, concentration and relaxation.
Psychological Skills Training come from a base knowledge of original research studies on elite athletes and the observation and experience of athletes and coaches. Several studies (Hardy, Hall & Alexander, 2001; Hardy, et. al., 1997; Harwood, Cumming & Fletcher, 2004; Weinberg & Gould, 1999) have shown that commitment, self-confidence, arousal regulation and focus of attention contribute to the success of skilled athletes. In addition, Psychological Skills Training has shown to improve overall performance in Olympic Level athletes through the use of self-talk, positive thinking and imagery. There are meant exercises that can be performed to meet the four basic components of Psychological Skills Training, but it depends on the individual athlete and the demands of their sport. A qualified sports psychologist can work with an athlete on identifying the needs of the athlete to design a PST based program. There is not a “one size fits all” kind of program, so exercises are selected to meet the athlete’s needs and desired outcomes. A Psychological Skills Training program can be assembled into three parts, Education Phase, Acquisition Phase and Practice Phase.
Finally, during a PST program, it is a great idea to keep a log or journal of the Psychological Skills Training on the same notion that one would keep a log for physical training. Evaluation and reevaluation are important to allow the program to adapt as the needs and context change. Just like with goals, the program is fluid and should be adapted to meet the context. By Dirk Smith References
Gould, D. & Eclkand, R. (1991). The applications of sport psychology for performance optimizations. The Journal of Sport Science, 1. (p. 10-21). Hardy, J., Hall, C. R. & Alexander, M. R. (2001). Exploring self-talk and affective states in sport. Journal of Sports Sciences, 19. (p. 469-475.) Hodge, K. (2007). Sport motivation: Training your mind for peak performance. Auckland, New Zealand: Reed Books. Porter, K. ( 2003). The mental athlete: Inner training for peak performance in all sports. Canada: Human Kinetics. Weinberg, R. S. & Gould, D. (1999). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (2nd ed.). United States of America: Human Kinetics. Haney, C. J. (2004). Stress-management interventions for female athletes: Relaxation and cognitive restructuring. International Journal of Sports Psychology, 35. (p. 109-118). Hamilton, R. A., Scott, D. & MacDougall, M. P. (2007). Assessing the effectiveness of self-talk interventions on endurance performance. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 19. (p. 226-239). Hellestedt, J.C. (1987). Sport psychology at a ski academy: Teaching mental skills to young athletes. The Sport Psychologist, 1. (p. 56-68). Weinberg, R. S. & Gould, D. (1999). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (2nd ed.). United States of America: Human Kinetics. Locke, E. A., Shaw, K. N., Saari, L. M. & Latham, G. P. (1981). Goal setting and task performance. Psychological Bulletin, 96. (p.125-152). Harwood, C., Cumming, J. & Fletcher, D. (2004). Motivational profiles and psychological skills use within elite youth sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 16. (p. 318-332).
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Dirk SmithDavid "Dirk" Smith M.Sc, SDL, CSCS, (He/Him), is a sport psychology expert, performance coach, teacher, writer, journalist, and athlete. He brings over 10 years of experience as a coach, athlete, personal trainer, fitness instructor, and sports psychologist to drive athletes to build their own self efficacy and express themselves through sport. Learn more about Dirk here! Archives
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