S1 E5: What is Sport Psychology?

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• EPISODE RESOURCES

• EPISODE TAKEAWAYS

  • Sport psychology is a field that has been around for a long time that focuses broadly on understanding the elements that impact one’s performance in sport, as well as their experience as an athlete.

  • The stigma of working with a sport psychologist or sport psychology consultant has decreased over the years as professional athletes have talked about their own experiences and benefits of doing so; thereby normalizing the experience.

  • Athletes are human just like non-athletes are human. Therefore, athletes also have thoughts, emotions, feelings, beliefs, and so forth that are experienced but may not always be talked about, processed, or addressed in a meaningful way. As an athlete, one may misinterpret signals from others that it is essential to ‘push through’ challenges rather than address them, analyze them, and reflect on how to approach them in a more thoughtful way.

  • Those with natural talents and gifts, or really anyone who has succeeded at a high level, may be resistant to the idea of developing their own mental process due to a belief that they should be able to be the best, perform at a high level all of the time, etc.

  • Athletes may see highlights in the media but never see the in depth actual process that athletes go through to not only reach a higher (or the highest) level but also to sustain themselves to get there and maintain that high level.

  • There is nuance to identifying a mental process that works for athletes.There are sport psychology consultants and sport psychologists who can provide mental skills training to identify and formulate a mental process the athlete can use to enhance their performance and overall experience. There are those who are clinically trained and licensed as a psychotherapist in mental health who can provide psychotherapy when it is appropriate and helpful to address the athlete more holistically outside of their performance; such as anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, self-esteem, depression, substance use, etc. Issues in sport may be a symptom of a larger mental health challenge going on. To have mental health challenges is to be human and to grapple with the existential realities of life that affect us all as human beings; it is not something to be ashamed of.

  • Some psychotherapists and psychologists are also trained in sport psychology and so have familiarity with the experience of athletics while providing psychotherapy.

  • Athletes tend to focus on outcomes; oftentimes winning and improving. While a focus on outcomes can enhance motivation, drive, and purpose, it is equally important to not be distracted by these future outcomes and instead practice bringing yourself back to the present moment.

  • Consultation sessions slow things down to provide a comfortable, confidential, and collaborative space to reflect on the athlete’s experiences to analyze what it’s like, what factors are involved in how they feel, think, and react, and what could be a useful mental process moving forward. Being honest is an important part of consultation, which may take time to build trust. 

  • An inward focus on ourselves, like being self-conscious, can interfere with performing and executing skills efficiently. An outward focus has been shown in research to be useful to counter this.

  • Talking about emotions is an important part of understanding an athlete’s experience. It is normal to have a lot of emotions as an athlete and therefore important to reflect, understand, and address them.

  • Highly successful athletes often talk about finding a mental process that ‘works for them’. There is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach to sport psychology. There is nuance to it; for example, one can be under or over confident in certain situations, so figuring out the nuances is an important part of consultation.

  • There are many dynamics that take place in team sports given relationships may not always be smooth, which is a normal part of life that can be addressed in consultation. 

  • You never know what is going on in an athlete’s life that may be affecting them.

  • Mindfulness has been shown to be a highly important aspect of sport psychology to enhance performance. This involves staying present in the moment. It also involves changing the relationship you have with your thoughts and feelings.

• TRANSCRIPTION

In Episode 5 we discuss an overview of what Sport Psychology is. If you think sport psychology is only for athletes, you may be surprised to hear about how sport psychologists and sport psychology consultants focus on performance and motivation… as well as how executive function also plays a role in preparing for different levels of performance.  

Be curious. Be Open. Be well.

The ReidConnect-Ed Podcast is hosted by Siblings Alexis Reid and Dr. Gerald Reid.

*Please note that different practitioners may have different opinions- this is our perspective and is intended to educate you on what may be possible.