What Is Sports Psychology?

Psychology is a very broad science that covers various fields: from the clinic to education, through the forensic field, the company, etc. Among them, we find the sports field, where sports psychology is located.

Sports psychology is a discipline that includes elements of psychology, but also sociology, physiology or kinesiology. Study the psychological factors involved in sports performance, among others. Find out more about her!

What is sports psychology?

Sports psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the cognitive, emotional and behavioral processes of actors in a sports context. The actions, a consequence of the knowledge acquired in these studies, are carried out by professionals specialized in the area.

Thus, on the one hand, it investigates how these variables affect physical performance, and on the other, it identifies what benefits physical exercise has on our well-being (mental and physical). In sports psychology research, environmental and physiological factors that influence physical activity are also taken into account.

Sports psychology applications

We find two great applications of sports psychology:

• Advice or guidance.
• The therapy.

Advice or guidance

In this first case we speak of the  coach or sports advisor. In this case, the sports psychologist studies how the athlete (or the team) works and designs strategies to optimize their performance.

Sports psychologists in this field often work in collaboration with other professional groups. For example, with physical therapists, dietitians, trainers, etc.

Therapy

In this second application of sports psychology, the psychologist is in charge of evaluating and intervening in the emotional problems of the sportsperson. Especially in those that make it difficult or prevent you from achieving your goals, related to stress, low self-esteem, feelings of insecurity, depression, etc.

In this sense, it is very common for high-performance or elite athletes to go through moments of depression, due to the strong pressure to which they are subjected and the constant stress that their profession implies.

Functions and powers of the sport psychologist

What functions does a sports psychologist perform and what skills does he have? Among them, the following stand out:

• Evaluate and carry out a diagnosis of the athlete and the variables that influence their behavior in the sports context. (Evaluation methods include: interview, observation, self-registration…).
• Train the athlete in strategies to improve attention and concentration, as well as emotional control or motivation during physical exercise.
• Make reports and advise on working with multidisciplinary teams.
• Design and program activities to promote sport at the community level, as well as analyze the results of these programs.
• Design personalized and group intervention and counseling programs.

How to practice as a sports psychologist?

According to the COP (Official College of Psychologists), currently in order to practice as a sports and physical activity psychologist, a series of conditions are required.

• Graduate in Psychology.
• Register at the COP.
• Have completed a postgraduate or master training, of at least 400 hours, in Sports Psychology (endorsed by the university or the COP).
• If you do not have postgraduate training, prove 4 years of work experience in this area of ​​sports psychology.

Mental toughness: a concept from sports psychology

Within sports psychology, we find very interesting concepts, especially linked to the field of high performance. José María Buceta, sports psychologist and head of the psychology department at the National School of the Football Federation and Real Madrid, talks about the concept of mental toughness, typical of athletes like Rafa Nadal.

It is a concept developed in the 1970s and later by researchers Kobasa, Maddi, and their team at the University of Chicago. It is a personality pattern that characterizes those people who perform at a high level in stressful situations. It is made up of three key components: commitment, challenge, and control.

According to Buceta, Nadal, for example, has this mental strength and has always shown it. He commits himself to the goal of being the best again (commitment), assumes his return after injuries as a challenge (challenge) and focuses on his strengths to perceive control (control).

A key figure in some settings

Sports psychology focuses on the well-being of the athlete, but also on improving and, above all, optimizing the athlete’s performance in competition, either through a direct or indirect route, such as recovery between workouts. Therefore, we are talking about a key figure in matches in which victory is decided by very small differences.

Since their training, psychologists have the opportunity to improve many aspects of the athlete at the individual level, but also with athletes as members of a team (in team sports). For this, a very valuable tool are group dynamics or pedagogy on the influence of certain emotional variables that, by contagion, can represent an advantage or a handicap compared to the rival.