Sports psychology, a presentation made for "psychology and medical communication".

1. Fadi Marroushi
Psychology and Medical Communication
UPJS - Kosice

2. Sports psychology is the study of how
psychology influences sports, athletic
performance, exercise and physical activity.
Some sports psychologists work with
professional athletes and coaches to improve
performance and increase motivation.

3.  Awareness
 Focus / Concentration
 Anxiety
 Confidence
 Motivation

4. Awareness is the recognition of the need to do
something to gain control. Moreover, it is the
first step to gaining control of any pressure
situation. The athlete must “check-in” and
determine if the different aspects of his or her
mental, emotional, and physical state need
adjustment in order to give the best
opportunity for success. Checking-in on the
various aspects of one’s person helps to create
awareness within the athlete, and gives the
person a foundation in which he or she can
begin to optimize performance.

5. Concentration and attention are very
important aspects of athletic
performance. There are two general ways to
use concentration, and that is through either a
process focus or an outcome focus. A process
focus involves directing one’s attention to the
act of completing a motion in the respective
sport, while an outcome focus involves
directing one’s attention to an end product, or
result. Both methods can be either beneficial
or dangerous, depending on their use. It is
important to use both, and the key is the
timing in which they are implemented.

6. Anxiety is defined as an unpleasant emotional
state. This construct can be divided into two
basic sections: state anxiety and trait
anxiety. State anxiety is specific to a certain
situation or environment, while trait anxiety is
specific to a certain person or team, regardless
of the situation. Think of state anxiety as
something that happens periodically (but not
randomly) and trait anxiety as something that
always happens, no matter the
environment. Too much or too little of either
can negatively affect performance.

8. Confidence is a result of how one thinks, what
one focuses on, and how one reacts to the
events in one’s life. Most of all, a decision to
not be bound by a fear of failure will allow an
athlete to put total effort into the present
task. Failure has the natural consequence to
judge and classify based on “worthiness.”
Successful athletes have a tendency to ignore
the natural consequences of failure and focus
on his or her specific job at the present
moment.

9. Motivation is a key psychological factor of
sport performance. Motivation influences the
amount of effort expended, the ability to
bounce-back after setbacks, how long an
athlete will endure long and/or difficult
training periods, and actual competition
results. The good news is that motivation is
the factor over which athletes have the most
control.

10.  Performance Routines
 Goal Setting
 Imagery / Visualization “Seeing is Believing”
 Positive Self-talk
 Relaxation Techniques
 Coping with Adversity
 Focusing

11. It provides:
 Motivation
 Commitment
 Direction
Examples;
 Short-term goal: Training four times per
week for the next six weeks
 Long-term goal: Representing Slovakia in the
next Olympic games.

12. Visualization is the mental rehearsal technique
which involves the athletes creating a picture
in their minds. This may be either an internal
or external picture.
In order for visualization to work effectively,
the person must firstly, believe that the
strategy is effective and secondly that it is a
skill which requires practices, patience and
time.
“Seeing is believing”.

13. Any questions?