10 reasons to put a sports psychologist in your life

Not everything is couches and statistical data analysis in the world of psychology. Sports psychologists have been able to gain ground to consolidate a branch of the discipline that is causing people to talk.

The figure of the sports psychologist

Although the role of sports psychologist is unknown by many people, few doubt the importance of psychological factors in sports performance. More and more teams and athletes are hiring the services of sports psychologists who are aware of the benefits he brings in different ways. aspects of competition, training or interpersonal relationships.

The specialized knowledge of human behavior that Psychology provides and its specific methodology to evaluate, study, understand and modify it, can be very useful for both athletes and coaches.

The contribution of the sports psychologist

The contribution of the sports psychologist is not limited to the use of standardized questionnaires (which in many cases are ineffective and sometimes harmful) and training for athletes to master

relaxation or imagination, but his contribution is essential in sports performance, as is, for example, the contribution of the physical trainer in the facet of physical conditioning.

In other words, the psychological functioning of athletes is just as important for athletes as the physical, technical and tactical / strategic functioning. In addition, with respect to the latter, psychological functioning can influence positively or negatively in its operation, so it is very important to control the mental aspect in the right direction. Therefore, it is necessary that the psychological preparation be integrated into the overall preparation of the athlete, as one more element, that will interact correctly with the physical, technical and tactical / strategic.

Athletes can benefit from the work of a sports psychologist, and each sports specialty will require a few specific psychological skills, which will allow the athlete to compete more efficiently. For example, a footballer who has a correct control of his attention, it is possible that he will make better decisions and finish the plays in a more productive way. On the other hand, a marathon runner who controls his thoughts and feelings of fatigue will be able to continue to perform at an optimal level at critical moments in the race.

The work of the sports psychologist: benefits in athletes and coaches

In addition to these examples, the work of the sports psychologist will focus on the manipulation of psychological variables that are also relevant in the sports context, such as motivation, the psychosocial stress, the self-confidence, the self-esteem, moods, arousal level, attention, decision-making, aggressiveness, constancy or persistence, interpersonal relationships and team cohesion, taking into account the environmental and personal conditions that affect these variables and the strategies that can control them in the proper direction.

But the sports psychologist will not only act directly on the athlete, but will work with him coach so that this also improves both individually and for the benefit of the athlete or team to whom train. The role of the sports psychologist in this sense will influence certain aspects, such as the sports planning, adherence to training of athletes, leadership skills, improving communication, or evaluating your work as a coach.

10 reasons to hire a sports psychologist

The benefits of having a psychologist are many, as we have already seen. Here are the 10 reasons why a sports psychologist will positively influence sports performance:

1. Ideal state of mind

It is clear that it is necessary to have a great physical preparation or to eat well to perform at the best, but it is also necessary be mentally well prepared for the moment of the competition. In sports psychology the ideal state to reach the maximum level of each one is known as the “Optimal Level of Functioning”.

2. The reinforcement

Reinforcing players at opportune moments is really important to improve your self-esteem, and it is one of the basic principles of learning psychological, technical or tactical skills.

3. The objectives

The sports psychologist will help both the player and the coach to benefit from proper planning. Realistic goals, and the smart steps to achieve them, they can reinforce the level of self-confidence of the players, keep their motivation high and avoid problems of self-esteem.

We leave you here a specific article on the influence of the sports psychologist in setting effective goals:

"The importance of setting goals in Sports Psychology"

4. Group cohesion

The knowledge of the psychologist in aspects of group psychology, can play in favor of the team working as a whole. A united team is much more beneficial for good sporting performance than a team with internal problems.

5. Self-instructions

Self-instruction can be used in sport to acquire new skills, to increase motivation, to eliminate negative habits, to the initiation of action or for the maintenance of effort in extreme situations or when the attentional focus has to be maintained for a time dragged on. In addition, positive self-instructions serve to enhance self-esteem, motivation, attention, performance and helps bear fatigue better by causing the subject to focus more on the task.

6. Imagination Training

In our article “Mental Training through Imagination: Sports Psychology”We have already talked about the benefits of this type of training for athletes. It is useful, among other reasons, to reduce anxiety or to acquire new skills.

7. Stress management

Although we need a certain level of stress in competition, stress can be a negative factor for performance. The sports psychologist can improve the athlete's stress management, for example, helping to make his lifestyle as stressful as possible, and making it easier for him to reconcile all his daily obligations. In addition, he can also reduce the “pressure” of the athlete, influencing his performance expectations and focusing his attention on achievable goals.

8. Attention

Attentional techniques are very useful for good performance during sports practice. Some of the benefits are: improved emotional control, improved concentration, better skill learning, more ability to withstand difficult moments of competition, etc.

9. Productive emotions

There are performance facilitating emotions: the athlete's emotional state directly determines his performance in competition. Generating facilitating emotions is a key element in the good sporting performance of each person. In addition, the sports psychologist can help athletes to use negative emotions such as anger, fear, or disappointment, to their advantage.

10. Support in injury recovery

Getting injured is one of the hardest moments in the life of an athlete. Psychological support can be helpful in accepting an injury and getting through bad times.. The psychologist can provide tools to gradually return to training and maintain motivation during rehabilitation.