Psych for Sport & Exercise

What is Sport & Exercise Pysch?

The study of behavior and people in sport and exercise activity

Practical Application of this knowledge

2 Objectives & 1 Product of Sport & Exercise Psych

Objectives:

1. Understand factors that predispose individuals to avoid or engage in

   physical activity.

   2. Understand how engagement in physical activity influences an individual’s

   general well-being throughout the lifespan.

Product

1. The application of psychological principles to improve athletic well-being

   and performance

How to Identify Objectives of Sport & Exercise Psych

Antecedents (motivation, personality, state of mind, individual differences)

Physical Activity (exercise, sport participation, inactivity, sedentary behavior)

Consquences (self esteem, confidence, mental health, behavior)

Research Example Classification

Figure out the outcome and key influence

Influence: Psych & Outcome: Physical = Objective 1

Influence: Physical & Outcome: Psych = Objective 2

Exercise Psych vs Sport Psych

Exercise Psych: study of antecedents and consquences of exercise

Sport Psych: study of people and behavior in sport setting and application of that knowledge

EXERCISE AND SPORT PSYCH ARE MORE SIMILAR THAN DIFFERENT

Exercise Psych Themes

Exercise Behavior Promotion: what motivates people to continue exercise?

Dynamic Exercise Psych: what happens during exercise?

Exercise and Health Psychology: how does exercise contribute to overall health and well being?

Exercise Psych Approaches

1. Affective Approach: feelings, emotions

2. Biological Approach

3. Cognitive Approach

4. Personality Approach

5. Social Approach

Applied Sport Psych Practitioner

Primary job is to help athletes optimize their sport experience by consistently

performing in the upper range of their capabilities and more thoroughly enjoying

the overall sport performance process

Clinical Sport Psych Practitioner

Primary job is to help athletes optimize their sport experiences by consistently

performing in the upper range of their capabilities and more thoroughly enjoying

the overall sport performance process as well as helping athletes with mental

health issues.

• Requires a license in clinical or counseling psychology

Physical Activity and Health Practitioner

Those that use principles of sport psychology such as sport coaches, athletic trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches

Academic Sport Pysch Practitioner

Typically earned a Ph.D. and have some teaching and research experience from their doctoral studies prior to pursuing an academic career.

• Often involves teaching, research, and service responsibilities.

Goal of Sport & Exercise Psych

Theory: a set of interrelated facts presenting a systematic view of some

phenomenon in order to describe, explain, and predict its future occurrences

Self Determination Theory

Aimed to explain motivation (CAR)

• Competence: feeling capable and confident that you can successfully perform a behavior (I CAN do this)

• Autonomy: feelings of control (I WANT to do this)

• Relatedness: feelings of connectedness and community

ABC

Affect: mood, emotion

Behavior

Cognition: attitudes, thoughts, perception

Appraisal Theory

an event doesn’t cause an emotion, its our perception of it that causes the emotion and response

Hedonic Theory

Tend to avoid pain and seek pleasure

2 Parts of Motivation

1. Direction (what you choose to do)

2. Intensity

Dual Process Theories

2 types of thinking determine our behavior:

• Relative controlled thinking: consciously thinking about decision

• Automatic impulsive thinking

PST (Psychological Skills Training)

A systematic and consistent practice of mental or psych skills for the purpose of enhancing performance, increasing enjoyment, or achieving greater sport and physical activity self satisfaction

Pysch Skills for Elite Performance

• Imagery

• Self Talk

• Observation/Conceptualization

• Focus

7 Tools for Psych Skills Training

• Goal Setting

• Arousal Regulation

• Confidence

• Stress Management

• Resilience

• Motivation

• Mindfulness

Why are Psych Skills Training overlooked?

• Lack of Knowledge

• Misunderstanding (people are born with these mental skills)

• Lack of TIme

Ultimate Goal of Psych Skills Training

Self regulation: Athlete can function on their own to work toward their short and long term goals by monitoring thoughts, feelings and behaviors

Psych Skills Training Programs

Qualified Applied Sport Psych Practitioner

CMPC (Certified Mental Performance Consultant)

Paid apps for self practice

• Champions Mind

• Mind & Muscle

• WellU Mental Training

• Mindset Sport Pysch

Concentration

Part of focus: 3 parts

• Attend to the correct thing

• Attend at the correct time

• Attend to info in the correct way

2 Dimensions of Attention

• Direction (internal vs external)

• Attentional Focus (narrow vs broad)

Purpose of Self Talk

• Motivation: changing direction and intensity of effort

• Arousal Regulation: change how energized you feel

PETTLEP Approach

Guide for imagery practice

P: Physical (body state)

E: Environment (setting)

T: Task (skill details)
T: Timing (real-time pace)

L: Learning (skill level)

E: Emotion (feelings)

P: Perspective (internal/external view)

WEIRD

Majority of people polled for social science studies are usually

• Western

• Educated

• Industralized

• Rich

• Democratic

4 Types of Imagery in Sports Psych

• Motivational General Arousal (MG-A): How do I want to feel?

• Motivational Specific (MS): What do I want to achieve?

• Cognitive General (CG): How will I perform the performance?

• Cognitive Specific (CS): What specific skill am I going to perform?

According to the Optimal Model of Motor Learning, which type of focus is best for basic motor talks?

External Focus

Measure of Impact

Citations