10 reasons to put a sports psychologist in your life

We review the strengths of sports psychology.

It's not all 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 giving people something to talk about.

The figure of the sports psychologist

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

The specialized knowledge of human behavior that psychology provides and its specific methodology to evaluate it, study it, understand it and be able to 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 techniques or imagination, but their contribution is essential to sports performance, as is, for exampleIn other words, the psychological functioning of the athlete's body is essential to his or her performance, just as, for example, is the contribution of the physical trainer in the area of physical conditioning.

In other words, the psychological functioning of athletes is just as important to them as their physical, technical and tactical/tactical functioning. physical, technical and tactical/strategic functioning.. In addition, with respect to the latter, psychological functioning can positively or negatively can positively or negatively influence their functioning, so it is in a positive or negative way, so it is very important to control the mental aspect in the right direction. Therefore, it is necessary that the psychological preparation is integrated into the overall preparation of the athlete, as another element, which will interact correctly with the physical, technical and tactical/strategic plots.

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

The work of a sports psychologist: benefits for 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, psychosocial stress, self-confidence, self-esteem, moods, activation level, attention, decision making, aggressiveness, 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 right direction.

But the sports psychologist will not only act directly on the athlete, but will also work with the coach so that he/she can improve both individually and for the benefit of the athlete or team he/she is training. The role of the sports psychologist in this sense, will influence certain aspects, such as the sports planningThe role of the sports psychologist in this sense, will influence certain aspects such as sports planning, adherence to training of athletes, leadership skills, improved communication, or the evaluation of their 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 mental state

It is obvious that it is necessary to have a great physical preparation or to eat well to perform at your best, but it is also necessary to be well prepared mentally for the time of the competition.. In sports psychology, the ideal state to reach one's maximum level is known as the "Optimal Level of Performance".

2. Reinforcement

Reinforcing players at the right time is really important to improve their self-esteem. important to improve their self-esteemIt 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 objectives, and intelligent steps to achieve themcan reinforce the players' level of self-confidence, keep their motivation high and avoid self-esteem problems.

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

"The importance of goal setting in Sports Psychology".

4. Group cohesion

The psychologist's knowledge in aspects of group psychology, can play in favor of the team working as a whole.. A united team is much more beneficial for the proper functioning of the sport than a team with internal problems.

5. Self-instructions

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

6. Imagination Training

In our article "Mental Training through Imagination: Psychology of Sport" we already talked about the benefits of this type of training for athletes. It is useful, among other reasons, to reduce anxiety or for the acquisition of new skills.

7. Stress control

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 managementFor example, by helping to make the athlete's lifestyle as stress-free as possible, and making it easier for the athlete to juggle all of his or her daily obligations. In addition, it can also reduce the athlete's "pressure" by influencing his or her performance expectations and focusing his or her 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 learning of skills, better ability to withstand the difficult moments of the competition, etcetera.

9. Productive emotions

There are performance facilitating emotions: the emotional state of the athlete directly determines his or her 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. Injury recovery support

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