Leah Griffin
English 102
Feeder 2.1
11/1/10

The Importance of Sports Psychology in Athletic Performance

Sport Psychology is a mental skills training program intended to improve athlete’s within-competition performance, but research has shown that many athletes and coaches are reluctant to seek sport psychological help due to the lack of immediate tangible results, such as larger muscles, that are generally acquired through sports physiology and biochemistry. This article is designed to help bridge the “understanding gap” of sports psychology that is currently being reported by several athletes and coaches.

In general, behavioral psychology states that all behaviors are acquired by interaction with the environment. The definition of behavioral psychology may depict that behaviors are acquired exclusively through physical practice, but it is better defined as the mind and body being essentially connected. Therefore, sports psychology and the mental aspects of learning new behaviors also play a substantial role in athletic skill development. Learning specific behaviors that improve one’s athletic ability does not result solely from physical aspects and behaviors, but must involve the psychological and mental behaviors as well.

For instance, when starting gymnastics, one cannot instantly expect to do a back flip just from physically trying it. Yes, the back flip can eventually be learned through physical practice, but the mental psychological aspects must first come into play because one’s muscle memory must understand the concepts of the back flip before one can physically try it. In the Behavior Modification article, my prior gymnastics example explaining the mental and psychological importance of learned behaviors is further supported and its importance is better explained. Significant advancements in the relationship between mental skills and athletic performance have been made, with a large amount of knowledge supporting its applied use in the area of performance enhancement. Different types of anxiety occur among all athletes and affect their athletic performances; this is where sports psychology comes into play and specializes in getting rid of the anxiety. Sports psychology remains a contemporary discipline and its emphasis placed on competitive sports (Behavior Modification).

Unfortunately, there seems to be a misconception of sports psychology that is made by athletes and coaches. This misconception has been worsened in the athletic field by coaches’ beliefs that sport psychology is only designed for “problem athletes” and therefore, is not part of a general performance enhancing strategy (Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology). Researchers suggest that the possible resolution to this fallacy must consist of sports psychologists placing greater emphasis on educating and informing coaches and athletes about the methods by which sports psychology can directly influence athletic performance (Athletic Insight).

As made clear in the article, sports psychology cannot alter a person’s natural athletic ability to make them a better athlete, but its main purpose is to help athletes perform at a level closest to their maximum potential and to increase relative performance. Hopefully, the information revealed in this article will help inform coaches and athletes and improve their confidence regarding the sports psychology behavior aspect in athletics.


Works Cited

Ferraro, T., & Rush, S. (2000). Why athletes resist sport psychology. Athletic Insight,
2, 9-14.
Gee, Chris J. “How Does Sport Psychology Actually Improve Athletic Performance? A Framework to Facilitate Athletes’ and Coaches’ Understanding. Behavior Modification. Sept. 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2010.
Linder, D. E., Brewer, B. W., Van Raalte, J. L., & DeLange, N. (1991). A negative halo
for athletes who consult sport psychologists: Replications and extension. Journal
of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 13, 133-148.