You have the talent, you’ve been working hard at your game, you’re physically in great shape and you’ve won plenty of times in the past – but when it comes to the big events, you just can’t finish off that winning position. If we were to take elite golf as an example, let’s take a […]
I was reading the book Bounce: How Champions are Made recently, and the author mentioned a Michael Jordan commercial for Nike from several years ago. Watching the commercial again, I realised how powerfully it demonstrates the importance of accepting failure and setbacks as we strive for greatness in whatever we do. In order to remain […]
This article focuses on the process of appraising stressors and the impact this may have for sporting performance. It will provide an overview of the theoretical assumptions of stress appraisal and highlight relevant research that has applied this theoretical framework with athletes. Within sport, athletes experience a variety of stressors that may impact their performances. […]
One common aspect in developing our culture of excellence is the concept of hardiness and handling adversity. Hardiness revolves around how a person perceives their environment especially as it relates to the three C’s (commitment, control and challenge) when dealing with adversity. A major aspect of the season is the ability for athletes or organizations […]
It is often the case that we suffer from anxiety. Anxiety can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). Anxiety can also be related to pre-match nerves or develops over time due to low self-confidence. Stage Fright – Once we cross the line we are on STAGE. If we are anxious of competition a number of things can […]
For many years athletes dedicate themselves to the path of elitism within their respective sport. Hours upon hours of practice, military like regimes combined with mental preparation and focus assist an athlete in achieving their goal. Finally the hard work pays off and they are recognised as the elite within their sport. Now another chapter […]
Stress has been identified as crucial in sport, influencing performance as well as social functioning (Jones & Hardy, 1990). Increased anxiety and burn-out are symptoms which have been associated to an inability to manage stress in sport, as well as decreased self-esteem and performance difficulties. As the study of stress in sport has continued to […]
You would be hard pressed to find an athlete who doesn’t react in some way to imminent competition. This article focuses on the feelings of anxiety and stress that some athletes encounter before and during performance. It will explain how anxiety is defined, how different sports people react to it and also how it can […]
At the present time I am a Masters student studying Sport and Exercise Psychology and therefore I have had very little experience in delivering sport psychology support to athletes. This is because in the words of one of my lecturers, “as a Sport Psychologist you will be privileged enough to provide support and advice to […]