In all of sports and for that matter business we face pressure in our everyday objectives. Meeting a deadline, scoring a goal or a touchdown, or getting to our child’s recital. Pressure is all around us, but is pressure internal or external? Examples of external pressure could include fans, bosses, media, coaches and even parents. […]
This article aims to give an insight into the deliberate use of emotions within sport performance through an applied perspective. The course of the article will move firstly through the association between sport and emotion, then through to the concept of emotion regulation with examples of how it is used within an intervention. What is […]
Ronan O Gara and Jonny Wilkinson, among many others place the ball, set themselves, say something to themselves and then go about their business and put the ball between the posts. So what exactly are they saying and why? Research has shown that the use of psychological techniques can enhance sporting performance (Krane & Williams, […]
In August of last year I moved to the USA to play soccer for a small university in Tennessee. What we achieved as a team was more than any of us could have imagined, or even dreamt about whilst going through a brutal pre-season at the beginning of August. We under-achieved in our conference, lost […]
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 […]