Unfortunately injury is a common threat when it comes to both elite and non-elite sport. How we cope with it may determine our path to either full recovery or re-injury. We often participate in major competition despite ‘having a niggle’ or carrying a larger injury and passing it off as nothing much (Lopez & colleagues, […]
Few studies have investigated the role of overall life stress and wellness on performance and injuries in elite junior sport. The adolescent phase of development is one where athletes face many competing demands. As a result, whilst their need for sleep has not changed to that of childhood, evidence suggests their perception of their need […]
Simply ‘Google’ coping in sport and thousands of research papers appear. Even on this website 10 articles are listed under the topic. As sport psychologists, being able to assist athletes with the pressures of competition, performance slumps, and a range of other worries is recognised as an important area not only for improving performance but […]
Military personnel face extreme levels of stress that impact not only their performance but also their readiness and personal relationships (Mastroianni, Mabry, Benedek, & Ursano, 2008). Prominent stressors include sleep deprivation, physical fatigue, prolonged separation from family and friends, and the ongoing threat of injury or death. Up to 70% of US soldiers are exposed […]
More and more factors such as anxiety, depression, anger, worry, and frustration just to name a few are becoming the norm in not just elite level and professionals sport but even sport at a recreational level. Sports psychologists are in ever increasing demand to deal with these issues with performers often explaining how they want […]
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 want to run you through a demonstration I have used in workshops and with individual clients. It’s called Stress and a Glass of Water. I didn’t invent the analogy, but have used something like this to help people understand the concept of stress for a long time. If I were to ask you How heavy is […]
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 […]