Benefits and Applications of Sports Psychology

Benefits and Applications of Sports Psychology1. IntroductionCurrently, sport psychologists utilize numerous interventions and techniques mean to enhance the performance of athletes in competition, one of which is the cognitive approach. (Greenspan Feltz, 1989). Focusing on the understanding of information and the relationship between concepts will allow the sports psychologist to be qualified to enhance teaching, visiting, knowledge, regulation and performance. (Glassman Hadad, 2009).2. Skills Attainment and Performance EnhancementMetacognitive knowledge includes knowledge intimately oneself as a learner and the factors that might impact performance, knowledge about strategies, and knowledge about when and why to utilise strategies. This component of metacognition would be utilise with the novice sports person. An elite sports person would not only utilise metacognitive knowledge and also metacognitive regulation through the monitoring of ones thinking , planning activities , awareness of understanding and task performance, and evaluation of the effectiveness of monitoring processes and strategies. (Livingston, 1997)2.1 pundit Sports PersonFitts Posner (1967), advise that there are 3 phases of acquiring new skills the cognitive phase, associative phase and autonomous phase. During the cognitive phase I would hold forth with the client what the mechanics of the sport were such other recognised achievements by other people in that sporting field, environment such as discharge track or stadium, clothing, physical attributes of how the body performs and the correct techniques, and the movement involved. I would assist the client in in forming a mental picture or as Tolman (1932) describes, a cognitive map of all of the components of the sport and the relationship between them. Practicing the new sport with guidance, corrective action and coach feedback would be used during the associative phase. This would assist the client in developing an understandi ng of what works for them. During the autonomous phase, the skill in the sport would be mastered and become an smart response.2.2 Elite Sports Person OlympianThe overall objective is to equip the athletes with the psychological tools to maximize their chances to perform as close as possible to their potential in the Olympic Games. An elite sportsperson has either an innate ability or has achieved a high level of performance through determination, effort and practice or both. acquiring into a flow mindset (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) can help athletes to consistently achieve optimal performance.To enhance performance we would use metacognitive regulation and evaluate the effectiveness of the alive(predicate) strategies. Suinn (1987) discusses techniques for performance enhancement which includes relaxation training followed by rehearsal using imagery. This type of intervention usually started with an explanation session then training in progressive muscle relaxation that allowed the sp orts person to alternatively tense and then relax muscles. The use of visualisation and guided imagery may help harbour pain, reduce anxiety levels, and develop positive attitudes as well as self-awareness. (Handegard et al, 2006). Le Van (2009) discusses how mental imagery impacts many cognitive processes in the intelligence motor control, attention, perception, planning, and memory. The brain is also stirting trained for actual performance during visualization.3. Evaluation of EffectivenessTo determine effectiveness of the technique, in the case of the novice, I would get them to discuss and reflect on their thinking process (Bransford et al, 2000). We would work through what it means to learn, awareness of ones strengths and weaknesses with specific skills, plan whats undeniable to accomplish a specific learning goal or activity, identifying and correcting errors, and preparing ahead for learning processes. The elite sportsperson would be required to undergo debriefing after competition, and face on the strategies in action. Monitoring would be used to determine the effectiveness and whether modification or relearning was required for any of the existing strategies.4. Personal Attainment of a New SkillAs an adult I enjoy learning on an as needed basis and as such motivation is never a problem. I learn because something has caused me to want to know more information. My takered path of learning is a staged approach. At first I prefer to do some reading about a particular topic or set of instructions and then have a teacher/ instructor demonstrate the task or activity. I find that participating in an activity with hands-on experience helps to do problem solving and embed the knowledge. I then like to practice the task until it is mastered. I also reflect on each stage and review what I have learnt. My learning style seems to be a combination of many styles behaviourist, such as mastering the content cognitivist, where I can problem solve and deal with the facts, and constructivist, where I use reflection (Ertmer Newby, 1993)5. ConclusionUsing a cognitive approach in a learning environment, or to equip athletes with an understanding of their physical and psychological functioning, and structure the ability to implement a range of strategies in competition, enables learners as well as athletes to both execute their skills and thrive under pressure as they filter out to reach their performance potential. (Anderson, 2014)ReferencesAnderson, R. (2014) Faster, higher, psychologically stronger Sport psychology at the London Olympic Games. Retrieved November 12th 2014 from Australian Psychological Society website http//www.psychology.org.au/Content.aspx?ID=4986.Bransford, J.D., Brown, A L., and Cocking, R.R. (2000). How people learn Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C. National Academy Press.Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper Row.Ertmer, P. and Newby, T. (1993). Behaviorism , cognitivism, constructivism Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6 (4), 50-72. Retrieved November 12th 2014, from http//uow.ico5.janison.com/ed/subjects/edgi911w/readings/ertmerp1.pdfFitts, P. M., Posner, R. M. I. (1967)Human performance.Oxford, England Brooks and Cole.Glassman, W.E and Haddad, M (2009) Approaches to Psychology (5th Ed.) Open University Press.Greenspan, M.J. Feltz, D.L. (1989) Psychological Interventions With Athletes in Competitive Situations A Review. The Sport Psychologist, 3, 219-236Handegard, L.A., Joyner, A.B., Burke, K.L., Reimann, B. (2006) Relaxation and Guided Imagery in the Sport replenishment Journal of Excellence (11) Retrieved November 11th 2014 from Zone of Excellence website http//www.zoneofexcellence.ca./Journal/Issue11/index.htmlLeVan, A.J. (2009) Seeing Is Believing The Power of Visualization. Retrieved November 12th 2014 from Psychology Today website http//www.psychologytoda y.com/blog/flourish/200912/seeing-is-believing-the-power-visualization.Livingston, J.A (1997) Metacognition An Overview. Retrieved November tenth 2014 from State University of New York at Buffalo website http//gse.buffalo.edu/fas/shuell/cep564/metacog.htmSuinn, R. (1987). Psychological approaches to performance enhancement. In J.R. May M.J. Asken (Eds.), Sport psychology The psychological health of the athlete (pp. 59-76). New York PMA Publ.Tolman, E.C. (1932) goal-directed Behaviour in Animals and Man. New York Appleton-Century-Crofts