The Psychology

of Sport

Gobinder Gill

Set your goals based on the following principles:

Short-term goals

(short, sharp goals are useful as they benefit your performance)

Performance goals

(are useful because they relate to your own performance)

Maintaining your self-confidence is based on:

Outlook

(by accepting your own ability and doing your best)

Concentration

(by maintaining focus on the task in hand, it allows confidence to be naturally built)

Mental toughness is related to:

Desire to achieve success, even when under severe pressure

Determination to complete tasks in order to achieve a goal(s)

Positive self-talk is important because it:

Prevents negative thoughts

Supports the body and mind to focus on the task in hand

Anxiety can be controlled by a number of means. Two popular strategies relate to:

Listening to music – choose your favorite type of music and play it to help energize your body

Performing deep breathing exercises

Arousal is important and must be channeled appropriately. Therefore:

Set appropriate goals that can be achieved

Maintain a sense of calm and control

Self belief needs to come from within

It is important to have a sense of control and self-belief can promote this aspect

Success is born from positive self-belief

Self confidence is built on success

Willingness to go the full distance will promote self-confidence

Positive emotion will increase self-confidence

Focus must be maintained during performance in order to achieve success

Attempt to focus on the essential cues that relate to your own performance

Focus helps to increase your mental ability to cope with pressure

Handling Pressure is about coping with demands of your sport

The more pressure situations you experience the more resilient you become

Routines can be developed that enhance your ability to cope with pressure

Stress Management is crucial to avoiding anxiety and stress

There are a range of methods that can help support and regulate emotions

Practice of each method is required consistently in order to judge effectiveness

Regulating emotions allows the body to be balanced and in control

A balanced mind and body leads to best performance as focus is clear

Setting clear and concise goals will support the regulation of emotions