Comparing Sports Psychology

When an individual grows up to be an athlete, we question them on why they are so talented. There are two factors that are taken into account on this topic, and that is their genetic features or their biocultural characteristics. After long studies, philosophers finally agreed that human development is comprised of two factors: nature and nurture. People argue about this because they believe it is what determines our personality and behavior. Nature is the genetics that determines the result, and nurture is the environment that determines the result. Although these factors can be debatable, most scientists believe both of these contribute to the idea of exercise and sports science. Some believe it is the

Sports psychology deals with the mental and emotional aspects of physical performance. It involves describing, explaining and predicting attitudes, feelings and behaviours in an attempt to improve performance. In the film 'Coach Carter,' directed by Thomas Carter, sport psychology is used effectively to enhance the performance of a high school basketball team. However, this improved performance is not limited to the basketball court, it extends into the classroom where the students use goal setting, motivation, concentration and confidence control, ultimately to become accepted into college, avoiding a life of drugs, gangs and prison.

The research team included 3 researchers, two trained in sport sociology and the main author was trained in sport psychology, providing an

Beron and Alex R. Piquero (2016), student-athletes with the lowest average grades disclosed they concentrated more on their sport than academics and viewed themselves as athletes more than students. The academic community (i.e. deans and university presidents) and the athletic community (i.e. college coaches and athletic directors) have battled over eligibility requirements, the advising of student athletes, and requirements for athletic scholarships. This incredible fascination with sports has turned it into quasi-religion for many. Those who are entertained and those who profit from sports have internalized this fascination with sports and passed it on to the students of America. The logical sequence of this fixation with sports continues from high schools to colleges, and then to professional sports. The concern then is has athletics become a more compelling force than academics in American high schools and especially universities. Is there an overemphasis placed on athletics in high schools and mainly universities? According to Robert A. McCormick and Amy Christian McCormick (2006), the NCAA has used the term “student-athlete” to characterize athletes that are a part of its member universities. As stated above, student-athletes with the lowest average grades disclosed they concentrated more on their sport than academics and viewed themselves as athletes more than students (Beron & Piquero, 2016). Are they really “student-athletes”? Is there more emphasis placed on being an athlete than being a student? On one hand, it is viewed sports participation has a negative impact on academics because sports participation is over-emphasized and academic performance is under-emphasized. Conversely, a study conducted by Ralph B. McNeal, Jr. (1995), found positive effects between sports and a lower likelihood of dropping out of high school. Another study conducted by Andrew Yiannakis and Merrill J. Melnick (2001), found positive effects of sports

There is a distinct relationship with sport and positive psychosocial development. They learn team work, following rules, playing fair. It also has links between physical sports and social and moral development, learning to deal with winning and losing. It is shown to improve schooling success, where the environment is set up to follow rules and routines.

The use of mental skills in sports psychology can both benefit an athlete to motivate themselves and provide them with the self confidence to achieve although the use of these skills can also have a negative impact on the athlete. This review of literature includes two different types of mental skills that can be used to help an athlete in the rehabilitation process, one study to support the concept that athletes benefit from a range of mental skills use is Arvinen-Barrow et al. This study took place in 2015, found out that 71.6% of 1283 athletes indicated that they believed mental skills helped them to rehabilitate faster when using 3 types of mental skills (imagery,goal setting and positive self talk). On the other hand there are studies which argue against the positives of mental skills more specifically relaxation and imagery and one example is a study conducted by Francis, Andersen and Maley (2000). The results from this study backed up the idea that positive self talk and positive reinforcement from an external individual can help the rehabilitation process. However the athletes used in this study did not believe that other mental skills such as relaxation or imagery were particularly useful in the rehabilitation phase. Furthermore when athletes return to physical activity there are theories that they are often feared of the injury occurring again and may not give themselves the best chance to perform at their previous standards. The following examples of

Sports have always been an important part of our life as they are considered to be one of the most accessible recreational activities available to almost all population groups. There are, certainly, various kinds of sport that one can engage in, and, often times, they may be influenced by one’s socioeconomic status, religious beliefs, culture, geographical location and more. This aspect, however, is what makes sports so appealing to the public, and its uniqueness allows for accommodation of almost every personality. Sports generally allow children and adults to sustain their body, mind, and spirits in excellent shape by combining the two of the most important factors: physical exercise to keep the body lean and healthy and play to keep

Preparing internally for athletics is unique for each individual, and sport psychology has aided many amateurs to become professional athletes. Although physical ability does play a large role in athletics, sport psychology is the most important component when

For the first learning experience, I chose to discuss Sports Psychology, which discussed several key points that I have used since taking the course and will use in the future. Some of the course objectives included: covering various psychological principles that are associated with sports, discussing psychological variables that can hinder athletic performance or enhance it, and illustrating numerous psychological techniques that can enhance athletic performance. The main goals were to apply the theories of psychology to real world situations in sports and to allow students to gain a better understanding of psychological techniques that may help them in the future, which can be applied to social situations as well as situations in sports setting. Personally, this class had such a huge impact on me because it gave me a foundation of psychology, in which I based my own athletic performance on. For

The sports psychology sports terminology that stood out was motivation. It was noticeable that motivation played a key role in the game. The hustle a long with determination defined the outcome for the both teams. Furthermore the team who was more motivated for victory one the game the.

Sports have become very popular in America. Parents want their kids to participate in many sports. Many parents also hold high expectations for their kids to be physically fit (Romeo,1984). Teenagers who excel in sports need to be physically fit (Bingham,2009). Many sports stress control over the body and mind (Graves,2000).

Sports Psychology is the scientific study of psychological factors that affect participation and performance within sport as well as other forms of physical activity (American Psychological Association, 2015). Sports psychology investigates how mental and emotional aspects influence an athletes’ performance, well-being and development, as well as how the developing aspects, social aspects and organisations within sports affect sports performance (American Psychological Association, 2015). This is related to Figueroa’s framework, which analyses equity and access in sport by exploring these concepts through 5 levels of society; cultural, structural, institutional, interpersonal, individual levels (Mt Maria College, 2013). Sports Psychology affects

Sport psychology known as the uses of psychological knowledge and skills to address optimal performance and well-being of athletes, developmental and social aspects of sports participation, and systemic issues associated with sports settings and organizations. It is important for anyone who working with young athletes to know sport psychology because as an individual, you can harm or benefit the athlete at a young age. The parents of children want their child develop confidence and discipline in sports and life, however some parents don't help in right way. As a coach or person who works with young athletes, the use of sport psychology will allow the reach their potential in sports and development of children. When working with young athletes, you need to know each young athlete is different.

Roper, E. A. (2008). Women’s Career Experiences in Applied Sport Psychology. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 20(4), 408-424.

The second article was tested with a whole middle school which tests all of the students. The problem was exact to the first article, that students in school were not receiving their full physical activity experience. Determining whether the sports can help will aid athletes in not having to think the sport is bringing their grade down. The method was a simple survey, asking the student how much physical activity they have in a normal day and was compared to what their grades were at the time of the study. The results in the study showed that the student’s athletic activity had little effect on the grades of the students, which disproves stereotypes. Limitations in the study are that ninety eight surveys were administered but only fifty eight were given back to the researchers. Further research may be that elementary, middle, and high school students can all be tested to see if the age of the student determines their success or failure with participating in physical activity.