Why we need Sports psychologist?

 

What Is Sports Psychology?

In simple terms, sports psychology is the study of psychological factors that influence an athlete’s performance, and how mental health plays a big role in an athlete’s life. 

Everything that goes on in the mind of not only an athlete, but their team, coaches, family falls under sports psychology. This field is concerned with the mental element involved in sports, often which is overlooked. 

Importance Of Sports Psychology

Sports psychology can be used to enhance an athlete’s performance by helping with stress management, increasing motivation, anxiety control, mental toughness, etc. It also helps with injury rehabilitation, team building, burnout, career transition, etc. 

There are trained professionals who take up this role to help athletes and are professionally called as sports psychologists. Sports Psychology can be used for:

1.  Better Performances
2. Motivation and Feedback
3. Recovery and Rehabilitation
4. Overall well-being

In recent times, the biggest and best example of the importance of psychology in an athlete can be seen in Virat Kohli. Kohli was having a really bad spell from 2020 and was barred by many as ‘finished.’

He was extremely low on confidence and a comeback was looking very bleak for him, But defying all odds, he made an incredible comeback in the Asia Cup 2022 and the ongoing cricket World Cup. When the world wrote him off, he kept working hard and believed in his abilities. That is the mindset of a champion that makes him different from others.

Conclusion

We now know what sports psychology is and the importance of it. Apart from the usual coaching staff and medical team, all sporting organizations should have a team psychologist on-board who would work on the mental aspect of an athlete. The recent hit show Ted Lasso also beautifully showcases the importance of sports psychology in a team by their character Dr. Sharon. 

Physical health and mental health go hand-in-hand. For complete well-being, one should focus on both. The importance of psychology in sports is very significant. A player who has a clear and healthy mind will always perform better than his opponent. We need to realize the value of sports psychologists and how they can help athletes improve their game. 

So if you are someone who is interested in sports psychology and want to learn more about it, watch this space!