Sports psychology is not one theory, but the consolidation of many conjoining ideas and concepts that attempt to understand what it takes to be a successful athlete. Indeed, in many sports, endurance in particular, there has been a move toward more multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches looking at the interactions between biomechanical, genetic, training, physiological and psychological aspects of performance. With that in mind, and considering the many psychological constructs affecting performance in sports, the following areas are some of the most extensively studied:
- Motivation
- Mental toughness
- Goal setting
- Anxiety and arousal
Mental Toughness
Athletes and coaches believe that mental toughness is a
psychological construct and is vital for performance success and in training
and competition (Gucciardi, Peeling, Ducker and Dawson, 2016)
After interviewing a bunch of athletes competing at an
international level, Jones et al (2002) found out that being mentally tough
takes an unbreakable self-belief in the ability to achieve goals and the
capacity and determination to bounce back from performance setbacks. Mental
toughness determines “how people deal effectively with challenges, pressure and
stressors, irrespective of circumstances (Crust and Clough, 2005)
Motivation
Motivation has been described as what maintains, sustains,
directs, and channels behaviour over an extended amount of time. While it
applies in all areas of life requiring commitment, it is particularly relevant
in sports. Not only does motivation impact an athlete’s potential to focus and
achieve sporting excellence, but it is crucial for the initial adoption and ongoing
continuance of training (Sutton, 2019).
Based on our inherent tendency toward growth, SDT suggests
that activity is most likely when an individual feels intrinsically motivated,
has a sense of volition over their behaviour, and the activity feels inherently
interesting and appealing.
Goal setting and focus
Setting goals is an effective way to focus in the right
activities, increase commitment, and energize the individual (Clough and
Strycharczyk, 2015).
Goal setting is also “associated with increased wellbeing
and represents an individual striving to achieve personal self-change, enhanced
meaning and purpose in life” self-change, enhanced meaning, and purpose in
life” (Sheard, 2013)
Athletes can use their goals to focus and direct attention
toward actions that will lead to specific improvements. For example: a soccer
player improves their kick to take 0.5 seconds off a 100-meter butterfly time
or a runner increases their speed out of the blocks in a 100 meter sprint. Goal
setting can define challenging but achievable outcomes, whatever your sporting
level or skills. A specific, achievable, measurable, relevant, time-bound goal
should be clear, realistic, and possible. For example, a runner may set the
following goal:
Next Year, I want to run the London Marathon in
three hours by completing a six-month training schedule provided by a coach.
Anxiety and Arousal
Under influence of extreme pressure and in situations
perceived as important, athletes may perform worse than expected. This is known
a choking and is typically caused by being overly anxious. (Kremer et al.,
2019).
It is important to distinguish anxiety from arousal. The
latter refers to a type of bodily energy that prepares us for action. It
involves deep psychological and physiological activation, and is valuable in
sports. Therefore, if physiological and psychological activation is on a
continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement, the sportsmen must aim for a
perceived sweet spot to perform at their best. It will differ wildly between
competitors; for one, it may be perceived as unpleasant anxiety, for another,
nervous excitement.
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