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Looking beyond Sports

Understanding the aspects of sports psychology

“It is not whether you get knocked down; it is about whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi.

Sports. Who do we know or who have we come across who does not like sports?

I assume none. They may have their own choice when it comes to which sports but everybody likes some kind of sport. Many of them even play.

So what do we understand from this?

That sport is also very much an important part of our lives. Doctors always emphasize on the being active.

That is also for a reason. Because our physical well being affects everything. Be it the way we handle things, the effect of it on our mental health, everything.

One thing is interconnected to the other and that is how we work.

God made us this way so that we acknowledge every part of ourselves and not neglect any because it all makes a difference.

Now we know when it comes to mental health disorders, we turn to clinical psychology, when it comes to fashion, we turn to fashion psychology and so on.

So when it comes to sports, where do we turn to? Well of course, we take a look at sports psychology.

It is necessary that we know what sports psychology really is and how it functions so that we understand it better and implement it in our daily lives.

Let us take a closer look at sports psychology.

Sports psychology is the psychology related to the field of sports. In it, a psychologist makes the connection of the body and the mind.

It revolves around how mental health and physical health are interrelated.

Even though they are two completely different parts of us, in the end, they still form a single human being.

That is how their connection works. Sports psychology is a very needed branch of psychology and it is essentially necessary for sportspersons. Every team of every sport we know has a sports psychologist.

That is how important it is to have one. Even sports teachers and coaches have to complete a course on sports psychology so they know what it is about.

Sports psychology plays a role in all our lives.

Let me tell you a little story so that you can understand it better. I speak from personal experience.

When I was in school, I used to play all sorts of sports.

I was really attached to playing football and I played well.

There was this one time, at an important tournament, I missed the winning goal.

I was extremely saddened by it and it had come to the point where I did not want to play anymore.

I came to my own conclusions and thought that if I cannot give good results, then I should not continue with it anymore.

That very week, I went to my coach and I tried returning my jersey. He sat me down and explained to me that it was alright and that missing that one goal was not the end of the line.

He then took personalized efforts so that I feel more comfortable in practice and that I do not quit football. He made me see the fact that I was a good player and that mistakes happen and it would happen another ten times.

But that was alright as long as I had sight over my future self.

That is the psychological impact he had on me and it did not come to him naturally.

It came through the fact that he had studied sports psychology so he knew how a situation is to be dealt with.

Let us take a closer look at the aspects of sports psychology.

Making goals:

An important aspect of sports psychology and the main one is to set goals for the future.

You cannot just begin your sports journey without knowing where you want to be and how you want to reach it.

That is why it is important that you set out goals as to how you do that.

Apart from that, when you are where you want to be what is next.

You need to set goals for every season which will come, for every match.

So that you are prepared for it and can face it well.

Visualization:

Another aspect of sports psychology is visualization.

Visualization basically means thinking about and anticipating the future.

You recreate the entire scenario of the match in your head and think about how you see the match going.

This will help you have a better understanding for the game you are about to enter and you will know what to expect and what not to.

It will prepare you better for your game so you know where to do what.

This is why it is important for us to visualize better, so that we play the game better.

Confidence:

Personally, I feel that being confident and having better self-esteem is very important when considered in the field of sports.

It is just a must have and it definitely cannot be neglected.

Being confident in who you are and how you play your game can help you overcome a number of issues of self doubt which you can experience before a game.

Being confident will also make you stand out and it will help you become more comfortable out there on the field. You will feel like it is your place, and it is your time to shine.

And with that kind of an attitude, you definitely will shine.

Concentration and Relaxation:

Another necessary aspect of sports psychology is on the basis of concentration and relaxation. It is very important to have your focus on the game while playing it and before it happens

This is required so that you can play your game better.

But often we witness that players overwork themselves before their game and then during the game, they burn out and are not able to do their best.

That is where relaxation comes in. Sports psychologist emphasize relaxing techniques so that the players can shake off the pressure they feel before a game, and there is a lot.

Relaxing helps them overcome it and they can go ahead and play the game better.

Injuries:

Players get hurt on the field, players get hurt before a big match, after a big match, basically, there are injuries. Some are temporary and some are permanent and they both have adverse effects on a player.

The players tend to freak out and think that this is it and everything they have worked for is now going to go.

Sports psychologist help them overcome those fears. It is easier in a temporary injury to reassure a player that they will be back up in the field in no time.

But when somebody suffers through a permanent injury in which they would not be able to play the game again, it is hard.

These players tend to go in depression and develop various mental health issues because of what has happened.

It takes them time to come on terms with what has happened and how life is going to be now. That is where sports psychologists come in.

They help such players move on to the next phase of their life.

They help them overcome these thoughts in their head and let them see the better.