Riley Lindsey

11-6-14

English 102

Literature Review

 

Sports psychology helps athletes focus on the task at hand and not the final outcome. It helps determine where in the mind that the athlete could chock at. And it’s getting inside their head and making them confident so they don’t chock under pressure,  that’s their job. The two main things that athletes struggle with are, what they're focusing on, and how they're feeling.  "Negative thoughts, irrelevant thoughts, outcome-related thoughts, tend to produce higher levels of tension and poor performance," Wrisberg said. "What we try to do is to break down performance into the things that they have control of and be sure that that's what they're doing every single time they attempt their sport."   When an athlete is at the free throw line, they teach them mentally to breath and focus on the target. And trust their practice, and don’t think that this point will affect the outcome of the game. "It's taking care of the stuff you have control of that is going to give you the chance to be successful, and I think they learn that principle when they get together with a performance consultant."    Through my research five categories presented themselves frequently in my sources.  These categories are the following:  confidence in ability, growing friendship, self-motivation and the drive to be the best. Also will include How Olympic athletes train and what they go through because, In the Olympics is where Sports Phycology became so popular. Also How to bounce back from injuries. The ending part to my Literature Review is back ground to Sports Physiology and experiments that have been done.   

Within my research I found a number of articles on the effects that sports psychology has on the confidence of  students and athletes to help their abilities.  Jay D., and Seppo Iso-Ahola in their article "Promoting Sportsmanship in Youth Sports: Perspectives from Sport Psychology" discuss sportsmanship and how being competitive is not a bad thing. Our society looks at being completive as a bad thing, by putting other kids down. However, in reality, kids that are completive just want to win. The article also states that when we lower the basketball hoop to fit the needs of some kids that don’t have a high skill level we only make things easier and do not push kids to strive to be better. This in turn can lower their confidence when they can achieve obstacles later in life that cannot be made easier for them.  In another article Thomas M Kelley explains in "Positive Psychology And Adolescent Mental Health: False Promise Or True Breakthrough?", within the journal Adolescence, that there is a health benefit of positive psychology and how it impacts kids’ positive thinking and helps them to truly believe that anything is possible if you prepare correctly and have a good attitude towards your desired goal. The lessons that they learn in their childhood will help them when they are adults to keep that belief strong and help young kids thrive at whatever they put their minds to. Another article says James  Reel,. "How to use Sports Psychology to Develop a Performance Plan."  The author explains how buckling under the pressure is very common in young athletes, and the performance anxiety is all in your mind and not in your technique. You can practice for hours shooting a free throw for basketball and you could make 10/10 every time in practice but, when its game time and the game is on the line, and all you have to do is make a shot that you have made thousands of time and you end up missing and losing the game. It’s all mental you have to be strong.

Another author that is breaking  threw is Janet Nelson, "On Your Own; Sports Psychology” Becoming the Locker Room's Latest Rage. The author states that sports phycology is the new pop way to improve sports performance. It’s helping athletes across the world and we are just scratching the surface on it. When a young kid sees a top athlete preforming at a very high level, they watch every detail every move the player makes because they want to be just like them. They listen to what the player says and does.  Jenny H Conviser,. "Sports Psychology in Performance." The author talks in the article about sports psychology and the way it benefits athletes by performance enhancement. By making them reach for their goals and become mentally strong. To make them try their best and give them nothing but positive thoughts. The next sites will explain growing friendships on and off the field. Also to show what you learn in sports will help you later along in life to become a better person. Researchers from Curtin University of Technology Detail Findings in Social Psychology (A Fair Game for all? This sites states that using psychology in sports helps kids and community’s come together and bring kids together, as well in having fun playing sports. , PhD Eric DeMeulenaere, "Playing The Game: Sports As A Force For Promoting Improved Academic Performance For Urban Youth." The author says that any students involved in sports leads to student success, such as bringing confidence to the player on and off  the court. Developing positive adult and peer role models, and its role in getting students to develop future aspirations and goals. It helps kids meet other kids and get out of their zone. Kids involved in sports do better in school because they have to have good grades to play in school sports. Authors   Aibueku, Samuel Ovenseri, and Solomon Ogbouma. "Extent Of Implementation National Sports Policy Of Nigeria: Implications For Sports Science  Academic Research Internationa.   How being involved with sports helps kids stay out of trouble and  makes  them strive  to do the best they can in life. It’s not always about the sport its self but, the lessons they learn. It’s how they apply it to their everyday life as an adult. I have learned so many things threw the involvement in sports. The next couple articles are about Self- motivation and the drive to be the best. Author Jeff Meyers, "Playing Mind Games Increasing Role of Psychology in Sports may make Couches Health Clubs of the '90s."  The article talks a great deal about how sports psychology really works with the athletes such as visualization, relaxation, stress management, concentration and mental rehearsal. Also focus your mind on what you want to happen and then manifest it, try your hardest to make it happen. It’s all about making things happen that you though you would be capable. Another great article is Jill Johnson. "Finding the Zone Psychology Looms Big In Sports As Athletes Try To Thrive Under Pressure Athletes Attempt to Deal with Pressure." The author explains that many great athletes have all buckled under the pressure of the game, in whatever sport. The have practiced forever and with the moment comes to use all the practice they chock. This is all mental the athlete though about the task for too long and had doubt I him/herself and because of that though, they end up missing the shot or the catch. Whatever task they were supposed to do they didn’t. This is where having a sports psychologist comes in handy. They can work with teams and manage players to keep them mental strong.  Robert Epstein, "Helping Athletes Go for the Gold." The article says the job or a sports psychologist is not to pump up the athlete but, to settle their mind down and explain to them why they are here. They have spent hours training for this moment they know everything they have to do just be strong and trust yourself. 

 

Marc Siegel, "The Unreal World; when any Therapy Will do; The article talks about the importance of sports psychologist and how it helps players deal with anger management and other off the field problems that they may be having. But what is inserting, is the coaches are not allowed to know what is said in the room unless the player is ok with it. In this environment kids can be them self’s with no worries of getting in trouble. It’s a safe house. Over all being a sports psychologist is to improve athlete’s performance. The next articles will be about spots Phycology and how important it is to have in the Olympics. Christa Case, "For Many Vancouver Olympics Athletes, Sports Psychology is Key." The article talks about how many Olympic athletes are using sports psychology or some form of it. They train for four years just for one moment in hoping to win the gold medal for their country. That’s an insane amount of pressure. This is where being mentally strong helps you beat your rival. Author Mark Mcclusky, "What Olympic Athletes do to be One One-Hundredth of A Second Faster." The author says that the normal amount of training is not enough for elite athletes, work with nutritionists, strength coaches, physiologists, biomechanists, psychologists, recovery experts, and statistical analysts. There was a massive improvements over the last century. The easy improvements have all been made. That’s why it is so hard to be the best all the other athletes know all the short cuts but, there comes a point in time where short cuts are not an option you have to put in the work to be the best. If you really want it bad enough. Author Lucy Walker "Do the Olympics Glorify Danger? Health and fitness and safety are the top three things you want as an athlete but when pushing your body to the extremes can be very dangerous. But having people there to help you can improve your performance and push you past other athletes that aren’t working as hard and have a sports psychologist there to keep you mentally only helps you. The next articles with show you how you can recover for injuries and get back to training,  Laurie Tarkan, "Athletes' Injuries Go Beyond the Physical." The article talks about how getting injured while playing sports a psychologist can help you mental recover from your injury. By talking with you about when you recover how to become to stronger so this does not happen again. It helps to not get depressed while injured, because you might not even want to play again because the pain was so awful. This is where you have to become strong. Robert J. "Mind Games: Weekend Athletes Seek Help from Sports Psychology The author talks about how talking with someone about what you are struggling with, helps tons. It’s not the expensive bats and shoes that make you a better player but, it’s how you think mentally that makes you better and by being mentally strong you become a better person and athlete. Sometimes being hurt as an athlete is not physical but, can also be mental. This is where the Sports physiologist comes in handy.  The next two articles are about myths and tests and experiments that have been done. Joy Griffin "Sport Psychology: Myths in Sport Education and Physical Education." This article talks about different myths of sports psychology involving young kids. Some say they can predict if a kid will be an elite athlete or not. But in reality they might have talent at that age but no one will know for sure. They are just trying to find the next “Lebron James”. Dr. Starke R. Hathaway Invented Psychological Test." New York Times The author states a test was given to people and observed in a psychologies manner. When observing your own test you never really know what’s going to happen or not. You might have a hypothesis but you could be right or wrong. But that’s the amazing part of psychology you might pick up a completely new idea or figure something else out. Adrian C Brock, "Introduction to the Special Issue on the History of Psychology in Canada Talks about the history of psychology from the Canadian views. And the background from how is was started to how is have evolved to now days. There still is so much we don’t know but, we are trying to figure it all out.