Sports psychology is comparatively a recent discipline in psychology. It was started in 1920, in Deutsche Sporthochschule in Berlin, Germany by Carl Diem. Then in 1925, more laboratories were started. So it is a recent addition in the field of psychology.
For many years, sports were all fun and was a mean of staying fit and entertainment with friends. Only a few of the people used to take it seriously but with time this thinking started changing and people started taking more and more interest in sports and being fit.
But the question arises what made them think like this and to pursue the field which was not so famous at that time? And how does playing and following sports effects mentally? It is a branch of psychology which deals with the impact of sports on the mind and how to improve the mental stability to exceed in sports.
A sports psychologist is a person who knows that the athletes should be healthy both physically and mentally. Because sometimes the sportsman go through some phase which effects there mindset and they cannot focus on their game entirely. When the athlete feels fresh and relaxes without anxiety, it is when he perform to his fullest.
The sports psychologist can be a trainer, consultant or the therapist. Many athletes especially females suffer from eating disorders and, sports psychologists are the one who deals with these. The sports psychology is a proper certified course which is not saturated yet, but it is gaining the importance with time. The student gets enrolled in applied psychology where he studies all the biological and cognitive development of the athlete. It teaches you the methodology and the ways of treating psychological disturbance.
To be a successful athlete, you need both the sound mind and a sound body. The couches usually emphasize on the physical training, but the mental training of the athlete is equally essential and here are the reasons why you should have a sports psychologist in your training academy.
Not only in some disorder, but some athletes also call upon the mental trainers in the following conditions:
- Some successful athlete consults the psychologist to enhance performance. Many activities like relaxation techniques, self-talk, and visualization help in giving the best performances.
- To bear the pressure of the competition. It does not matter whether you are a successful competitor or a newbie in the sport, the pressure and anxiety are the same, but a psychologist helps you to get through it.
- For injury recovery, many athletes consult the psychologist to get that trauma out of their head. Some athletes experience serious injuries which stay with them for life, but some athletes suffer but do not want to get that condition out of their head.
- Aiming for some goals and keep sticking to those are some challenging tasks to do. Same goes for the exercise. People set goals, but they usually skip the workout routine in the middle. The sports psychologist provides with that motivation.
Sports psychology is a big need of today’s world in which sports is life for many and is the source of entertaining for the general public.
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