Why Can Sports Psychology Be Useful For People Who Don’t Play Sports?

Physical exercise requires both physical strength and mental strength. It improves the development of children and, in adults, it allows them to maintain a better general state of the body and brain. However, in many situations we don’t find the motivation to start. That’s where sports psychology comes into play.

You don’t have to be an Olympic medalist like Michael Phelps to know that “you can’t put limits on anything. The more you dream, the further you get”. Whether it’s to feel good about yourself, out of taste or out of sheer necessity, sport is fundamental in our lives from the moment we were born until the moment we left this world.

Why put sports psychology into practice?

Although sports psychology makes the most sense within the professional world, knowing some reasons why applying its tools outside of this scope can help us see them differently. If we do that, we will be able to understand how these tools can also be of great value to us, who do not make a living from sport.

But first, and in relation to sports psychology, it is important to distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. It will be very important to know both aspects so that the applied work is effective.

intrinsic motivation

According to the authors Sánchez-Oliva, Leo Marcos, Miguel, Amado Alonso and Calvo, in “Relationship of the motivational climate by the coach with self-determined motivation and the implication towards sports practice” (2010, University of Extremadura), we can refer to motivation intrinsic as the involvement of the individual’s own initiative in an activity. That is, he does it for the sheer satisfaction of participating in the activity.

Also in this sense, Sans and Frattarola in “Training in grassroots football” (2000, Paidotribo) consider that intrinsic or internal motivation is useful for the individual to develop the capacity for achievement. When born from him, he satisfies his need in pursuit of a goal.

Naturally, knowing when and how to promote this type of motivation aimed at one or several people requires a certain amount of knowledge. What moves the group? What interests do they have? That way we can adapt the tasks to your specific needs.

extrinsic motivation

We now return to the theses of Sánchez-Oliva, Leo Marcos, Miguel, Amado Alonso and Calvo, in “Relationship of the motivational climate by the coach with self-determined motivation and the implication towards sports practice” (2010, University of Extremadura) to describe motivation extrinsic.

In this case, we are referring to the motivation that is always produced due to a benefit to personal growth. However, the interest in carrying out the activity starts and is maintained by obtaining external rewards, such as avoiding a feeling of guilt.

In this way, certain people can influence others to play sports. Between players and participants, as well as on the part of a coach, performance, attitudes and motivation can be varied, being especially important in improving sports skills. This is what Cruz Feliu considers (1994, “Psychological consultancy for coaches: basketball experience for beginners”, Apunts Magazine 35).

Thus, we consider this motivation as external, as it comes from abroad and is provided by agents who are not related to the person, but who belong to their environment. As we said, colleagues, family, friends, coaches, etc.

10 reasons to practice sports psychology

Psychologist and personal trainer Jonathan García-Allen considers these 10 reasons to apply sports psychology fundamental. Let’s get to know and discover the benefits obtained in each of them.

Achieving an ideal mental state

Practicing sports psychology allows an individual to reach their ideal state of mind. In addition to the necessary good physical condition, mental preparation is also essential, especially on the competitive level. This is what is known in this field of knowledge as the Optimal Level of Functioning.

Reinforcement

Using reinforcement is also considered essential. In this way, it is possible to improve the participants’ self-esteem. Furthermore, it is considered a basic principle of learning techniques, tactics and psychological skills.

Goals

Sport-adapted psychological techniques are ideal for achieving goals. With proper planning and realistic goals, it is much simpler to follow the steps to implement them. Furthermore, it increases self-confidence and boosts self-esteem.

group cohesion

This advantage is gained in teams or group sports. It can favor working together, since if they are united, the benefit is much greater. It serves to improve and optimize sports performance, reducing internal problems.

Self-instructions

Increasing motivation and skills is possible thanks to self-instructions. According to García-Allen, in this way negative habits are eliminated. They are also ideal to develop attention, focus on the goal and increase performance, better supporting the fatigue inherent to sports practice.

imaginative training

Another reason to implement sports psychology appears to introduce imaginative training. In this case, it reduces anxiety and new skills are acquired due to mental practice.

stress control

We continue to see positive aspects of sports-adapted psychology. It’s a great stress controller. Although competition involves stressful situations, in general the lifestyle associated with physical exercise is much healthier. Allows you to reconcile routine obligations with higher yield, reduced pressure and better reaction in complex scenarios, achieving goals and exceeding goals in all vital aspects.

improves attention

Sport psychology is a great ally of attention. Techniques are used to improve performance. This requires emotional control, improved concentration and excellent skill learning. Only in this way is it possible to overcome the most complex moments in sports practice.

More productive emotions

Sport is also an enabler of productive emotions. This is because an individual’s mental state actually determines his competitive performance. Therefore, it is important to generate productive emotions capable of providing a person’s ideal state. Thus, it is necessary to avoid anger, disappointment or fear and let positivism enter the individual’s mind during exercise.

Recovery support

Sports psychology is ideal as a support for athletes to recover from injuries. Accepting the injury and not losing your temper during bad times and recovery is very important. It is at this time that professionals must perform an excellent motivational work so that rehabilitation is adequate, both psychologically and physically.

The work of sports psychology

We note that sports psychology has a difficult job. However, its contribution is basic to the ideal performance both at a professional level and for sports lovers. Adequate physical preparation is necessary to reach the proposed goals.

Therefore, the physical ability of an athlete is very important. However, if it is not combined with emotional, technical, strategic and psychological training, there is a very long way to go.

Mental ability focused in the right direction is a very important part of achieving goals in any sport. That’s why sports psychology has a big job in the various mental compartments.

It is worth concluding that, thanks to sports psychology, the individual becomes much more efficient, competent and effective. During practice, he will make better decisions, be able to handle his emotions better, and will overcome any critical moment with great efficiency.