Part 4: Why Study Sport?

• Popularity of Sport (& Physical Activity):

  • Participation
  • Many people participate in sport
  • Spectators
  • Lot of people that watch sport
  • Pay money to spectate
  • We care about it
• Popularity of Sport (& Physical Activity):

  • Media, especially TV
  • Pay to watch
  • Sport sections in news, papers
  • bc/ consumers want it
  • Sports business - pro sports, equipment, clothing, shoes,...
  • Big part of our culture
• Popularity of Sport (& Physical Activity):

  • Sport matters to a lot of people
  • Popularity not only important factor why its important to study
• Psychology IN Sport (& Exercise):

  1. Voluntary activity: an issue of motivation, commitment
  2. Competitive activity:an issue of motivation, stress
  3. Evaluative activity: an issue of self-esteem, stress
  4. Skill learning: an issue of concentration, attention, self confidence
  5. With & against people: an issue of cooperation, leadership, group dynamics
  6. Rule bound activity: an issue of fair play, cheating, morality, aggression...

  • Life Skills, as well as Sport/Physical Skills
• Psychology IN Sport (& Exercise):

  • Voluntary activity: an issue of motivation, commitment
  • Voluntary → don’t have to do it, is a choice
  • In itself is an act of motivation
  • Why choose it, what's in it for them? Commitment?
• Psychology IN Sport (& Exercise):

  • Competitive activity: an issue of motivation, stress
  • If still motivate to participate in public scrutiny
  • Self inflicted stress, choose to put self in pressure
• Psychology IN Sport (& Exercise):

  • Evaluative activity: an issue of self-esteem, stress
  • Can be a threat to self-esteem
  • An aspect of life (big or small)
• Psychology IN Sport (& Exercise):

  • Skill learning: an issue of concentration, attention, self confidence
  • Concentrating on right stuff
  • Confidence to deliver skills learnt
• Psychology IN Sport (& Exercise):

  • With & against people: an issue of cooperation, leadership, group dynamics
  • Cooperation in to compete or work with team mates
  • Rule bound activity: an issue of fair play, cheating, morality, aggression...
• Psychology IN Sport (& Exercise):

  • Life skills, as well as sport/physical skills
  • What we learn IN sport to help us somewhere else/out of sport
  • Lot of psychology in sport/PA, brain is controlling & moving body & thinking which may help or get in the way
• Psychology FOR Sport:

  • Social Psych → Sport Psych → MST → Ideal Performance State → Peak Performance
  • MST = Mental Skill Training
  • To get into the zone
  • To help deal w/ the stress of sport
  • Use psych IN sport to use it FOR sport performance
• Psychology FOR Sport:

  • To help perform to their potential more consistently (brain & body working together)
• Psychology FOR Sport:

  • Channel those nerves into excitement
  • Don’t let nerves overwhelm you
  • May look calm but still have nerves/anxiety
  • Got to have right headspace mental state is crucial
• Psychology FOR Sport:

  • Just focus on every shot - 1 shot at a time
  • 3-4 gold game only 5 min hitting the ball have a lot of time for thinking
  • Mental side separates the really top from those just under that