Why Is Sports Psychology Useful Even For Non-sports People?

Physical activity requires physical and mental strength. In children, it improves development. In adults, it helps keep the body and brain in good condition. However, it is often not easy to find the motivation to start playing sports. And this is where sports psychology comes into play.

You don’t need to be an Olympic champion like Michael Phelps to understand that “you can’t set limits on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get ”. Whether it is to feel good about ourselves, as a hobby or out of necessity, sport is fundamental in our life from when we come into the world to when we leave it.

Why Practice Sports Psychology?

Even if sports psychology makes more sense in the professional field, it is still worth knowing the main tools to use them outside of this field. They can have great value and usefulness even for those who do not live by sport alone.

In sports psychology, it is important to distinguish between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation for the work and effort employed to be truly effective.

Intrinsic motivation

According to many professionals, the expression “intrinsic motivation” refers to the voluntary involvement of an individual in an activity. In other words, a person participates in an activity because they find it stimulating and satisfying.

In this sense, intrinsic or internal motivation is believed to be useful for the individual to develop the capacity for achievement. As he undertakes the business on his own initiative, he satisfies his need in pursuit of a goal.

Obviously, to understand how and when to promote this type of motivation in one or more people, it is necessary to know some information: what stimulates the group? What interests do the participants have? In this way it is possible to adapt the activities to their specific needs.

Extrinsic motivation

Let’s see now what is meant by extrinsic motivation. In this case, the motivation is driven by the search for a benefit for the personal growth of the individual. The interest in the realization of the activity starts and is maintained to obtain external rewards, for example avoiding a sense of guilt.

Thus, some people can influence others in sports practice. Be it players, participants or coaches, performance, attitude and motivation can change with the aim of improving sports.

It is defined as “external motivation” because it comes from the outside and depends on agents external to the person, but who are part of his environment, such as colleagues, family, friends, coaches, etc.

10 reasons to practice sports psychology

Psychologist and personal trainer Jonathan García-Allen believes these 10 reasons to practice sports psychology are fundamental. Let’s find out what they are and what benefits they bring:

Achieve a suitable state of mind

Putting sports psychology into practice allows the individual to achieve an ideal mental state. Beyond the physical conditions, mental preparation is also fundamental, especially at a competitive level. This is what is known as the “Optimal Operating Zone”.

Reinforcement

It is also important to use reinforcement. In this way, the participants’ self-esteem improves and they learn more easily techniques, tactics and psychological skills.

Goals

Psychological techniques in sports are ideal for achieving goals. With the right planning and realistic goals, it is much easier to take action and work towards achieving them. In addition, it increases self-confidence and strengthens self-esteem.

Group cohesion

This advantage is achieved in team sports or activities. It favors teamwork and the benefit goes much deeper. It serves to improve and optimize sports performance, reducing internal problems.

Self-instructions

Increasing motivation and results is possible thanks to self-instructions, in this way negative habits are eliminated. The self-taught instructions are ideal for improving attention, focusing on the goal and promoting good performance, better enduring the fatigue that sports practice entails.

Imaginative training

Another benefit of sports psychology is related to the activation of imaginative training. In this case, anxiety is reduced and new skills are acquired thanks to mental practice.

Stress control

Here is another positive aspect of sports psychology: it helps to control stress. Even if competition involves stressful situations, in general the lifestyle associated with physical activity is much healthier. It allows you to establish a certain compatibility with daily duties, enhance performance, reduce pressure and improve the ability to react in difficult situations and in achieving goals in all areas of life.

Improve attention

Sports psychology improves attention and uses techniques that optimize performance. You need emotional control skills, enhanced concentration and optimal learning of skills. Only in this way is it possible to overcome the most critical moments of sporting activity.

More productive emotions

Sport favors productive emotions. This is because the individual’s mental state really determines his or her competitive performance. It is therefore important to generate productive emotions capable of bringing the person to his area of ​​optimal functioning, thus avoiding anger, disappointment or fear and leaving room for positivity.

Support in the recovery and healing process

Sports psychology is useful as a support to athletes in the process of recovery and healing from wounds or injuries. Accepting the damage and not losing your temper in the moments of convalescence is very important. In these cases, it is up to the professionals to do excellent motivational work, so that the rehabilitation is successful both physically and psychologically.

The work of sports psychology

Sports psychology has a very difficult task. However, it is crucial in terms of optimal performance, both professional and amateur. Adequate physical preparation is necessary to achieve the set goals.

The physical capacity of a sportsman is very important, but if it is not supported by emotional, technical, tactical, strategic and psychological training, it is useless. Proper mental capacity training is an important aspect of achieving goals in any sport. This is why sports psychology has a difficult and delicate task.

To conclude, thanks to sports psychology, people are much more efficient, competent and effective. In practice they will be able to make the best decisions, manage their emotions better and successfully overcome any difficult moment.