https://www.success-in-mind.com/home daily 1.0 2022-09-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597413331155-OXJZ9227XWHQHG72RYRK/JM%2Bhead%2Bshot2.jpg Home - Dr John Mathers Sport Psychologist This site is designed to provide information and assistance to sports men and women interested in applied sport psychology. https://www.success-in-mind.com/biography daily 0.75 2020-09-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597345817957-XDY7J2Y7CMP599JACAV8/gleneagles%2Bdrive.jpg Biography https://www.success-in-mind.com/what-is-sport-psychology daily 0.75 2020-09-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597401538755-K1FJVYB8Y84NH1DFFLQA/cormac.jpg What is sport psychology? - Sport psychology aims to understand the link between a person’s thinking and their performance in sport. Whilst successful athletes control their thoughts and emotions in competition, athletes who lose concentration, experience physical tension and lack confidence, often fail to produce their best form when they need it most. A sport psychologist helps athletes to ignore any distractions that limit performance and discover the key thoughts that encourage their own success. Sport psychology has been shown to contribute to success in elite sport and many elite sports men and sports women now rely on the advice of sport psychologists, in addition to traditional coaching, in their quest for excellence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597343879945-346O5F25NJG6ILVTXSW5/shooting_sport_woman_athlete_happy_smile.jpg What is sport psychology? - Being ‘in the zone’ Peak performance in sport is produced when an athlete experiences their ideal mental and physical state. This state is often described as ‘being in the zone’ and is associated with focused thinking, physical relaxation and feelings of self-confidence. Some athletes find it difficult to achieve their ideal state during competition and become distracted by a fear of failure, excessive anxiety and high levels of muscular tension. These symptoms often contribute to poor performance which damages self-confidence and reduces the expectancy of success in future events. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597344281160-F4O29XCLDTS1A63ICPIL/tennis_sports.jpg What is sport psychology? - Achieveing the ideal state Sports psychologists help athletes to create their ideal state so that they can perform more effectively in competition. Some sport psychologists might encourage an athlete to remove the mental barriers that prevent the ideal state from being reached through a process of person-centred counselling. Others may encourage the athlete to apply mental skills (such as imagery or self-talk) and develop a way of thinking that counteracts any distractions that might emerge during key moments in competition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597344471202-7YVV4EH77BDQPYMIUZ4A/jigsaw.jpg What is sport psychology? - Building relationships Whilst there are many different approaches in applied sport psychology, the quality of the relationship developed between the sport psychologist and the athlete is thought to be a key element of success. Research has shown that the best results and outcomes are often based on a collaborative relationship that is built on mutual respect, trust and commitment between the athlete and the sport psychologist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597403063934-MZYGAGFO167JL378RA69/BPS+logo4.jpg What is sport psychology? - A programme of sport psychology normally involves a series of stages that include: i) Education and Awareness ii) Needs analysis iii) Designing a strategy iv) Delivery and instruction v) Monitoring progress and vi) Evaluation. Any work delivered by a BPS Chartered Psychologist will be carried out in accordance the BPS’ Code of Ethics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597410405876-OC4VQ0OS5YWCJ3MCKMXU/education.jpg What is sport psychology? - This stage allows the sport psychologist and the prospective client to establish rapport and trust with each other. The sport psychologist would normally explore the athlete’s chosen sport, competitive history, support network and future aspirations then outline the key components of mental skills work that might be carried out. By the end of this stage, both the athlete and the psychologist would reflect on whether or not a programme of sport psychology should be pursued, and think about the work that could meet the athlete’s needs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597410587948-J63FUQHPXY5PAN1ONOQ3/car%252Bpic.jpg What is sport psychology? - This stage enables the sport psychologist to identify any issues that might limit the athlete’s ability to produce their best performances. This could be uncovered through individual interviews, mental skills questionnaires or by observing the athlete in training and in competition. By the end of this stage, the sport psychologist will better understand the barriers that prevent the athlete from achieving success and may start to consider a programme of mental skills support and that will allow the athlete to flourish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597410543763-SDE1MHZVS9924XLDIM26/photo%2Bneeds%2Banalysis.jpg What is sport psychology? - Qualified sport psychologists design a support strategy according to their own theoretical stance and the preferred learning style of the athlete. Some athletes prefer the sport psychologist to help them resolve personal issues that exist away from their sport, whilst others would rather develop mental skills for performance during dedicated practice and training sessions within their sport setting. The strategy will emerge from the awareness and needs analysis stages and will place the athlete at the centre of the intervention work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1600190591172-DZUI9MFD1OXR8JKIRLGO/Hazel2.jpg What is sport psychology? - This stage allows the athlete to engage in the work that has emerged from the needs analysis and programme design stages. This could involve face to face consultations that allow personal issues to be resolved, or take a more practical approach where key mental skills are integrated within regular training sessions. As some athletes prefer to practice key mental skills in their own sport environment, it would be quite normal for sport psychology sessions to take place on a tennis court, on a golf course or at the athlete’s training base. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1600190718101-5JWY4FMF7EEIHHXYXDQM/No%25252Bhiding%25252Bplace2%25252521.jpg What is sport psychology? - This stage is used to assess the changes in sport behaviour that are taking place over time and to provide regular support to the athlete as they try to establish more productive performance habits. Progress might be monitored by analysing the data from regular meetings, specific performance statistics, mental skills questionnaires or from live or recorded observations of performance in competition. This information is fed back to the athlete in subsequent sessions and guides the direction of future work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597410486065-FUJGZIXKDCAPJX68VT47/evaluation2.jpg What is sport psychology? - Evaluation allows the sport psychologist and athlete to assess the impact of the work that has taken place over the programme of mental skills instruction. Evaluation is made against the planned changes in thinking and performance that were established at the onset of the work and considers the athlete’s testimony and overall experience, data from psychometric assessments and the extent which key performance indicators were achieved. The results of the evaluation normally inform the content and delivery of future mental skills work. https://www.success-in-mind.com/what-does-the-work-involve daily 0.75 2020-09-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597412030957-7D1CRKSGA2910BMHGAC6/Dewi.jpg What doesthe work involve? - Learning to apply mental skills such as mental imagery, sport-specific concentration or positive self-talk might require the athlete to keep a diary of reflective thoughts, engage in practical training exercises and immerse themselves in mental skill projects that are designed to strengthen the acquisition of key skills. In most cases, the sport psychologist will suggest ways in which this can be integrated to physical practice and training, so that the key mental skills become a normal performance habit. Some of the mental skills that might feature in a sport psychology programme are outlined below… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597412175158-CW7XB2YLF8BOL9W32LWF/goal+setting.jpeg What doesthe work involve? - Goal-setting Goal setting can help an athlete progress from where they are today to where they might like to be in the future. Setting and achieving goals creates feelings of satisfaction, self-mastery and enjoyment that can increase the likelihood of success in competition. Goals can be set for the short term, the medium term and the longer term and may be linked to processes and skills (i.e. effort), elements of performance (i.e. serving in tennis) or more tangible outcomes such as results in key events. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597412372224-OERIUVUQDUG7Y16GXJCA/Imagery.jpeg What doesthe work involve? - Imagery Imagery can encourage an athlete to produce a well-learned skill more effectively during the stress of competition. Being able to create the correct mental image can create a positive focus of thought before and during the sport event. Imagery can be ‘internal’ (where the athlete visualises what they would see as the event unfolds), ‘external’ (where the athlete imagines themselves performing successfully on TV) or ‘feel’, where the athlete creates the physical sensations that would be connected with a successful performance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597412527254-9WTSKZKTMHDVGHMF3IIL/putting.jpg What doesthe work involve? - Positive Self-talk Positive self-talk can help an athlete build the self-confidence they need to deliver their best performance in important events. Applying positive self-talk correctly will combat any tendency to think negatively, or be dominated by thoughts on individual technique that often destroy rhythm and flow. Motivational self-talk can direct the athlete’s focus in a way that encourages maximum effort whilst instructional self-talk can encourage the athlete to produce a well learned sports skill in competition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597412645628-YVNY2ZQOEUN4TJ34SAN9/self+talk.jpg What doesthe work involve? - Body Language Adopting the correct body language can play a part in helping the athlete maintain a consistent performance in their chosen sport. Competitive sport is a fluctuating experience and being able to cope with set-backs soon after they occur is an important element of success. Choosing to adopt certain facial expressions, positive body shapes and stances can help athletes recover from low points in a performance more quickly, and find a way back to recapture their best form as the event unfolds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597412803011-OD7WSEFO653BYQN1HWOZ/concentration.jpg What doesthe work involve? - Concentration Being able to disregard common distractions such as negative thinking is crucial to effective performance in competitive situations. Athletes can learn to control their thoughts by choosing to focus on positive thought content as a key movement technique takes place. Rather than thinking technically, or being concerned about failing, athletes can learn to focus on breath patterns, key words or specific images that allow a natural technique to unfold with more freedom and precision during pressure situations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597412906416-VVBT9H1YKFOH1HXX5G8M/beach.jpg What doesthe work involve? - Relaxation All athletes have an optimal state of physical relaxation or readiness that promotes effective decision-making and well-learned techniques to function correctly. Occasionally though, competition stress can cause the athlete to become overly tense and be susceptible to poor decision-making and non-rhythmical movements that limit performance. Being able to regulate individual levels of anxiety, physical tension and arousal can allow the athlete to express their natural talents more consistently in competition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597412998211-SL96H8TTZJR5JZ6Z6LDC/people.jpg What doesthe work involve? - Being part of a team Team cohesion and togetherness is fundamental to success in interactive team sports such as football, rugby and netball where individual players must work together to achieve a common goal. Team cohesion is also important in co-active sports where athletes perform individually but as part of a team (i.e. The European Ryder Cup Team, The British Swimming Team, the Scottish Bowling Team). Members of sports teams can engage in training activities that encourage the team output to be greater than the sum of its parts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597413148308-JEHOD7ASNT944DCGWU3V/leadership.jpg What doesthe work involve? - Leadership Effective leadership can encourage members of a team or organisation to work in a way that contributes to the team goal. Being able to create a performance culture through a transformational leadership style will motivate those connected with the team to perform effectively and maximise the opportunities for success. Coaches, team captains, National Governing Body administrators and members of the team’s support staff can learn to show leadership behaviours that increase their own productivity and the productivity of those around them. https://www.success-in-mind.com/who-can-benefit daily 0.75 2020-09-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597415387329-MREJ2HM2CQO5L0F2RZPV/individual%2B2.jpg Who can benefit? - Individual athletes Sport psychology can benefit all classifications and categories of sports men and women, including amateur and professional sportspeople, and junior and senior competitors. Aspiring athletes, existing elite athletes and athletes making the transition from playing to coaching or retirement can all benefit from the principles of applied work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597415487067-I766LIYGCOS5ZF3TA05V/curling.jpg Who can benefit? - Sports teams Sport psychology can make an important contribution to the performance of sports teams in terms of effectiveness and consistency in competitive fixtures. Applied work can help individual members of a team perform more effectively and create a positive team environment that benefits coaches, administrators and the wider support staff. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597415591025-9HDOMOZCK7V3ST10OKOU/photo%2Bsinger.jpg Who can benefit? - Performers in the arts and entertainment The principles of sport psychology can be applied to performers in the expressive and creative arts including those connected with the music and acting industries. Being able to control behaviour during the entertainment spotlight can help elite artists to produce peak performances that can allow progression in their chosen career. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597415782153-8EJCJZYT12LZHDM716B4/business1.jpg Who can benefit? - Business and commerce Success in elite sport shares numerous similarities with success in the world of commerce and business. The principles of sport psychology can be applied in a business setting to motivate and challenge a workforce in a way that increases productivity and output. Applying behavioural principles to groups of employees through the lens of elite sport has proven to be an interesting way of developing effective work practices in businesses and organisations. https://www.success-in-mind.com/support-options-and-costs daily 0.75 2020-09-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597416756722-41P24IYPRJBR3THAG4UQ/on%25252Bline.jpg Support options and costs - Support options Sport psychology support would normally be delivered through regular face-to-face meetings, group sessions (with members of a sports team) or through workshops and lectures in situations that involve larger groups. The sessions could take place in a shared a physical space, or remotely (through Zoom or Skype meetings) if this proves to be easier in terms of geography or to observe social distancing. Effective sport psychology support normally involves weeks or months of regular instruction so that mental skills changes are given time to become permanent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f344c590329cc063fc54923/1597416631748-UWHCJQM5N257VYWTFREL/costs.jpg Support options and costs - Costs Sport psychology costs vary according to the qualifications and experience of the practitioner involved. Trainee sport psychologists (registered on either the BPS or BASES pathways) might charge in the region of £40-60 per hour for their work, whilst fully qualified practitioners might charge considerably more (possibly between £100 - £250 per session) although this may depend on the contract agreed between the two parties. Clients should be aware that payments for sport psychology support services may also include time for additional research, observation and any travel costs that may be associated with the support process.