How Important is a Sport Psychologist Anyway?
When a student-athlete and coach work in tandem with a sport psychologist,
the benefits could lead to great things.
Sport psychology is a fairly new practice in the grand scheme of things and some coaches have learned how to maximize the use of sport psychologists with their teams, some are still learning how to navigate situations and programs alongside their sport psychologists, some are trepidatious about using a sport psychologist with their athletes, and others don’t have access to sport psychologists and need to find alternatives.
Student-athletes in general have so much on their plates, and when freshmen arrive on campus, they are inundated with information, new opportunities, new faces and personalities, and plenty of tempting situations. How can we help them with balancing those demands while continuing to improve athletically? Trninić, Trninić, and Papić (2009) found to manage the demands on a student-athlete, the team needs to work with a sport psychologist with an emphasis on lifestyle management. It could be beneficial for each athlete, or just the freshmen, to meet with a sport psychologist on a regular basis to work on strategies for balancing the logistics and time constraints of their work loads.
Similarly, Sotiriadou and Shilbury (2009) found that sport psychologists who work directly with coaches increase sport performance as a result. So, it may be beneficial to also meet with a sport psychologist consistently. Working with a sport psychologist as a coach can help with knowing how to assist athletes through positive thought processes, how to use and emphasize positive self-talk, and how to manage athletes in the most productive way that will improve performance.
One issue I’ve experienced is an athlete’s unwillingness to buy into working with a sport psychologist. Either the athlete doesn’t take them seriously, or they cancel or reschedule their sessions often, or the athlete doesn’t implement the strategies talked about during a session. By seeing a sport psychologist yourself, you can lead by example, and that may motivate your athletes to stick with their appointments and implement strategies. Trninić, Trninić, and Papić (2009) also found benefit in coaches work in tandem with the psychologist and athlete to support the discussed strategies. This can also help to manage and monitor the athlete’s development because the more often the athlete sees changes and improvements, and the more likely they will be to buy into the process.
Are you a coach who uses a sports psychologist? How do you maximize their effect on the team or how do you get your athletes to buy-in? Are you a coach who refrains from using a sports psychologist? Why is that? If you don’t have access to a sports psychologist, what strategies do you use as an alternative?
Either way, comment below!
References
Sotiriadou, K. P., & Shilbury, D. (2009). Australian elite athlete development: An organisational perspective. Sport management review, 12(3), 137-148.
Trninić, M., Trninić, S., & Papić, V. (2009). Development Management Model of elite athletes in team sports games. Collegium antropologicum, 33(2), 363-372.