PSYCHOLOGICAL SKILLS TRAINING:Performance profiling, Performance routines

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Sport Psychology(psy407)

Lesson 31

PSYCHOLOGICAL SKILLS TRAINING

Who Is the Client?

The first and most critical thing that must be determined by the sport psychologist is who the client is. If

the client is the athletic department of the university, then the athletic department defines the nature of the

relationship between the sport psychologist and the athlete or the coach. If the client is the coach, then the

coach defines the nature of the relationship between the sport psychologist and the athlete. Finally if the

athlete is the client, then the athlete defines the nature of nature of relationship.

Initial Meeting with the Athletes

The initial meeting between the sport psychologist and the athletes is pivotal for emphasizing the need for

commitment to the PSTP. Coaches and athletes recognize the importance of physical practice and training

to prepare for peak performance. Athletes must be equally committed to psychological skills training.

Psychological skills training must be viewed as an equal partner to the practicing of physical skills.

Education of the Sport Psychologist relative to Activity

Athletes find it easier to relate to a sport psychologist who understands the nuances of the sport that the

athletes are trying to excel in. If a sport psychologist cannot relate to an athlete's feelings in a critical game

situation, she will have difficulty gaining the confidence of the athlete. A sport psychologist must be more

than a psychologist; she must also be an exercise and sport scientist.

Development of a Needs Assessment Plan

In order to develop a needs assessment plan, the sport psychologist must determine the psychological skill

strengths and weaknesses of each athlete and of a team as a whole. This is accomplished through a series of

interviews and test administrations as indicated below.

Interview

An open-ended interview is an important way for the sport psychologist to establish a trusting relationship

with the athlete. In this interview, the sport psychologist learns the athlete's attitudes about sport

psychology, and his perceptions about psychological strengths and weaknesses.

Performance profiling

The athlete then indicates on a scale of 1 to 10 where she feels she falls on that rating scale. This process

has been labeled performance profiling. Areas of potential psychological skill improvement may include

intrinsic motivation, self-awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence, attentional focus, and arousal control.

Observation of athletes during practice and competition

Regardless of an athlete's perception of personal psychological skill, it is informative to observe the athlete

during game-like situations to see how he deals with pressure. This will make it possible to affirm the

athlete's belief system about psychological skill. If differences exist between observed and perceived

psychological skills, then additional interviews might prove beneficial.

Sport Psychology(psy407)

Use of objective Pencil-and-paper inventories.

Where appropriate, inventories such as 16-PF and POMS should be administered and carefully evaluated

relative to other subjectively determined information.

Psychological Methods and Strategies to be Taught

Based on needs assessment, it should be clear to the sport psychologist which areas of psychological skill

the athletes are strong in and which areas they are weak in. It is likely that different athletes will exhibit

different profiles relative to their psychological skills. Based on this information, the sport psychologist

develops a master plan detailing how to enhance psychological skill through the application of various

psychological methods strategies, and techniques. Timing and sequencing of the delivery of psychological

methods is also determined as this time.

Actual Teaching and Learning of Selected Psychological Methods

During this phase, the actual teaching of psychological method is taught with a specific purpose in mind in

terms of enhancing psychological skill. For example, if the athlete is lacking in the psychological skill of

displaying self-confidence prior to competition, self-talk, self-hypnosis, and imagery might prove to be

particularly effective.

Psychological methods to be taught and practiced

An incomplete list of potential psychological methods to be taught include goal setting, relaxation, self-talk,

imagery, attention skills, and self- hypnosis.

Performance routines

Performance routine, whether used before, during, or after the execution of a closed motor skill, are

designed to help the athletes focus attention appropriately. Research has validated the use of performance

routines in sport (Hill & Borden, 1995; Lidor & Singer, 2000)

Ongoing and End-Of-Season Evaluation of PSTP

If a psychological skills training program extends across an entire sport season, it is imperative that it be

evaluated at the end of the season. If psychological inventories were administered during the needs

assessment phase of the program, these same inventories can be administered at the end of the season,

noting changes and improvements in variables of importance.

If an athlete feels uncomfortable about a specific psychological method that she is learning, there is no need

to continue it to the end of the program.

References

Cox, H. Richard. (2002). Sport Psychology: Concepts and Applications. (Fifth Edition). New York:

McGraw-Hill Companies

Lavallec. D., Kremer, J., Moran, A., & Williams. M. (2004) Sports Psychology: Contemporary Themes. New

York: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers

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