The sports psychologist

Edited by Dr. Stefano Casali

" introduction

In North America, there is an increasing tendency to orient sports psychology studies towards the "psycho-social" field of sport. On the contrary, in Australia, Europe and Asia more attention is paid to studies on the teaching and control of movement. As for the future perspectives, a multidimensional approach to sport psychology, in which each expert can make his own contribution according to the skills, seems to be the most accepted and most likely to succeed.

Multidimensional Approach to Sports Psychology (Singer, 1986)

Unfortunately, in Italy the situation is completely different: although the first World Congress of Sports Psychology was organized and hosted in Rome in 1965, in our country the official entry of this discipline into the University has yet to take place. this brief premise, it would not be possible to understand why, for example in North America or Australia, today, almost all professional clubs, youth sectors, sports federations, schools, make use of a recognized sports psychology service as an integrative but necessary tool and in Italy, on the other hand, this same service struggles to be known, recognized and, consequently, required.

Who is the Sports Psychologist:

One of the first clarifications to be made is the following: lo sports psychologist he does not CARE for people but TRAINS THE MIND of the athletes he supports. In fact, precisely because he specializes in the sports area, the expert does not carry out the consultancy as if it were a therapeutic treatment. In most industrialized countries it is sports psychologist is a professional who has carried out a series of academic studies and who has therefore obtained recognized skills and qualifications. Usually the sports psychologist is a graduate in psychology who has followed a specific training course in sports psychology and further training in the field of clinical or organizational psychology. sports psychologist is a doctor of psychology (more often with a clinical or work orientation) who makes his knowledge available and dedicates himself to training, through individual or group interventions, the professional roles he can assume therefore depend on his training and his interests. He can work in the academic field if his interest is essentially that of the researcher, he can be turned to the development of interventions with coaches, athletes and groups, ranging from high-level sport to sport for everyone, from children, to adults and the elderly. It can work with local authorities and sports organizations to develop policies to promote sport practiced by citizens and to monitor the impact of these interventions on the territory. It can contribute to professional training:

> the management staff;
> of the arbitrators;
> coaches, instructors;
> of individual or team sports athletes.

The psychologist is not a technician, therefore he does not provide services concerning technical and tactical advice or strategies, but plays a well-defined role, that of an expert in psychological and psycho-pedagogical issues towards all the members of the sports club. Its objectives are:

• offer INFORMATION on the psychological factors of sport;
• improve LEARNING in sport;
• help YOUTH to mature with sport;
• prepare a personalized MENTAL PREPARATION program;
• carry out CONSULTANCY;
• know and use GROUP DYNAMICS;
• perform a PSYCHODIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT;
• aiming at psychophysical WELL-BEING for every age group.

In competitive sport, the optimization of technical and physical preparation has reached such levels that more and more frequently the mental element represents that extra gear that allows an athlete to get the better of the opponent. positive approach to competition certainly represent two aspects that contribute significantly to the success of the performance. In terms of operational repercussions it is therefore important that each athlete, with the help of the staff, esteems his sense of self-efficacy and certainty in his own abilities with the awareness that these elements can be improved thanks to a series of tricks, exercises and work programs that involve an "accurate analysis of the experience related to past and future performances. In order to develop positive thinking, the athlete must reformulate negative statements focusing exclusively on what is necessary to do to obtain a good performance, by planning a path that transforms barriers into challenges (eg. Dreamed performance, possible performance, and goal setting to reach it). The athlete's estimate of effectiveness determines the way of approaching the task and this evaluation is influenced by how much the athlete believes in himself. The roles of the psychologist and the coach are also those of raising this estimate in a way such that the player faces the performance with confidence (Bandura, Theory of self-efficacy). In these terms, optimizing a performance therefore means increasing the level of self-efficacy thanks to the use of strategies aimed at strengthening the sense of achievement (analysis of the results obtained) . Psychological intervention tends to develop and enhance the potential of individuals and the team in order to reach the ideal psychophysical state before an important appointment.

Other articles on "Sports Psychologist"

1. Sports Psychology
2. Relations between sports psychologist and coach