Psychological Aspects of Sport And Exercise

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Psychological Aspects of Sport and Exercise
Overview of the Skill of Interest
A successful sports and exercises procedures does not only depend on one’s physical attributes, but also on their psychological features. Some of these psychological factors include self-confidence, motivation, emotional control, and connection. Most of the high-performance athletes claim that 90% of their success emanates from their mental training and ability. In sports, there is usually no significant difference among the employees in terms of their training, physical ability, and potential to succeed. These people are subjected to the same training exercises under the same conditions and all of them are physically fit for the competition. Therefore, the determining factors that set winners apart from the rest is their psychological realm.
Over the years, there has been more researchers have shown an increasing interest in the psychological aspect of sports. This increased interest has resulted in sports psychologists and other researchers in the field to assess the psychological variables that determine sports performance and the underlying theoretical factors. The fact that one’s mental strengths significantly determines the sports outcome is undisputable. Greenleaf and colleagues interviewed Olympic Games sports performers concerning what contributed to their success. In their responses, the athletes revealed that top level performance was associated with psycho-social factors, which included the athlete’s self-confidence, focus on fun, and a positive attitude. These findings show the important role that psychology plays in the success of sports. Besides, the participants also highlighted social factors as contributing to their success. These factors included social support, interpersonal trust and team unity. Understanding the theoretical basis of these factors will be important determining the areas of improvement in future training procedures.
Theoretical Basis to Explain or Describe the Skill
The psychology of sports and exercise emphases on motivation as a key factors in sports success. This trait is also associated with the persistence of the athletes while exercising and also during the competition. Athletes face several challenges in their road to success. Among these include extensive training sessions, unpleasant rehabilitation following injuries, and also disappointments after defeat. Overcoming all these setbacks requires a strong psychological stability on the part of the athlete besides their talent and good physical preparation. According to research, athletes talk about two main types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic, as their drivers towards success (Sheehan, Herring, & Campbell). Athletes who enjoy intrinsic motivation derive pleasure from engaging in the sports activity and performance. On the contrary, those who experience extrinsic motivation derive their pleasure from acquisition of some benefits, which can be material such as monetary rewards or social in nature. Consequently, the psychological factors in sports and exercise revolve around intrinsic and extrinsic motivation that the individuals derive from the events.
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