Author(s): Simratpal Singh

Abstract:
Sports psychology has emerged as a field with a research tradition that provides a foundation for direct application with athletes. As the role played by psychological Factors in the performance and well-being of athletes has become better understood, intervention have been designed to favourably affect athlete behaviour throughout their involvement in sports and beyond. Sport psychology researchers have been interested in how athletes psychological and characteristics influence performance. From this point, it is clear that psychological characteristics differ between more and less effective athletes and teams. More ever the ability to mentally prepare is considered a key component of such differences. Sports psychologists can teach skills to help athletes enhance their learning process and motor skills, cope with competitive pressures fine tune the level of awareness needed for optimal performance, and stay focused amid the many distraction of team travel and in the competitive environment. Psychological training should be an integral part of an athlete holistic training process, carried out in conjunction with other training elements. This is best accomplished by a collaborative effort among the coach, the sports psychologist, and the athlete; however, a knowledgeable and interested coach can learn basic psychological skills and impart them to the athlete especially during actual practice.

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