SPORT PSYCHOLOGY
Our case study here is a twenty-three year old talented swimmer who had hitherto had many victories, but along the line, the tide turned and his youthful exuberance could not sustain him when the reality of ups-and-downs of life came. In the past three or four swimming outings Jhone Smith had become distressed, tense and overtly anxious. In my position as the sport psychologist of his swimming club I noticed his plight and requested to have a brief appointment with him. Precisely the appointment was slated for January 12, 2010, we met and our conversation is in the following excerpts
Tara Eh, Jhone, I observe certain lapses in you, hence this meeting with you.
Jhone Dear Tara, Sir you know how much I love this sport, Im depressed in mind.
Tara And why
Jhone Success has been eluding me. I am no longer winning Tara, I am stressed.
Tara You need the right frame of mind to continue to excel in sport.
Jhone Thanks , Sir.
I, as your psychologist admonish you to avoid worry. Pleasr refer to the time tested winning strategies of the famous golfer Nicklaus (1981), pp. 130-144. I will guide you. Are you worried about victories Do you sleep enough Are you too anxious to win every contest Do you feel inferior among fellow competitors Practice relaxation daily. Visualize yourself as a successful swimmer.
That piece of advice is what Jhone needed to recover. After the dialogue, I went further to advise him appropriately so that he may reach the pinnacle of his swimming profession. I counselled him further you should carefully read the work of Nicklaus over. With the type of talent at your disposal, you have all it takes to remain the local champion, and even go beyond. Nothing prevents you from being the next Olympic gold medallist in swimming, if you try enough. I urge you to follow the following exercises for the next two weeks.
I continued Upon waking up every morning see yourself as being in harmony with the world. See your self being happy and achieving your goals. See yourself as being happy with the world. Relax. Then begin your training. Remember that the world is for all. Sometimes you are on top, sometimes, you may lose. Do not believe that you will be the greatest all the time.
Furthermore, remember that swimming is quite interesting, and that other sports have their own problems too. But seemingly all sports tend towards achieving a common goal, to the keep the body in good physical condition for better health, and unite it with the psychic body, that is to have a sound mind in a sound body. Are you deriving satisfaction from swimming Would you recommend it to anyone. Review activities we did in the recent past. The more you learn to cope with challenges, the greater you will be. Now, answer these questions Do you wish to win always Name your swimming hero. Will you like to surpass the hero
There are varieties of sports, mainly individual games, and team games. An example of individual game is boxing. Yet there are others that are done as a team, for example football, cricket baseball, basket ball. Some can be individual or team, for example swimming , tennis, etc. This later group of sport requires team work and cooperation, a lesson that is very vital in every sphere of our daily lives. Now my dear Jhone Smith I should let you realize that organizations need to learn from the unity that exist in teamsport. Right from our childhood we are exposed to different forms of sporting activity. For me with my infantine perspective, I used to regard sport as mere activity between two or a few local schools. As I grew older I realize that sport encompasses larger communities, and finally I realized the universality of sports. I now know that it is a universal activity, a language that is common to all nations.
Hence as your educational psychologist let me rehabilitate your derailing mind. I know that there is a scientific way of handling issues. Whether you are aware or not, the major successful sports men and women in all sports all over the world engage the services of personal or team psychologist like me. Performance in sports is a function of first having accurate mental picture of ones role and level, the next is the physical wellness of the body. No one can ever triumph without these points mentioned. Hence sport psychology remains unavoidable for all sports practitioners. How often do you practice swimming How will you rate skill Excellent, Very Good, Average, Poor
In recent times, sports have become an important economic factor. Think of the value added by football to the economy of European nations, especially England. Think of the economic power of baseball and basketball in the United States of America. To cap it all see how soccer will create millionaires at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Globally sportsmen and women now rank among the worlds richest. Even with the possible setback of injury, sports provides greater hope and security than conventional employments. Economic gains therefore remain a highly desirable derivative of sports.
Yet there are even more deliverables of sports. Psychologists and philosophers make us to believe that the human mind is very powerful. A sportsman or woman with the right mental attitude is a winner, is well adjusted to life, and always optimistic. One major asset for all sporting people is good health, attained by regular physical exercises and living a regimented life style. Every sport has training philosophy which inculcates discipline, endurance, fortitude and being law abiding. Any sport exponent should live a healthy normal life, even after retirement from sports, the discipline imbibed would help in self restraint in all human activities.
These points above are part of what I, Tara, your education psychologist is imparting to you, Jhone. Never you be tempted to believe that monetary gain is all that matters in sport. The modern heavy financial returns for sport persons is a phase, it may or may not continue. Are you still stressed Can you now compete effectively Which of these do you enjoy best in swimming money, fame, happiness
Dear Jhone, consider the following observation. A major problem of modern living is the act of intolerance among people. Nations wage wars on other nations because of intolerance. Protagonists of certain religions proclaim theirs as the authentic and God-sent doctrine, thereby refusing to tolerate others view. Gender inequality is based on intolerance. If one may count, problems posed by different forms pf intolerance will constitute a legion. The psychology of sport certainly does not condone intolerance. That is why every sporting activity is managed by rules and regulations. Every participant in any form of sport must abide by the rules and regulations. Once a sportsman or woman subjects self to these regulations, there is beauty, law and order in the game. That same frame of mind is carried into the wider world. In other words, a sports person is most likely to be tolerant.
For the reason of tolerance, global unity is gradually becoming a reality. Through sports, nations that would normally be at war can engage in friendly games. Furthermore sport now enable citizens of different countries to mingle in an organized sporting event, they learn to tolerate each other. The feat of international brotherhood that cannot be achieved on the round table conferences may be easily achieved through sport.
Sporting activities are highlighted with healthy competitions and they will most likely shape the direction of world affairs in the near future. The genuine sports person finds joy among all types of people.
With the above explanation, wont you like to be a sport ambassador Sports can create wealth, you Strongly Agree , Agree Slightly, Disagree, Have No Idea. Please remain focused always.
Dear Jhone, I hope you are benefiting from my advice to you. Your present sporting activity is preparing you for a better future. You may be asking why I lay so much emphasis on the sport psychology. The answers are not far fetched. Order is preferable to chaos, for all human beings and systems. The goal of sport psychology therefore is to define a clear road map for the thinking process on what to do, think or believe. Sport in itself should be something natural that every person should engage in, first to tone the body for good health, and secondly to get the benefits accruing if possible.
It is after one is healthy using sports practice that other benefits such as fame, wealth and social positions may be contemplated. You can therefore see that your are being prepared for a great future
Finally, my dear Jhone Smith, thank you for being our model in this dialogue. How do you perceive introducing psychology education Very Good, Good, Average, Poor You have unknowingly taught many lessons to others in your sport career. Sport encourages one to have fortitude, even when facing the vicissitudes of life. Sport seems to drive home the lesson that for victory, preparation is necessary, endurance is unavoidable, and hope, tolerance are needed. Keep up with the counselling. Good luck, Jhone.
Hence, sporting club owners and institutions engage in continuous research to further advance the course of sports. Sport psychology demonstrates the need for normal expectations in competitions, not victory always. How great and beautiful would the world be if leaders in politics and other elective positions can emulate the spirit of sport
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